Recent Reviews
Review: Bethany by Theatre en Bloc
by David Glen Robinson
Published on June 02, 2014
Theatre en Bloc has opened Bethany by Laura Marks. The play offers themes of diverse social problems and trends, including homelessness, unemployment, housing decline, the fraudulent inspirational management industry, urban decay, and government bungling. All these are thrown together in an intriguing, plot-heavy contemporary play that could be happening in Round Rock, Detroit, or down the block as we speak. Jenny Lavery directs. Theatre en Bloc is to be applauded for its excellent choice of …
Review: Gold Show/Rose Show by Galaxy Dance Studio
by David Glen Robinson
Published on June 02, 2014
Gold Show/Rose Show is a yearly performance series produced independently by Heloise Gold and Julie Nathanielsz. This year’s installment, as usual around the Memorial Day holiday, was performed at Galaxy Dance Studio. The show presented some treasures of dance-based performance. It rewards all the attention its fans give it. This performance was made especially enjoyable by the expert technical lighting, sound, and video production by Natalie George Productions and Eliot Haynes. A special recognition for …
Review: Welcome to the Moon by The Exchange Artists
by David Glen Robinson
Published on May 31, 2014
The Exchange Artists’ Hot Nights performance series is here tonight, gone tomorrow. Thesaurus terms such as ephemeral and transitory correctly describe it, but certain qualities of the productions persist in memory. First, producers Rachel Weise and Bridget Farr choose pithy one-act plays, whether comedies or tragedies. Next, the producers recruit the most intense actors they can find to pour themselves into their roles in each play. Lastly, they find excellent musical ensembles to add musical …
Review: What's Goin' On? by Generic Ensemble Company
by Stephen Meigs
Published on May 30, 2014
Yes,it's not Brechtt. No, that's not bad.
Okay, so I'm with other audience members, in the box office of the Vortex Theater, before the show starts. And the lady staff member says to us, "The show takes place all over the place, not just in the theater. It's out in the courtyard. It's in the theater. It's interactive. You can get involved or just watch." Then she holds up 3 ribbons, each about 20 inches long - a red ribbon, a yellow …
Review: What's Goin' On? by Generic Ensemble Company
by Michael Meigs
Published on May 29, 2014
"Am I good?" It's easy and reassuring to divide all that we see and experience into Manichean opposites. That's the sort of teaching that we encounter from very early in life: This is good. That is bad. But later, as we begin to understand that the world's a far more complicated place, those distinctions are harder to draw. Male; female. Black; white. Work; play. Sincere; phony. Optimism; pessimism. Capitalism; socialism. Rich; poor. Liberated; oppressed. Truth; …
Review: Once There Were Six Seasons by Glass Half Full Theatre
by David Glen Robinson
Published on May 29, 2014
Glass Half Full Theatre presents the premiere production of what may be its most ambitious production to date, Once There Were Six Seasons. Productions of alt-puppetry, such as this one, have been called 3-D animation. That particular term may be conflated, however, with 3-D animated movies marketed by many Hollywood studios. Theatrical productions of alt-puppetry are much closer to 3-D art, or sculpture and installation art, animated by clever manipulation. Typically, the productions tell adult …