Reviews for touring company Performances
Review: Mean Girls by touring company
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on August 08, 2022
The MEAN GIRLS touring cast and producers relied on the material and not the performances to deliver the goods. The tap-dancing scene felt phoned in, but the comedic material is strong enough to provide a full night of entertainment.
The city of Austin is fortunate to be a perennial stop for touring Broadway productions. There are nearly thirty different touring productions visiting approximately 240 different cities in the United States in a single year. The newly renovated Bass Concert Hall has all the bells and whistles necessary to accommodate such large performances. It also has recently reconfigured their security, making it much easier to enter the venue which is a greatly welcome alteration—especially considering …
Review: The Lion King by touring company
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on April 24, 2022
Reflections by a reviewer who's never seen THE LION KING: visually impressive, a light-hearted romp well designed for kids (and the kids within adults). Mesrmerizing, occasionally over long, often hilarious.
The Lion King really needs no introduction. The original, a 1994 animated film, was an enormous success both domestically and internationally. Featuring songs by Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice and a musical score by Hans Zimmer, it was released during a time known as the Disney Renaissance. The voicework was done by an all-star cast including Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, Rowan Atkinson, and Whoopi Goldberg. Yet although it …
Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by touring company
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on March 27, 2022
Sprinkled with new ingredients, this touring production of the familiar story of the magical chocolate factory becomes a thoroughly enjoyable evening of family entertainment. It adds intriguing new themes.
Most people in the audience have some familiarity with Roald Dahl’s classic tale of the golden ticket that makes one boy’s dreams become a reality. Dahl’s 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory inspired the 1971 movie with Gene Wilder as well as the sometimes maligned 2005 Tim Burton movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp. Interestingly, the 1971 movie’s title was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory so as to promote a …
Review: Tootsie by touring company
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on March 05, 2022
The performers in TOOTSIE thrive on the audience's energy and laughter. Like a classic joke that always cracks a smile, the touring production is enormously entertaining and doesn't need to be anything more.
The 1982 movie Tootsie was a big hit, earning the praise of audiences and critics alike, as well as ten Academy Award nominations. It has since been inducted into the Library of Congress’ United States National Film Registry because of its cultural significance. So, it may seem surprising that it did not get the musical treatment until it was adapted by David Yazbek and Robert Horn in 2018, nearly forty years later. Though it …
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Review: Hamilton by touring company
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on December 12, 2021
This touring of HAMILTON production is certainly worth the wait and its creative, near-improvisational reworkings are a treat to old and new fans alike.
"The tension was palpable. . . ." We're all familiar with the phrase, and that was certainly the case among the audience waiting for the show to begin at the Bass Concert Hall on December 8. The stage set with stairs, risers, shipping ropes, and balconies was starkly simple, its texture complexly detailed with time-worn grey bricks and weathered wood. It was later revealed to be a rotating stage which gave …
Review: Come from Away by touring company
by David Glen Robinson
Published on February 20, 2020
On 9/19 nine thousand grounded travelers more than doubled the population of the small town of Gander, about 6000 people. The potential number of stories for this show is 15,000. Superlatives fail, descriptions fail fail for the inspiration.
Come From Away, the lauded Broadway musical, is now on stage at the Bass Concert Hall on the UT campus, running until February 23rd. The touring show stops in Austin for a brief run before moving on. Its tale of people trapped in events over which they have no control is a source of inspiration with the sole message that life is full of wonder, and it is a gift to be a human being. …