Mary Young

Here’s a quick shout out about the upcoming production for Springfield Theatre Centre. Don’t be fooled by the “JR.” in the title. This show, featuring original music by Alan Menken and a talented young cast directed by some of Springfield’s best, promises to get audiences on their feet. Based on the hit 1992 film and […]

The old maxim, “There are no small parts, only small actors,” is not only a familiar line in the world of theater (which you will hear in this currently running production), but it also speaks favorably of the ensemble in A Man of No Importance itself. Each performer shines in their individual moments while serving […]

Walking into the Legacy Theatre to take my seat for the regional premier of Ride the Cyclone was a little like stepping into a carnival sideshow. Tinkly background music, a fortuneteller’s booth and a slightly askew CYCLONE marquee greeted the audience and set us up for the wild ride we were about to take. Billed […]

“Men have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence – whether much that is glorious – whether all that is profound – does not spring from disease of thought – from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect.” Poet Edgar […]

“It takes work to not be a bad person…you can’t just be the least bad person in a lineup and call yourself good.” That line, according to one of the actors, stands as a powerful summation of the struggle faced in a provocative new play currently running at the UIS Studio Theatre. The two-act, two-character […]

Hark, good citizens! Attend thee a mirthful spectacle unfolding upon the Hoogland stage. The most wondrous Something Rotten! – book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, music and lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick – is a musical comedy set in the 90s….the 1590s to be sure. Huzzah! ‘Tis the Renaissance, where struggling playwright […]

I recently listened to an interview about post-pandemic struggles within regional theaters stemming from low ticket sales and flagging membership renewals. This, unfortunately, has led to things like staffing cuts and other programmatic revisions in what would otherwise be thriving seasons. Listening to this I was disheartened. Especially as they went on to say the […]

Ahhh, the 80s. That transcendent, evolutionary time in our cultural history that ushered in mullets, mall bangs, day-glo, Lycra and Memorex. Sure, there were way more important things happening in the world at the time, but for those of us who were teenagers and too young to understand or care about anything else, we would […]

A bit of personal history: A very long time ago, when I was an art major, one of my favorite painters (like so many others…art major or not) was Vincent van Gogh. He still is. His bombastic painting style, his poetic letters to his brother, his death at an early age, spoke to my young, […]

After taking Broadway and the world by storm, Dixie Longate, the fast-talking, funny and heartfelt Tupperware hostess-with-the-mostest, returns to Springfield for three shows March 10-12 that are sure to entertain. If you’ve already seen Dixie’s show, you’re probably a fan of Dixie. For those curious to know more, I caught up with the Tupperware Queen […]

Don’t be fooled by the title. While Kinky Boots might sound a little…well…kinky, the show is really a touching story about two unlikely friends who team up to help save a failing business and, along the way, come to terms with each other’s complicated relationship with their fathers. Told through the book by Harvey Fierstein […]