The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee or Putnam, as it’s lovingly referred to by theater connoisseurs on a time crunch, is a sweetly funny but sincere musical about a small-town spelling bee and the cast of fiercely competitive children (all played by adults) who are vying for first place. It is essentially a comedic A […]
Courtney Wick
Courtney Wick is active in the area theater scene. Most recently, she wrote and directed the murder-mystery comedy “Nightmare at the Hot Mess Hair Salon,” a follow-up to her previous production, “Nightmare at the Sweet Dreams Inn.”
Posted inArts Features
Put on a happy face
Bye Bye Birdie is a satirically corny, upbeat and schmaltzy musical waxing nostalgia about the 1950s. The show was a hit on Broadway when it debuted in 1961 and only grew in popularity with the release of the 1963 Ann-Margret film. It delivers a hefty songbook of toe-tapping tunes including “How Lovely to be a […]
Posted inCommunity & Lifestyle
Mapping merriment
From the west side to downtown and beyond, area businesses and organizations are preparing for this season with cheerful events, shopping and nostalgic traditions for the whole family. We’ve charted a complete winter route with a little something for everyone this yuletide season. WHITE OAKS MALL WINTREE WONDERLAND If it’s been a while since you […]
Posted inArts Features
Fences is raw and essential theater
August Wilson’s Fences is one of those plays that most people read at some point in their education, but only by seeing it performed can one fully grasp its poetic simplicity. Fences was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for its intricately woven story of the personal struggles of a 1950s Black family […]
Posted inArts Features
Somewhere that’s green for Halloween
Little Shop of Horrors is a 90-miniute, sci-fi musical-comedy skillfully co-directed by Ginny Racette and Joe-Michael Jackson that transports you to a graphic novel, B-movie version of Skid Row – the infamous 1960s stretch of the Bowery District in lower Manhattan. Inspired by Roger Corman’s gruesome cult film, Little Shop of Horrors, this musical adaptation […]
Posted inArts Features
Monster mashup at the Hoogland
Beetlejuice Jr. is a family-friendly, hour-long, gothic funhouse adaptation of the Tim Burton cult-classic film of the same name. Cleverly directed by Nicole and John Sivak, it’s an irreverent, zany show full of humor, heart and enormous sand worm puppets. The plot – as Beetlejuice declares in his meta opening number, “Being Dead” – is […]
Posted inArts Features
Take the kids to see Shrek: The Musical
Opening night for Shrek: The Musical at The Muni, directed by LaDonna Wilson, had the Muni parking lot filled for the first time this summer. More than 1,400 tickets were sold, and it’s not surprising as to why – in an otherwise adult-themed show lineup, Shrek: The Musical stands out as a wholesome but funny […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Hadestown: Teens tackle the underworld
Hadestown: Teen Edition is an impressive Active and Creative Teen Theatre production that brings to life a musical retelling of the mythic young lovers, Orpheus and Eurydice, who go to “hell and back” for King Hades and his wife, Persephone. The show parallels current world issues and humanity’s repeated historical struggles – weaving in grand […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Oklahoma!: An old-fashioned treat at The Muni
Oklahoma! debuted on Broadway more than 80 years ago, and its celebration of small-town life and enduring American spirit has made it a cornerstone in the community theater repertoire. The Muni’s co-directing team, Ann Opferman and Gil Opferman, have been involved with four productions of Oklahoma! during their lifetimes. “There are still 700-plus productions of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Grease at The Legacy: It’s electrifying!
The current run of Grease at The Legacy Theatre glows with happy memories and non-stop grins. Director and producer Scott Richardson said, “I only saw Grease once, at the 1994 London production with Debbie Gibson, and it was a trip.” The show is brightly entertaining with resounding energy, especially in its iconic song-and-dance numbers choreographed […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Hunchback of Notre Dame rings true
The opening moments of Muni’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, impeccably directed by Kevin Kulavic, are as impressive as the two hours of captivating theater that follow. The bells ring out, an enormous and intricate stained-glass window (beautifully designed by Tracy Tester) is illuminated, and a fully robed choir solemnly appears into the eerily lit […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Something Rotten! is something sensational
Something Rotten!continues its run June 4-7 at the Springfield Muni. Performances start at 8:30 p.m. and tickets are available at TheMuni.org or at The Muni box office beginning 90 minutes before each performance. Something Rotten! premiered on the Muni stage as a boisterous, splashy and somewhat inappropriate parody that gleefully skewers both Shakespearean comedy and […]
