Recent Reviews
Review #1 of 2: Dracula (adapted by Dietz) by Zach Theatre
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on October 02, 2019
There is a line in that play that suggests that what man recognizes as evil takes the deepest root in those that are most pure. Yet Sarah Kimberley Becker as Mina the heroine shows that there may be some so pure that evil may never truly take root in them at all.
Just in time for the spooky days of autumn and the celebrated night of All Hallows’ Eve, ZACH Theatre presents the classic story of the original vampire, Count Dracula. The plot is taken from the original Bram Stoker novel with updates by prolific American playwright Steven Dietz. Dietz has composed more than 30 original pieces and 11 adaptions. His Dracula was originally produced in 1996 but has been given a twist and restaged in 2019. …
Review: Admissions by Jarrott Productions
by Michael Meigs
Published on September 26, 2019
The real revelation — and it is one — is Tucker Shepherd as the focus and subsequently the fuse for the explosion within the family, including an astonishing, long, beautifully modulated rant that makes him a hero and a schmuck at the same time.
Joshua Harmon’s Admissions is billed as a comedy, but the only comic scenes are short and steered by the ever intriguing Jennifer Underwood in the role of Roberta, a superannuated staffer directly related to the founder of a prestigious New England prep school. Underwood stands knee-deep in tradition and loyalty to the school's meritocratic mission to affluent and keenly honed offspring of alumni and potential donors. She sees no need to be apologize for that, …
Review: Jump by Shrewd Productions
by Michael Meigs
Published on September 20, 2019
What, after all, is the purpose of our existence, particularly if we keep missing the connections that should be so important? What happens to a family when death alters its fundamental reality? What's the motivation to keep on keeping on?
There's an air of dreary predictability to Charly Evon Simpson's Jump, currently playing as Shrewd Productions' participation in the rolling world premier in cooperation with the National New Play Network. The set is ramshackle, the lighting is low, the themes are bleak; if you're looking for an upper, this earnest work won't provide it. Indigo Rael's design divides the broad, shallow playing space at the Santa Cruz Theatre into halves. To your right are cardboard …
Review: The Homes We Build by Twin Alchemy Collective
by Justin M. West
Published on September 17, 2019
As with all of Twin Alchemy’s works, Homes challenges its participants to leave their comfort zones but does so on a foundation of trust. The stories become easier to tell. A common language of inside jokes develops.
(. . . a fiction created by Twin Alchemy. . .) “I want to get out of the house more,” I told her, trying in vain to move my arms. “I’m feeling claustrophobic. Cabin fever...” Lauren smiled, nodding gently. “We will,” she said, touching my arm in that soft way that she knew still gave me goosebumps. My arms were too numb to feel them, though, and I couldn’t strain my neck to see. The …
Review: Les Miserables by touring company
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on September 13, 2019
The performances were Broadway quality with Mary Kate Moore as Fantine as a clear standout. Her vocal control was matched by her on-stage panache. When performed with all cylinders like this, Les Misérables will always be epic in scope and blistering in production.
Published in 1862, Les Misérables was Victor Hugo’s magnum opus. A historical novel that chronicled 17 years of the life of Jean Valjean while exploring the timeless topics of truth, law, redemption, and grace against the brooding background of the upcoming French Revolution. The story has found its way on to the stage and screen in many incarnations and its latest treatment does not lose sight of the grandiose vision of the original. Powerhouse British …
Review: Cyrano de Bergerac by The Archive Theater Company
by David Glen Robinson
Published on September 03, 2019
Exceptional principal actors, a large ensemble of standouts, gallantry, poetry, combat and love; this immensely complex play is delivered with zeal and panache. CYRANO DE BERGERAC is not to be missed.
Edmond Rostand wrote Cyrano de Bergerac in 1897, a play about a 17th-century French soldier and poet. As the inaugural production of Jennifer Rose Davis’s Archive Theater Company, this archival play is an Austin original. So why Cyrano de Bergerac? It’s not the nose or the methods of antique warfare; the big heart of the romantic story is unrequited love. Audiences have had an instinctual feel for that for 130 years. Anyone who has ever …