Tag: Theatre Raleigh
Theatre Raleigh Strikes Gold with Sandy Rustin’s Struck
Theatre Raleigh has “struck gold” with Sandy Rustin’s Struck. Directed by Gina Rattan, this production entertains and engages for a very brisk 90 minutes. And it left us with some rather tasty food-for-thought. Vera (Emily Kron) and Nate (Sid Solomon) are a young Jewish couple who live in a New York City apartment. Vicky (Melissa… Read More ›
Struck Is Another Fast-Moving, Laugh-a-Minute Comedy from Theatre Raleigh
Theatre Raleigh’s Hot Summer Nights production of Struck, a new play from a relatively newly discovered playwright named Sandy Rustin, opened Wednesday night, the first day of summer. This is another delightfully funny show, with a powerful mood-shaking twist part way through its 90-minute duration. Rustin’s humor consists of great and often preposterous gags —… Read More ›
Fresh, Engaging, and Contemplative, Struck Tackles Tough Issues with a Light Touch
Does everything happen for a reason? Or do people just search for reasons to makes life seem less bleak? These are some of the big questions at the heart of Struck, an engaging new play, written by Sandy Rustin, onstage now through Theatre Raleigh’s Hot Summer Nights and under the direction of Gina Rattan. The… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh Creates a Magical, Musical Midsummer Night’s Dream Like None Other
“Up and down, up and down, I will lead them up and down, I am feared in field in town. Goblin, lead them up and down.” — Puck; Act III, Scene II These lines, spoken by the mischievous Puck are musical and magical — almost Seussian in nature — and beg to be delivered… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Is Lots of Fun for Old and Young
We think that Young Willy Shakespeare would have loved what Lauren Kennedy Brady and Morgan Parpan have done to his great comedy, or rather to A Thirty-Minute Dream, which Bill Tordoff adapted from The Bard’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The show, which lasts for not quite an hour, and is aimed directly at the young… Read More ›
There’s a "Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On" in Theatre Raleigh’s Million Dollar Quartet
There’s a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on in the Kennedy Theatre, in Raleigh’s Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, as Theatre Raleigh concludes its 2016 Hot Summer Nights Series with a rousing rendition of Million Dollar Quartet. “Million dollar quartet” is a gross (pun intended) understatement of the monies made by Elvis Presley, Johnny… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh’s Steel Magnolias Features Phenomenal Acting by a Dynamite Cast
Dothan, AL-born playwright Robert Harling seems to have an affinity for writing about women and their relationships – with themselves, with other women and with men. He also penned Soapdish, First Wives Club, Laws of Attraction, and The Evening Star (the sequel to Terms of Endearment). Steel Magnolias, now playing in Raleigh’s Kennedy Theatre as… Read More ›
Cool Summer Evenings: Georgia Stitt and Friends Was Thoroughly Enjoyable
Cool Summer Evenings is the yin to Theatre Raleigh’s yang, Hot Summer Nights. These concerts, held over the course of several Saturdays during the summer, give local artists the opportunity to take the stage and showcase their talents. On Saturday, July 16th, Theatre Raleigh presented Cool Summer Evenings Georgia Stitt and Friends, featuring singer/composer Georgia… Read More ›
Yolanda Rabun’s July 9th Cool Summer Evening Was a Hot Concert for Theatre Raleigh Patrons
Theatre Raleigh has been bringing quality theater to downtown Raleigh for several years with its Hot Summer Nights series. On Saturday, July 9th, they launched their new Cool Summer Evenings music series with Cool Summer Evenings: Yolanda Rabun. Theatre Raleigh’s website states: “Cool Summer Evenings is the side dish to Theatre Raleigh‘s main course, Hot… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh’s The Light in the Piazza Is a Unique Experience That Should Not Be Missed
As part of its sizzling 2016 Hot Summer Nights series, Theatre Raleigh is bringing us an utterly exquisite evening, performing Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel’s 2005 Broadway musical, The Light in the Piazza, in a portion of a statuary gallery of the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh. The museum setting is ideal for the… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh’s All My Sons Heats Up Summer Nights at the Kennedy Theatre on June 8-19
