New play about veteran actor has potential
Photo by Magnus Stark Ruben Rabasa appears as himself in the world premiere of Rubenology: The Making of An American Legend. By AARON KRAUSE Rubenology: The Making of An American Legend is a new one-person play whose title suggests a journey or process. Actually, the piece itself has a...
Actors’ Playhouse handles Hank Williams bio-musical with care
Photo by Alberto Romeu Hank Williams (Andy Christopher, center) happily plays and sings. Flanking him are Chaz Rose (left) as Tee-Tot and Lindsey Corey as Audrey Williams. By AARON KRAUSE For much of the run of Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre’s spirited and believable production of the stirring,...
Island City Stage’s “The Mystery of Irma Vep” is consistently entertaining
Photo by Matthew Tippins Nicodemus Underwood (Larry Buzzeo, back) startles Jane Twisden (Bruce Linser) in Island City Stage’s production of The Mystery of Irma Vep. By AARON KRAUSE Comic brilliance is on display at Island City Stage (ICS). There, a side-splitting production of the hilarious 1984 spoof, The Mystery...
‘Water by the Spoonful’ is richly symbolic, moving
Photo by Ryan Arnst The title ‘Water by the Spoonful’ is symbolic in the play. In the above photo, Arlette del Toro, as Haikumom, appears in a scene from the play. By AARON KRAUSE If you are trying to escape from a stressful past or painful situation, taking small,...
‘Cats’ still wins us over
Photo by Matthew Murphy The Jellicle Cats appear close together, suggesting a tight-knit group. By AARON KRAUSE They cartwheel, crawl, kick, shake, sing, slide, spin, somersault, speak, jump, kneel, tap dance, talk, walk, and leap – right into our hearts. Even after more than four decades, these felines still...
MNM’s ‘Guys and Dolls’ is a mixed bag
Photo by Amy Pasquantonio Miss Adelaide (Leah Sessa) wishes her fiance, Nathan Detroit (Larry Buzzeo, right) would marry her in MNM Theatre Company’s production of “Guys and Dolls.” By AARON KRAUSE Accurately depicting Damon Runyon’s fantasy world of colorful characters can prove a tough task. In particular, a director...
Island City Stage demonstrates boldness by producing ‘Suddenly Last Summer’
Photo by Matthew Tippins An overwhelmed Catharine (Jeanine Gangloff Levy) rests her head against Dr. Cukrowicz’s chest (Jonathan Furedy) during a scene from Island City’s Stage’s production of Suddenly Last Summer. By AARON KRAUSE A grieving mother fights to keep her late son’s reputation blemish-free. Family members argue over...
‘Ben Butler’ is not your average play about war
Photo by Amy Pasquantonio Major Cary (Jim Gibbons) argues with Major General Benjamin Butler (Troy J. Stanley) in Boca Stage’s production of Ben Butler. By AARON KRAUSE You normally would not expect to laugh uproariously while watching a play about the Civil War, set during that time period. But...