Put a Little Drama in your Life
Published in Gay and Lesbian Times January 09, 2003 Okay, here's a Musical Theater Queen Trivia Quiz. Ready? Who mounted "Maim," "Katz," "High Button Jews," "A Streetcar Named Murray" and "She Shtupps to Conquer?" Give up? Or was that too easy? The answer, of course, is "The Producers," Bialystock and Bloom, after their runaway hit, "Springtime for Hitler." There was a little digression Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: January 03, 2003 Yeah, I know I'm only supposed to review live theater. But this movie has a serious theater pedigree. And besides, it's a knockout movie musical, and there hasn't been a successful movie made of a stage musical since "Cabaret" in 1972. Last year's "Moulin Rouge" revitalized the genre. And the new "Chicago" is sustaining it -- in spades. Based on a Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: December 27, 2002 It would seem like a mighty big stretch for a deaf theater to mount a musical, and a bigger leap for it to be "Big River," the musicalized version of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." And yet, it all fits. First off, as the narrator, Mark Twain, informs us at the beginning, "Huck Finn" is the story of a social outcast. Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: December 20, 2002 This year, there are a number of acidic alternatives to the treacly sweetness of the usual holiday fare. Returning to the Globe is "The SantaLand Diaries," the now-famous monologue that the cynically hilarious David Sedaris first aired on NPR. Arnie Burton isn't the whiny-voiced Sedaris, but he's darn funny as the deliciously nasty Macy's elf. Another Read More →
Published in Gay and Lesbian Times December 20, 2002 Most holiday stories and shows are all about good cheer and celebration. But we all know that there's a flip side to the giddy glad tidings -- the depression, isolation and despair the season often brings. This is the domain of Robert Anderson, who's been dubbed "the playwright of loneliness." "Silent Night, Lonely Night" is set Read More →
Published in Gay and Lesbian Times December 19, 2002 It's Christmas Eve. The presents are all wrapped and the children are tucked into bed. Rachel is feeling all warm and fuzzy, looking out at the snow, reminiscing about Christmases past. She's about to have a "euphoria attack." And then, her husband confesses that he's hired a hit-man, taken out a contract on her life, and she's got five minutes Read More →
“San Diego is a hotbed of theater. Every year, I see 200-250 productions. This is fertile ground for new work. In addition to the prodigious local talent, theatermakers from around the country come here to premiere their latest creations. San Diego sends more shows to Broadway than nearly any other city in the U.S.”
-Pat Launer