Performing Art

OK, I admit it: I saw Muni Opera’s The Wizard of Oz three times. It was just one of those special productions in which the audience and the actors each contribute to making an uncommon theatrical event. What did the audience bring? Well, the kids brought their imaginations, for one–and whoever says that kids these […]

Some shows keep coming back every few summers–Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, Peter Pan. This summer it’s The Wizard of Oz at the Springfield Muni, opening this weekend and running through August 17. Directed by Leigh Ann Smith, this Oz is based on the 1988 version produced by London’s Royal Shakespeare Company–it’s close to the […]

This week marks the return of the Ken Bradbury and Robert Crowe musical Abraham!, playing July 18 through 27 in the outdoor amphitheater at Lincoln’s New Salem. Now in its seventh year, Abraham! follows Lincoln’s early years at New Salem. Returning in the title role is Nathan Carls. The ensemble features Greg Floyd, Bob Large, […]

Summer has started on a high note, with some memorable performances so far: Cynda Wrightsman’s “Lizzie Curry” in New Salem’s 110 in the Shade was heartbreaking and moving; and Titanic at the Muni boasted many powerful singers. Now comes Muni Opera’s second show of the season: Big, the Broadway musical based on the hit 1987 […]

Summer theater has experienced a bit of a boom in central Illinois over the past few years, with more eclectic choices offering something for everyone. Springfield’s Muni Opera breaks new ground with two area premieres–Titanic (June 6 through 15) and Big (June 27 through July 6). Director Paul Presney Jr. has been working on Titanic […]

Eve Ensler, the 49-year-old author and sometime performer of The Vagina Monologues, is on a pay phone at the Denver International Airport. She’s about to board a transpacific flight bound for Melbourne, Australia. “My head is spinning,” she says. In the six years since The Vagina Monologues opened off-Broadway, the play has turned into an […]

If you’re planning to take in Charlotte’s Web at the Springfield Theatre Centre over the next two weekends (May 9 to 11, and 16 to 18) you might consider going twice. Director Nancy Miller has cast the leading role of “Charlotte” with two of Springfield’s strongest young performers, Talor Lutz and Molly Mathewson. It might […]

A touring company of the drama The Miracle Worker makes a stop at UIS’s Sangamon Auditorium for one performance Saturday, April 25 (call 206-6160). The four-month, 40-city national tour comes from the Montana Repertory Theatre in Missoula. William Gibson originally wrote The Miracle Worker as a 1957 television play. It went on to win a […]