Theater

Theater criticism, news and views at Sketchy Details

Mood Buster: The 1985 Tony Awards

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31 March 2011

It’s been a rotten day and I need to cheer up. Ooo…the infamous Sideshow performance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade that still haunts Alice Ripley because the wind was strong enough to push her and Emily Skinner apart. Cute, but not cute enough.
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Presented Without Comment: Side by Side by Susan Blackwell: Josh Gad

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31 March 2011

I’m still very much in migraine mode this morning. Please to enjoy Susan Blackwell bowling with The Book of Mormon star Josh Gad.
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Theater Review: Book of Mormon (Broadway)

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24 March 2011

The Book of Mormon, the first Broadway outing for South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone (collaborating with co-writer/composer Robert Lopez (Avenue Q)), is the funniest and most heartfelt show I have seen on Broadway. It tells the story of Elder Price (Andre Rannells), a new Mormon missionary viewed as the golden child...
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Explore: The World of Sleep No More

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24 March 2011

The New York Times has a fascinating article about Punchdrunk’s production of Sleep No More. Punchdrunk is a British theater company that puts on immersive theatrical events. Essentially, you, the viewer, become entwined in the narrative and interact with the sets, cast, and story. Sleep No More is a hybrid adaptation of Macbeth and...
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In Anticipation: War Horse

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17 March 2011

War Horse is an upcoming play transferring from a successful production at London’s West End. It is based on the acclaimed children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo and features, as you saw above, incredible puppetry.
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A Night of Theater: What the House Should Do for You

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1 March 2011

I had the pleasure of seeing a preview performance of what I believe might become the best reviewed new musical in NYC in many years. It was smart, funny, catchy, and beautifully executed. But that is not the topic of this post. No. This post is about the experience of live professional theater. Specifically,...
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Watch: Anything Goes Rehearsal Footage

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22 February 2011

I won’t lie. I was very skeptical about this revival of Anything Goes. Joel Grey, to me, is way too old to play Moonface Martin and Sutton Foster hasn’t shown the sass-mouth brassy belt ala Reno Sweeney before (though Janet Vandergraaf in The Drowsy Chaperone was close, she played it as a vixen, not...
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Bizarre, but True: Anna Nicole: The Opera

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18 February 2011

I make it no secret that I seek out some weird media content. I’m just fascinated by what other people think are great ideas that just come across as bizarre. We’re not talking about merely writing a novel from the perspective of a lost teddy bear or still insisting on releasing a novel about...
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Listen: “Through the Looking Glass” from Wonderland: A New Alice

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11 February 2011

Rumor has it Frank Wildhorn’s new musical Wonderland: A New Alice is in trouble (like his last four Broadway shows: Dracula, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Jekyll & Hyde, and The Civil War; the man has bad luck in NYC). Michael Riedel (the man who started the barrage of horrid Spider-Man press, but that’s his job...
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Opening Soon: Broadway Musicals of Spring 2011

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4 February 2011

Do you feel it in the air, folks? The winter’s going to break any day now (allegedly) and Broadway is warming up those marquees for the new residents. There will be laughs, there will be tears, and there will be horrible flops. Many original musicals and a pair of revivals are opening before the...
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