I had never been particularly interested in Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Tenor, because for whatever reason I always thought it was a musical, and I just wasn’t feeling it. But the Nittany Theatre at the Barn production, directed by Frank Wilson, has definitely changed my mind. The show is funny, it deals with so …
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The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde, Adapted by Sterling Sax–2 July 2018
Few modern plays are more widely known, read, or performed than Oscar Wilde’s comedic masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest. Premiering in 1895, I believe it was the most performed comedy of the 20th century. Given that repute, it is a daunting task to adapt the play, as Sterling Sax did for Nittany Theatre at …
Rumors, by Neil Simon–2 June 2018
Despite Neil Simon’s popularity and reputation, this was actually the first time I had seen (or encountered) a Simon play, and I can definitely appreciate why people enjoy his works so much. Rumors is a hilarious show about a set of upper class New Yorkers trying to protect their friend from a scandal they themselves …
The Laramie Project, by Moises Kaufman and the Members of the Tectonic Theater Project–1 Apr. 2018
The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project is an amazing, gut wrenching play. It is documentary theatre, built around the murder of Matthew Shephard in 1998 in Laramie, Wyoming. Matt was a university of Wyoming student who was brutally beaten by two locals and left tied to a fence post in …
Antigone, by Sophocles–1 Mar. 2018
When going to see a theatre production at a college theatre you’ve never been to before, you never know what you’re going to get. College theatre is of notoriously varied quality. Which is why I was so pleased with Juniata College’s production of Antigone, directed by Leigh Hendrix. While there were some performance limitations, the …
The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare–3 Dec. 2017
The American Shakespeare Center’s travelling troupe is consistently excellent, and their production of The Taming of the Shrew, directed by Jemma Alix Levy, lived up to that high standard. The ASC’s distinctive performance ethos is one of the major factors in their success. Their performance style is a blend of the modern and the Elizabethan, …
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Argonautika, by Mary Zimmerman–30 Oct. 2017
Mary Zimmerman’s Argonautika straddles a number of boundaries—between ancient epic and modern drama, between comedy and tragedy, between poetry and theatre. Following the tale of Jason and the Argonauts, this modern adaptation based on the tale recounted in the Greek by Apollonius and in the Latin by Gaius Valerius Flaccus. But this is certainly no …
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Sylvia Review: Great Performances of a Dysfunctional Trio–20 June 2017
A.R. Gurney’s play Sylvia takes a unique look at the relationship between a man and his dog. And a man and his wife. And all the problems that can arise from trying to love both. The play is funny, touching, and occasionally disturbing, and West Virginia Public Theatre (in cooperation with the WVU College of …
Continue reading Sylvia Review: Great Performances of a Dysfunctional Trio–20 June 2017
Steel Magnolias, by Robert Harling–28 May 2017
Following a group of women headquartered in a beauty salon in Louisiana, Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias has much in common with the stereotypical Lifetime movie. But that being said, it’s really quite excellent, and MT Pockets put on an outstanding production, directed by Seret Cole, with amazing performances by all of the cast members. The …
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Kimberly Akimbo, by David Lindsay-Abaire–7 May 2017
A well-written comedy well performed makes for a delightful evening. And MT Pockets’ production of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Kimberly Akimbo was a delightful evening. Under Christian Cox’s direction, the cast put on a very strong performance, working cohesively together to create a fantastic production of a very funny play. I’ve seen one of Lindsay-Abaire’s other plays—Rabbit …
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Phillip Zapkin 