Past Reviews
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
UCO’s My Fair Lady is Timeless and Ever Fresh
Cast of My Fair Lady-Photo Credit: Wendy Mutz
If there was ever an ideal model for what musical theatre should be, My Fair Lady would fit the criteria perfectly. One of the most highly-regarded musicals of all-time, the original Broadway run in 1956 starred Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison. Harrison later reprised his role as Henry Higgins, next to the iconic Audrey Hepburn, in the 1964 movie. My Fair Lady follows Eliza Doolittle, a young girl from 1913 London who enlists help from a dialect coach to become a seemingly presentable lady.
The University of Central Oklahoma’s Broadway Tonight and… Continue reading
Always… Patsy Cline is Back by Popular Demand at the Pollard
Kara Chapman as Patsy Cline in Always… Patsy Cline
One of the nation’s most produced musicals is back this summer at the Pollard Theatre. Always… Patsy Cline is the true story of one of America’s most treasured musical icons and celebrates the beauty of unlikely friendship. The Pollard is closing out their excellent 31st season with this popular show, running June 8th – 30th in Guthrie. The Pollard is welcoming back Kara Chapman and Jodi Nestander to reprise the roles of the legendary songstress Patsy and her pen-pal turned best friend Louise. This production, returning by popular… Continue reading
The Lonesome West at Carpenter Square: Entertainment with a Side of Caution
Martin McDonagh is a playwright whose works are famous for two things- being based in Ireland, and violence. The second to last production of Carpenter Square Theatre’s 34th season, The Lonesome West, is no exception to that rule. Based in Galway, Ireland in 1997, The Lonesome West features two brothers who just can’t seem to get along. Their father has just been killed in an ambiguously accidental shooting by one of his two sons. Because of this, and the addition of two other recent deaths, the priest is having trouble coming to terms with the realities of the parish he’s… Continue reading
The Pollard Enchants with ‘The Little Mermaid
Jared Blount, right (Jetsam) and Emily Pace, left (Flotsam) surround and entice Emily Paige Cleek (Ariel) eelishly …..photo courtesy off JJ Design
“The Little Mermaid” is being presented at the Pollard Theatre to substantial acclaim. The movie was wonderful. It’s impossible, though, to equal special effects in animation with humans in live theatre. Co-Directors Timothy Stewart and W. Jerome Stevenson decided to concentrate on characters and story instead. (A wise decision.) Putting their efforts into choreography, music, and acting pays off. The play is an enthralling piece of theatre for young children—and all ages. Adults appear equally… Continue reading
“Always A Bridesmaid” Where There is Always A Hit at Jewel Box Theatre
“Always A Bridesmaid” cast from left to right: Carol McDonald-Walley (Sedalia Ellicott) Denise Hughes (Libby Ruth Ames) Larrissa Garvin (Kari Ames-Bissette) Amy Kelly as (Charlie Collins) Teri Hood (Monette Gentry) and Christine Jolly (Deedra Wingate) Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman
Always a Bridesmaid, never a bride is an old saying that usually doesn’t come true, and certainly isn’t true for the characters in the play “Always A Bridesmaid” now showing at the Jewel Box Theatre in Oklahoma City. Not the 1943 film, it is the play written 70 years later by Jones Hope Wooten, the collaboration of writers,… Continue reading
“Fun Home” Outstanding, Interesting and Insightful Fun
Lyn Cramer as Alison Bechdel in “Fun Home” at Lyric Theatre Photo Courtesy of KO Rinearson
“Fun Home” is a musical based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. Bechdel writes of her experience growing up in a small town where her father owned the Bechdel Funeral Home-hence the name ‘Fun Home.’ Young Alison has an unusually creative family. Her father is an English teacher and her mother is an actress, performing in the local community theatre. Like many little girls she worships her dad and tries very hard to please him. As a young college… Continue reading