2018
Lyric’s Fabulous Summer Series Concludes with Mamma Mia!
Lyric Theatre presents Mamma Mia!
Silhouette of Rosie, Donna, and Tanya
Photo by KO Rinearson
What a whirlwind! Lyric Theatre has given us a wonderful Summer at the Civic series, and this memorable season is closing out with another hit. Mamma Mia opens July 24th and runs until the 29th. Mamma Mia is a crowd-pleaser that features the legendary music of disco-pop band Abba. Lyric’s production of this fun show is directed and choreographed by Lyn Cramer. Of the show, Cramer says “Mamma Mia! is the ultimate feel-good tale of love conquering all. A celebration of love, laughter, family… Continue reading
Lyric’s “Hello Dolly” Continues a Tradition of Excellence and Style
The Cast of “Hello Dolly” with Dee Hoty gliding down the staircase in the iconic red dress by Jeffrey Meek. Photo courtesy of Lyric Theatre
Thornton Wilder wrote “The Merchant of Yonkers” in 1938, one of his few flops. In 1955 he revised and retitled it into “The Matchmaker,” and it was a hit. In 1964, Michael Stewart and Jerry Herman took the property and created the amazingly successful musical “Hello Dolly” starring Carol Channing and it was a smash hit! Stewart did the book and Herman wrote the music and lyrics, but Channing made it her own,… Continue reading
More Questions than Answers as Shakespeare in the Park Takes on The Revolutionists
The Cast of The Revolutionists, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park.
Photography by April Porterfield
Lauren Gunderson’s The Revolutionists, presented by Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, offers a confusing and odd spin on historical events. It lumps four real women of the French Revolution together in a single room, as if they’ve all been stuck in an elevator, and attempts to find out what they have in common. These women who really lived and died in Paris in 1793 didn’t actually know each other. But if they had, what would they have said? It’s a lofty attempt at humanizing an… Continue reading
Comic Brilliance at Carpenter Square with “My Brilliant Divorce”
A scene from “My Brilliant Divorce,” at Carpenter Square Theatre. June 29-July 21, Pictured left to right are Richie Rayfield, Lilli Bassett, and Laurie Blankenship.
Linda McDonald is a multi-talented choice for almost any performance endeavor, although she has not been seen dancing a jig, at least not lately. She is a talented actress from “Ripcord” and “Mrs. Mannerly” to name a just a few productions from Carpenter Square, recently and she is an amazing writer with five mystery/psychological thrillers under her belt beginning with “Crimes of Redemption,” Oklahoma’s Best Fiction of 2013. She clearly understands the… Continue reading
Lyric Theatre says “Hello, Dolly!” as Next in Summer Series Opens
Dee Hoty as Mrs. Dolly Levi and George Dvorsky as Horace Vandergelder in Lyric Theatre’s Hello, Dolly!
photo credit KO Rinearson
Summer is hot, and Summer at the Civic is even hotter! Rolling out three shows in a five week span, Lyric Theatre is pulling out all the stops for their second show of the series. They’re welcoming back Dee Hoty, 3-time Tony nominee and Lyric Theatre favorite, to star as Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!. Hoty returns to the Lyric after her 2014 performance in A Little Night Music. Hello, Dolly! also stars George Dvorsky as Horace Vandergelder,… Continue reading
Disney’s Freaky Friday is a Hit for Families This Summer at the Civic
Jennifer Teel and Celeste Rose as Katherine and Ellie, Lyric’s Freaky Friday. Photo credit KO Rinearson.
Disney’s Freaky Friday offers a new concept for Disney and the theatre. Directed at older audiences than many of their formulaic stage musicals, Freaky Friday aims its sights at tweens and up. It’s based on the popular novels and movies of the same name. Freaky Friday features a mother-daughter team who switch bodies thanks to some lessons that must be learned and that necessary ingredient- Disney Magic. With only one day before the mother’s wedding, and just before the daughter needs to pass the… Continue reading
Oklahoma Contemporary and Fresh Paint Present Honey: An Immersive Performance
Artwork courtesy Oklahoma Contemporary
Oklahoma Contemporary has teamed up with Fresh Paint Performance Lab to present the latest installment in their “Women in Performance” series. Honey: An Immersive Performance is a new work written, starring, directed and choreographed by female artists.
Immersion Theatre gives the audience a chance to really be in the story. For Honey, doors open five minutes before the show’s official start time, but the performance begins as soon as you walk in. The beautiful waitresses who greet you are also your supporting cast, and they escort you to your personal tables like they would in… Continue reading
“Always…Patsy Cline” A Fabulous Hit at The Pollard Theatre
Kara Chapman as Patsy Cline and Jodi Nestander as Louise Seger in “Always…Patsy Cline” Photo courtesy of The Pollard Theatre
The Pollard Theatre closes Season 31 with a smash hit. “Always…Patsy Cline” was presented a few seasons ago and the response was so enthusiastic that the only choice was to put it on again. Timothy Stewart returns to direct two incomparable actresses as Patsy Cline and her great friend and fan, Louise Seger. They are Kara Chapman as Miss Patsy Cline and Jodi Nestander as Louise Seger.
The story is based on Patsy Cline’s life and career… Continue reading
Lyric’s Summer Series Opens with Disney’s Freaky Friday
Disney’s Freaky Friday. Artwork courtesy Lyric Theatre
Finally, summertime is here! And with it comes Lyric Theatre’s much anticipated summer series at Civic Center Music Hall. First in the lineup is Disney’s Freaky Friday, a fun and hilarious family musical about a mysterious mother-daughter mix-up. Lyric’s Artistic Director Michael Baron directs this regional premiere, and he says “Freaky Friday is a modern, upbeat musical comedy that is truly funny with an awesome, new pop-musical score.”
Freaky Friday stars Jennifer Teel and Celeste Rose as Katherine and Ellie Blake, the duo who switch bodies in an exciting twist of… Continue reading
Romance Abounds in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Myriad Gardens
The beauty of Alissa Mortimer is evident in her portrayal of the lovely Titania, Queen of the Faeries in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo courtesy of Kathryn McGill.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” has long been a favorite among lovers of Shakespeare. It is funny, sexy, impossible and fast-paced. Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park opens Season Number 34 with this excellent choice captivating audiences, despite the Oklahoma springtime heat.
Lance D. Marsh directs with a talented cast of actors. The story of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is as silly as any romantic comedy today. Theseus, Duke of Athens prepares to… Continue reading