One can see how it might have been a good idea: Adapt the notoriously bad Olivia Newton-John 1980 movie musical, “Xanadu,” for the stage. Embrace the movie’s badness by doing much of the show on roller skates, and you could have a high-camp frolic. But Lyric’s tepid production, directed by Alan Muraoka, is less than […]
Larry Laneer
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Rain’ on me
Two fine actors giving terrific performances and a director who knows when to let well enough alone results in “A Steady Rain,” a highly satisfying evening of theater. Concerning a pair of Chicago patrolmen, the play by Keith Huff isn’t so much a police procedural as it is a study of what happens when miscreant […]
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Save the stage
Interviews with several theatrical professionals and academics reveal that its unique and artistically exceptional performance spaces — the 210-seat, in-the-round Arena Theatre and the 580-seat Mary Noble Tolbert Theatre — will be a major loss if razed or altered for other uses. “The building itself is an architectural marvel that encourages people to dream boldly […]
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Strange’ and ‘Normal’
At a time when some theater companies hunker down with old musicals and tired comedies, Guthrie’s Pollard brought us a rousing, bluesy “Passing Strange.” During the show, I kept thinking, “This is fresh!” It featured an excellent ensemble cast (led by W. Jerome Stevenson and Gerrin Mitchell), sharp staging (Timothy Stewart) and smart choreography (Christopher […]
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Strange’ and ‘Normal’
At a time when some theater companies hunker down with old musicals and tired comedies, Guthrie’s Pollard brought us a rousing, bluesy “Passing Strange.” During the show, I kept thinking, “This is fresh!” It featured an excellent ensemble cast (led by W. Jerome Stevenson and Gerrin Mitchell), sharp staging (Timothy Stewart) and smart choreography (Christopher […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Don’t be a Scrooge
Lyric Theatre presents an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic that, through humor and poignancy, will delight even us professional Scrooges. It’s two hours of purely enjoyable theater. When working with such dreadfully familiar, albeit first-class, material as “A Christmas Carol,” the challenge for an adapter and director is to make the story fresh. Artistic director […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Don’t be a Scrooge
Lyric Theatre presents an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic that, through humor and poignancy, will delight even us professional Scrooges. It’s two hours of purely enjoyable theater. When working with such dreadfully familiar, albeit first-class, material as “A Christmas Carol,” the challenge for an adapter and director is to make the story fresh. Artistic director […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Fore!
When’s the last time you saw a play about golf? Me neither. Until this. “The Fox on the Fairway,” a farce by Ken Ludwig (“Lend Me a Tenor”) staging through Dec. 17 at Carpenter Square Theatre, is the golfing equivalent of shooting 136 on a par-72 course: If you happened to do it, you wouldn’t […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Fore!
When’s the last time you saw a play about golf? Me neither. Until this. “The Fox on the Fairway,” a farce by Ken Ludwig (“Lend Me a Tenor”) staging through Dec. 17 at Carpenter Square Theatre, is the golfing equivalent of shooting 136 on a par-72 course: If you happened to do it, you wouldn’t […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Nothin’ ‘Normal’ about it
A musical tragedy about a bipolar woman might not seem appealing to some theatergoers, but Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre’s well-done, emotional production of “Next to Normal” provides a rare respite from the inane musicals and insipid comedies. Under the direction of Michael Jones, this musical doesn’t insult the audience’s intelligence. The show received a Tony […]