Local boy makes God
The old school newspaper headline, “Local boy makes good,” seems to have fallen out of fashion of late. Should we blame the 24-hour news cycle with its insatiable craving for doom and gloom...
View ArticleSome enchanted evening
With a portfolio that includes Pixar, Lucasfilm (i.e., the Star Wars empire), Marvel, ABC, ESPN, Touchstone Pictures and the Muppets, these days Disney is the very definition of market-capturing,...
View ArticleSweet 60
People from Denver and points beyond can have all their talk about “the bubble” and “The People’s Republic of,” but the fact is there is a lot to love about Boulder. Beyond its prime weather and...
View ArticleClassic Caesar
Man landing on the moon. The Vietnam War. Two gulf wars. VCRs. Video games. Cell phones. The Internet. Cassette tapes. Compact discs. DVDs. AIDS. Reaganomics. Bush. Clinton playing hide the cigar. Son...
View ArticleHamlette
Which is more feminist: shouting from the rooftops that the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s production of Hamlet this season features a female Hamlet — a Hamlette, if you will — or not mentioning it at...
View ArticleR + G = H
Just like with land, they ain’t making more Shakespeare plays. With a finite canon from which to pull, Shakespeare festivals face the very real and terrifying possibility that audiences will (gasp!)...
View ArticleHere’s to the next 20 years
The Curious Theatre Company in Denver is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Having had the privilege and pleasure of reviewing Curious’ shows for the bulk of its existence, I can say without...
View ArticleYou say you want a revolution?
The Revolutionists will not be televised. You’ll have to put down the remote, tablet, laptop or phone and get your unplugged self to the Dairy Arts Center. There, seated stadium-style in the comfy...
View ArticleSomething doesn’t add up
With a little bastardization, Einstein’s most famous equation, E=mc2, sums up the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company’s latest, Smart People, with elegant precision. If “E” is “Every...
View ArticleAn elfing good time — take a trip to SantaLand
Forget the alleged War on Christmas. Judging by the Xmas-themed commercials on TV, the Xmas music playing at the mall and the Xmas decorations that popped up on both public and private property on Nov....
View ArticleThe sun comes out today
When you’ve seen Annie as many times as I have, it’s easy to dread another couple of hours spent with that plucky, Depression-era redhead, she of the ringlet curls and unbounded enthusiasm. Luckily and...
View ArticleLady Day sings the blues
The #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements exist for the sad but simple reason that sexism and racism are all too alive and well in 2018. Of course, as bad as things are, they could always be worse....
View ArticleA terrific two-hander
Ensemble pieces and one-man (or woman) shows are a dime a dozen. Two-person plays — also known as “two-handers” — are a much rarer bird. Two-woman two-handers qualify for the endangered species list. A...
View ArticleLeave it to BETC
Atheist, agnostic or true believer. Which one are you? Whichever it is, you probably feel quite firmly that you’re right and the other two groups are, depending on your temperament and the number of...
View ArticleThe politics of laughing
I’ve got good news and bad news for all the dyed in the wool, “red ’til I’m dead!” conservatives and “true blue!” liberals out there. The good news is that, whichever side you’re on, Human Error will...
View ArticleLabour of love
People live on the island of Manhattan their entire lives and never visit the Statue of Liberty. There are lifelong Arizonans who’ve never stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon, San Franciscans who’ve...
View ArticleThe nose knows
Shakespeare purists shake their fists and gnash their teeth when a Shakespeare festival includes works by playwrights other than the Bard. From a pedantic perspective, they certainly have a point....
View ArticleThe odd duck quacks the loudest
This year’s Colorado Shakespeare Festival (CSF) is a bit of an odd duck. But then, isn’t it always the oddest ducks that quack the loudest? Only 50 percent of the plays at this year’s CSF were penned...
View ArticleWhat’s not to love?
Love. It can be exciting and new, welcoming you aboard, even expecting you. It can be life’s sweetest reward, an open smile on a friendly shore. Love can also hurt, scar and wound. It can be a flame...
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You definitely won’t shoot your eye out
It doesn’t matter whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie (it isn’t, by the by, from Bruce Willis’ own lips during the only funny moment of his Comedy Central roast). Or how many times you’ve experienced...
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