The lights came up on the stage of the Kennedy Theatre on Thursday night, with a beautiful, middle-aged woman in a nightdress sitting on a tree swing in the darkness of a thunderstorm. The violence of the storm and its destruction drives her back into the house, and all goes black once more. This moment,… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood Is a Riotous, Boisterous Entertainment
Theatre Raleigh’s Hot Summer Nights Series kicks off the summer live-theater season with a rip-snorting rendition of Rupert Holmes’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood (also known as Drood), based on Charles Dickens’ unfinished novel of the same name. The musical, for which Holmes wrote the book, music, and lyrics debuted at the August 1985 New… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood Is the Most Fun You’ll Have All Year
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a fun, interactive show, based largely on the unfinished Charles Dickens mystery of the same name. To make it even more fun and to get audiences out in time for a late dinner, Theatre Raleigh, as the opener to its annual Hot Summer Nights series, has developed a self-proclaimed… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh’s The Wolf is a Delightful Treat for Families
‘ There is definitely a need for more truly family-friendly theatre in the Triangle, and that doesn’t just mean shows geared towards kids. No, it means shows that are short and manageable enough for the littlest of little ones to sit through, shows with big, colorful acting that kids can enjoy. Fortunately, Theatre Raleigh has… Read More ›
The Wolf’s Amazing and Energetic Young Cast Triumphs Over a Problematic Script
Theatre Raleigh’s 2015 world-premiere dance/theater piece, The Wolf, is back, as part of the theater company’s new Family Festivities series; and it’s easy to see why this Family Festivities show has made a triumphant return. Joe Calarco’s script cleverly combines three wolf-centric fairy tales — The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Three Little Pigs, and… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh Announces Its 2016 Hot Summer Nights Season
including New Cool Summer Evenings Concert Series RALEIGH, NC- Theatre Raleigh announces the 2016 Hot Summer Nights Season including a return of the family favorite The Wolf (March 3-20). Next, Theatre Raleigh will premier an adapted story, The Mystery of Edwin Drood A Musical by Rupert Holmes– (May 11 – 22), followed by Arthur Miller’s… Read More ›
“Sleuth” Is a Perfect Mix of Mystery, Mayhem, and Comedy
For anyone who loves lots of plot twists and a healthy dose of comedy, Anthony Shaffer’s Sleuth is an excellent choice. Theatre Raleigh’s production, as part of its Hot Summer Nights Series, features two of the Triangle’s most gifted actors- Michael Brocki and Jesse Gephart– and also benefits from precise direction by John McIlwee and… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh Lets the Audience Become the “Sleuth”
SO: Milo Tindle wants to marry Andrew Wyke’s wife, and he drops by to ask for permission. What could possibly happen? As members of the Aug. 5th opening-night audience of Theatre Raleigh’s Hot Summer Nights production of Sleuth, we become the detectives, trying to gauge not just “Who done it?” but also “who done what”… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh’s “Dreamgirls” Is a Sheer Delight!
Want an evening of top-notch entertainment? Lauren Kennedy directs the answer to your Dreams! Theatre Raleigh’s Hot Summer Nights production of Dreamgirls has excellent singing, acting, and dancing (with choreography by Abbey O’Brien), a superb set (designed by Chris Bernier), costumes to-die-for (designed by Denise Schumaker), and first-rate musical accompaniment (directed by Brian Phoebus). Plus,… Read More ›
Rustic and Charming, “Dreamgirls” Is a Hit
Made popular again by a 2006 film of the same name, the musical Dreamgirls, which deals with the rise-to-fame of a female African-American musical act in the racially-charged climate of the 1960s, is the kind of large-scale musical that is typically put on in an equally large-scale theatre. Despite that fact, Theatre Raleigh, as part… Read More ›
“A Few Good Men” Is a Must-See Courtroom Drama!
Playwright Aaron Sorkin’s writing, Theatre Raleigh guest director Michael Berry’s direction, and the talent and effort of the cast, designers, and crew of A Few Good Men make this 1989 Broadway courtroom drama an incredible evening of live theater. What is a “Code Red”? Who should be held accountable when the best intentions of “a… Read More ›
Light, Frothy, and Fun, Theatre Raleigh’s “Pump Boys and Dinettes” Is a Perfect Pick for Summer
Pump Boys and Dinettes, onstage now through Theatre Raleigh as part of its annual Hot Summer Nights series, is a fun little musical that’s just perfect for summertime. Light, frothy, and endearingly cute, it focuses on the four pump boys, L.M (Ethan Anderson), Jim (Travis Artz), Jackson (Michael Kennedy), and Eddie (John Skinner), a group… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh Is Holding Auditions for “Dreamgirls”
Dreamgirls it is the musical based on the show business aspirations and successes of acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, and James Brown.
Theatre Raleigh Holds Auditions for 2015 Hot Summer Nights Season
Raleigh, NC- Theatre Raleigh will hold auditions for the 2015 Hot Summer Nights Season on February 15, 2015. Hot Summer Nights 2015 Season Lineup Pump Boys and Dinettes (Kennedy Theatre): May 27th-June 7th A Few Good Men (Kennedy Theatre): June 17th-28th Dreamgirls (Kennedy Theatre): July 8th-26th Sleuth (Kennedy Theatre): August 5th-16th Carousel – In Concert… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh’s Production of “Crimes of the Heart” Is as Real as Real Life
Beth Henley’s tragicomedy “Crimes of the Heart” zeroes in on three dysfunctional-but-charming sisters as they confront one another and themselves, owning up to past and present mistakes. This mass-confrontation is set in motion by spunky Babe, endearingly portrayed by Maigan Kennedy, who has recently shot her husband, something about which she feels no remorse. Seemingly… Read More ›
The Real Humor in Beth Henley’s 1980 Comedy, “Crimes of the Heart,” Comes from Its Grit
Why do so many Southern writers deal so much with quirky, neurotic, and unhappy characters? Is it residue self-loathing from the Civil War? The loss of personal worth accompanying the fall from high societal status? The admixture of overwhelming wealth and power with poverty and helplessness? Why does it seem more pronounced in the literature… Read More ›
The Tony Award®-Winning Musical “Parade” Is a Colossal Hit for Theatre Raleigh
Imagine writing a musical about a famous miscarriage of justice in the South — a musical! Now imagine that it is searingly powerful and poignant. Theatre Raleigh’s Hot Summer Nights production of Parade is both. With book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, Parade will take your breath away with… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh’s “Parade” Is Flawless
Alfred Uhry’s “Parade,” onstage now as part of Theatre Raleigh’s Hot Summer Nights, tells the story of how one man’s life changed on Confederate Memorial Day in 1913. That man is Leo Frank (Zachary Prince), the Jewish supervisor of a pencil factory who feels out of place in very-Southern Marietta, Georgia. In the early scenes,… Read More ›
Theatre Raleigh’s “Other Desert Cities” Starts Strong, But Is Ultimately Unsatisfying
One of the characters in Jon Robin Baltz’s play, “Other Desert Cities,” onstage now through Theatre Raleigh, sums his family, and perhaps all families, up nicely by saying that, “We all live with each other’s divergent truths.” That statement definitely applies in this tense drama centered on the Wyeth family, its secrets, and the pain… Read More ›
Family Secrets and Lies Are the Subject of Jon Robin Biatz’s 2011 Off-Broadway Play “Other Desert Cities”
The Wednesday, June 18th, opening-night audience for Theatre Raleigh’s production of Other Desert Cities was too often subjected to very low volume, which may have made us miss a lot of the meat of this play. Somehow it never affected us as it was intended to. We felt no affinity for the three main characters;… Read More ›