John McDaid - Page 3

The Contemporary Theater Company has mounted a dazzling production of Shakespeare's tale of tragic retribution, with an outstanding cast, deft and innovative direction, and a stunning set. Get thee to Wakefield, and quickly, too, to see this brilliant show.

Ignore the New York reviews. 'Escape to Margaritaville,' the Jimmy Buffett musical which opened its national tour at the Providence Performing Arts Center this week, is two hours of wry, high-energy fun. The music, of course, is a delight, but the book is also full of clever moments and the cast -- of mostly newcomers -- sparkle.

The Spectrum Theatre Ensemble has mounted a vivid, stylish production of Dale Wasserman's play that captures the spirit of Ken Kesey's novel in a powerful evening of theater.

There are few musicals with as prominent a place in the American theatrical canon as 'Gypsy'*. It's a big musical, meant for a proscenium stage, and while the Contemporary has mounted a creditable production, their attempt to fit it into a smaller theatre has not been entirely successful.

In the forty years since its debut, Sam Shepard's 'True West' has been lauded for its stark portrayal of the duality of the American soul. The Gamm Theatre has mounted a visually compelling production with penetrating performances that slice to the heart of Shepard's darkly comedic vision.

Thornton Wilder's 'Our Town' is a poignant snapshot of a bygone America, a keenly observed drama which retains its relevance 70 years after it debuted - and more than 100 years after it's set. For those who've never seen the show, the Burbage Theatre Company offers an introduction to this classic with a few standout touches.

Among the delights of postmodern theater are carefree mashups of reality and fiction, blurred genres, and coaxing new meaning out of old material. The Epic Theatre Company's 'Lizzie Borden, Lizzie Borden' gleefully takes an axe to history, and in the process creates an intriguing, engaging evening that cleverly remakes well-known myths.

From the moment you enter the theater - through a narrow hallway lit an antiseptic white - you are plunged into an immersive and disorienting experience in OUT LOUD's new one-act, CREATION X. The one-hour show, an intense character study of a scientist and 'monster,' is by turns enigmatic, thought-provoking, and viscerally terrifying.

If you took two plutonium hemispheres labeled 'American folk tradition' and 'cerebral poetry' and smashed them together in a critical mass, the musical 'Futurity' would be the resulting atomic explosion. The Wilbury Theatre Group in Providence has captured the chaotic energy of this show in a production that is uplifting, thought-provoking, and totally enjoyable.

In the 175 years since Charles Dickens penned 'A Christmas Carol,' there have been countless productions, featuring everyone from Patrick Stewart to Mr. Magoo. The Contemporary Theater Company (CTC) of Wakefield, RI has managed a holiday miracle: a highly theatrical version, enjoyable by the whole family, which manages to be both warm and seasonal as well as sharp and intelligent.