Other Professional Theater Reviews

***RECOMMENDED*** When life seems to be a constant struggle and every turn is met with heartache, finding a true friend to talk with to make yourself feel better can be a mighty big challenge. At those times, you are forced to examine nearly every detail of your situation and identify a singular passion which will successfully reconnect you to the land of the living and keep your unhappiness at bay. For the main character in the musical "A Man of No Importance" that joy can only be found while engaged in the theatrical arts -- specifically as a director presenting the works of his favorite playwright, Oscar Wilde, to entertain the Irish urbanites via the scrappy community theatre troupe known as the St. Imelda Players of which he's a long-standing member.  3 AND 1/2 SPOTLIGHTS

***RECOMMENDED***   As most of the local theatre companies are premiering new works or presenting highly anticipated productions within the past several weeks in order to kick off what has become a very busy beginning to the new season, one solid and beloved company is actually concluding their 15th season with a lovely and quite moving production of the musical "Big Fish." BoHo Theatre, which has seen three of it past four shows heavily nominated for multiple Jeff Awards, can expect to add to that string of nominations in 2020 with several more for this poignant tale about holding on to your dreams and never letting go of the wondrous and magical perspective that childhood can impart upon our lives.  3 and 1/2 SPOTLIGHTS

***RECOMMENDED*** Arthur Schnitzler would probably be truly shocked to learn that his 1897 play "La Ronde" has influenced multiple generations of artists who have created a nearly countless amount of theatrical and cinematic output which are based upon it. The simple concept of his legendary work documents 10 random individuals who meet and physically connect, starting with a whore and a soldier, for a casual sexual experience and then depart to engage with their next conquest. The soldier moves on to hook-up with a nurse, who in turn encounters a college boy and tends to his carnal desires and so on until we circle back to the whore at the conclusion. The idea has been utilized in nearly twenty films (the most famous being made in France and Germany in the 1950s and early '60s), a chamber opera as well as being the inspiration of Susan Stroman's Tony Award-winning 2000 musical "Contact." Four gay versions exist for the stage, with all of the characters played by male actors -- one of which, with a profanity-laced title -- played at Pride Films and Plays in 2018. Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre is carrying on the tradition by presenting Michael John LaChiusa's take on the subject with his 1993 musical version "Hello Again." 3 SPOTLIGHTS

Highly Recommended ***** I have often said that when Janet  Ulrich Brooks is in a play, any play, anywhere, I will make sure that I am in the house. I love watching her work! No matter the characters she is asked to play, they are always played to perfection. That is pretty much proved again in her latest triumph, “Tiny Beautiful Things” based on the book by Cheryl Strayed and adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos.