……….by Adrienne Proctor

The scene before us is a familiar one; two friends sharing a drink on a front porch in August, somewhere in the south. They’re waiting out the heat of the day and anticipating an upcoming lunar eclipse. The two reminisce over bourbon, and under the broken ceiling fan, which oscillates intermittently in the breeze. But this is no ordinary front porch. This is Sam Shepard’s “Ages of the Moon”, presented by Carpenter Square Theatre. Rob May is Ames and Michael Kramer portrays his long lost friend Byron, summoned by Ames for an over-due visit. Together the men… Continue reading →

    A Directed Reading of a New Play by Adam Davies

Review by Adrienne Proctor

Cast of “The Bathrobe Club” Photo Courtesy of Andy Hopkins

Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre, CityRep, sponsors a directed reading of “The Bathrobe Club”. Directed by Daniel Leeman Smith with Donald Jordan advising, this developing work is written by, and based on real-life experiences of, Oklahoma City based writer Adam Davies. The play covers mostly one day in the life of Davies and his infamous companion Bobby Zarem.

Scott Hynes portrays Davies. The hard to love yet impossible to hate Adam is angry at everyone… Continue reading →

The Invisible Theater Company presents “A Christmas Carol” at Guthrie’s Scottish Rite Temple. A stripped down version, this timeless tale is presented in a unique way. Instead of costumes and sets, this Reader’s Theater version involves on-book actors sitting and reading their scripts aloud to the audience. Book lights replace spotlights, while voices reflect emotions. Ten actors portray the classic Dickens characters, with Elizabeth Hurd at the helm as narrator. Tim Heaton, directs as well as portraying Scrooge.

With such a well-known story, told year after year in every medium imaginable, it would seem impossible to tell this old, familiar… Continue reading →

Jonathan Beck Reed (in pink)
Donald Jordan (in baby blue)
Photo courtesy of MUTZ Photography

Bah! Humbug!  Christmas shopping is for the birds! But I have to please the family with exactly the right present, and I have to figure out something for them to get for me.  I don’t want anything, except maybe a new pair of shoes. I have always appreciated the Christmas message. It is an important one, spiritually, and I am glad to see that it is now a secular holiday as well. The spirit of giving is so important to all religions. … Continue reading →

“Noises Off” set by Jason Foreman
Photo-Jillian Pritchard Ball

It’s hard to go wrong with Michael Frayn.  His success as an author is significant and is equaled by his prowess as a playwright.  One of the funniest plays of the 20^th century is “Noises Off” written in 1982.  He was inspired in 1970 while watching one of his very funny farces from the wings.  Written for Lynn Redgrave “The Two of Us” was even funnier from backstage and he decided then that he must write a play ‘from behind’ and “Noises Off” was conceived. … Continue reading →

From the left: Timothy Stewart (Dickens) and Michael James (William Moody) flank James Ong (Scrooge)

The Pollard Theatre in Guthrie, Oklahoma celebrates the Christmas season once again with “A Territorial Christmas Carol,” directed by the incomparable W. Jerome Stevenson.  The tradition is an important one for resident and visitor alike.  Childhood memories of seeing this marvelous show abound, and there are many fond remembrances of child cast members who grew up with the show, with Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim. 

In 1987, the theatre sought out noted author Stephen P. Scott looking for a Christmas presentation that… Continue reading →

Lyric’s
“A Christmas Carol”…
Photo by KO Rinearson

Charles Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol” in 1843 during a time of change and the resulting chaos resulting from that change.  The industrial revolution was altering almost every aspect of society as masses of rural residents moved into crowded cities to take advantage of the jobs provided.  The resources needed to accommodate these hardworking industrious individuals did not exist and the wages were appallingly low.  There were no labor laws to protect employees and employers took advantage of the lack in critically damaging ways exploiting women and children at… Continue reading →