I love Shrew-cy
If Front Range theater were baseball, the Denver Center Theatre Company would be the Major League. Walking into the Stage Theatre is like walking into a pro ballpark. The energy crackles in a way that...
View ArticleA set of lies agreed upon
Gina Gionfriddo’s Becky Shaw isn’t informed so much by the question “Is it better to lie than to hurt someone with the truth?” but rather by the statement, “Life is pain; lies and truth are mere tools...
View ArticleHe came, he saw, he kvetched
Imagine if, by some twist of fate, Brad Pitt accepted an invitation to dinner at your home some wintry evening. Further imagine that as Mr. Pitt was reaching for your doorbell he slipped on a patch of...
View ArticleThe man, the myth, the legend
Though they were incredibly gifted performers whose music still resonates and whose influences remain readily apparent today, you don’t see bumper stickers reading, “God Bless Janis Joplin.” Or Jimi...
View ArticleIt has a wealthy dowager in it
A few weeks ago, our government gave us yet another compelling reason not to trust it when its purchasing arm, the General Services Administration (GSA), was found to have been lavishly spending...
View ArticleScratching an itch
It’s not often that one has the opportunity to see psychological horror played out on stage. Pratfalls and buffoonery abound. Studies in tragedy crop up weekly. Musical theater is so prevalent that it...
View ArticleAnd the first night was ‘Twelfth Night’
The Bard is back, baby! For the 55th time, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival brings ol’ Will back to Boulder. This year’s annual celebration of one of the world’s greatest playwrights showcases two...
View ArticleShakespeare’s best villain
Say what you will about Tybalt or Iago, Edmund (the bastard!) or Lady Macbeth. For my money, the greatest Shakespearean villain is Richard. He opens Richard III as the Duke of Gloucester and ends it as...
View ArticleLadies, ladies, ladies!
Perusing the list of plays at this year’s Colorado Shakespeare Festival (CSF), a purist might be a bit nonplussed. Out of five total plays, the bard penned only two, Twelfth Night and Richard III,...
View ArticleHigh seas hijinks
The words “Thank Jerry Bruckheimer” are not often strung together, but without his inspired decision to turn a Disney theme park ride into a big-budget summer tent pole movie nearly 10 years ago, I’m...
View ArticlePoetry in motion
With all the effort it takes to get students simply to show up for class, do schools even teach poetry any longer? Does the current crop of K-12 get any exposure to meter and verse that isn’t contained...
View ArticleHow many Mormons does it take to baptize a Ugandan?
Be you Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, Sikh, Satanist, Wiccan or Undecided, you’re most likely familiar with the Judeo-Christian creation belief in which the entire universe sprang into...
View ArticleHeart and soul
Next to “Chopsticks,” “Heart and Soul” is probably the most recognizable and easily played piano tune in the Western world. You may remember it from its appearance in the movie Big when Tom Hanks and...
View Article´Real World: Sesame Street´
A few weeks ago, I reviewed The Book of Mormon. Most people probably think that that musical’s profane, hilariously irreverent worldview sprang solely from the warped minds of South Park creators Trey...
View ArticleFrom Germany with ennui
As the world contains innumerably more shades of grey (way more than 50) than blacks and whites, there are virtually never just “two types of people.” Be that as it may, a foolish consistency is indeed...
View ArticleThe fractured future
For being a group with questionable taste and no income of its own, the young adult (or YA) demographic has achieved uber-dominance over the entertainment industry. Young adults devoured the adventures...
View ArticleHere is the school. Here is the steeple.
The year is 2243. The Philadelphia Eagles have just won their first Super Bowl. And much to everyone’s surprise, God himself decides to take a leisurely stroll down 5th Avenue in New York City (now...
View ArticleCraptabulous!
The University of Colorado Boulder boasts many distinguished alumni. Famous scientists, authors and professional football players have all graduated from this hallowed institution. For many, including...
View ArticleUpstart Crow puts on a Wilde thing
As a longtime fan of Oscar Wilde, the corners of my mouth go instantly north whenever I hear that some industrious theatre company is mounting one of his plays. Though he is principally known as a poet...
View ArticleLet it snow
For many people, a white Christmas is the be-all and end-all of holiday cheer. Going to bed on Christmas Eve with flakes filling the air and waking up on Christmas morning to a world softened by a...
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