What childhood event foretold your conducting career? “When I was still a kid, I recorded a Leonard Bernstein concert on TV. I watched it over and over and over again. I was just really inspired.” Who else inspired you in your youth? “My violin teacher was so passionate about music that it was contagious to […]
Dennis Thread
Posted inArts & Culture
Shakespeare’s #MeToo moment
Measure for Measure, now onstage in a sterling production at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival in Bloomington through Aug. 4, may shock anyone who considers Shakespeare’s work as irrelevant. While he wrote the play in 1604, England was suffering through an unprecedented pandemic, with blame thrown in all directions. Political divisions were exacerbated by cultural and […]
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Lament for live theater
Across the world, and here in our city, stages have gone dark. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Hoogland Center for the Arts LRS Theater witnessed a unique collaboration of the theater community with Springfield Ballet Company in a dance production of Romeo and Juliet. The contributions of a number of actors, plus a […]
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Blithe Spirit
Noel Coward remains one of the giants of 20th century theater who combined Art Deco glamour, 1920s sexual frankness, witty dialogue, high style and seemingly endless martinis with his personal courage and barely concealed sexual orientation. Blithe Spirit is one of Coward’s most famous comedies, a joyful, brilliantly written and constructed romp finding hilarity in unintended […]
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Is there a trickster in the house?
Storytelling is everywhere. In business, there is the “power of the story.” We curate our lives on Facebook and Instagram. We are told we must “own our narrative.” Storytelling is as old as time. Now Gil Opferman has taken his lifelong love for storytelling and has written a delightful new play, Beyond the Beanstalk: You […]
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The joyful journey
A number of years ago there was a craze for bracelets with the initials “WWJD” which stands for “What would Jesus do?” Surely this is a worthy question, but the sheer number of those bracelets sold and worn all but ensured that somewhere along the line, some wearer of one of these bracelets might have […]
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Memphis is a revelation
When the musical Memphis opened on Broadway in 2009 it was certainly successful, winning four Tony Awards including Best Musical. Critical response, however, was mixed, with the book by Joe DiPietro (of All Shook Up, seen this summer at Theatre in the Park) and music by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan both singled out […]
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State of the street
Last week brought word that the owners of Springfield’s Town & Country Shopping Center are facing bank foreclosure. Business failure is never good news, and this one marks the latest contribution to the ongoing quiet crisis of MacArthur Boulevard. And yet, according to John Eck and others with the MacArthur Boulevard Association, there is room […]
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A wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz is part of American entertainment’s DNA. Since its publication in 1900, L. Frank Baum’s book, and the films and stage versions to follow, have been celebrated and analyzed as a political allegory, a coming of age story, and even a spiritual quest. The 1939 film won Academy Awards for best song and best […]
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Thoroughly Modern Millie
Thoroughly Modern Millie is The Muni at its best, filling the stage with spectacle and the night with song and laughter. It’s (mostly) a charming and hilarious story of misguided lovers struggling to find themselves and each other in the big city. Directors and choreographers Morgan Kaplan and Andrew Maynerich lead a talented cast and the […]
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The King and The Bard
All Shook Up at Theatre In The Park is a constantly entertaining Elvis Presley “jukebox musical” with surprising depth. From the rousing “Jailhouse Rock” opening to the “Burning Love” finale, it’s a fantastic way to spend a midsummer evening. All Shook Up is not an Elvis Presley biography but a magical fairy tale combining The […]
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Big Hair at the Barricades
From its magical and jaw-dropping opening moment to the finale that had the audience on its feet cheering, Hairspray at the Legacy Theatre reinvents the delights of old-fashioned musical comedy without seeming old-fashioned. Hairspray is a sweet, infectious bubblegum-flavored confection with a cartoon story line and a surprisingly deep message. This inventive production, with a […]
