Antique story reflects current societal’s ongoing conflicts
By Bob Evans A story written in the 1890s with newly added alternative rock music focuses on the human experience as adolescents face oncoming body and mental changes as they mature to young adults in a society where they find themselves unsure and ill-equipped to face their destinies. “Spring Awakening,” produced by Home Grown Theater and performing at one of the smaller venues in the Musical Theater Heritage Theatre at Crown Canter....
Agatha Christie murder-mystery packs ‘em in
By Bob Evans The classic whodunit genre never gets better than from the pen of Dame Agatha Christie when at her best, cranking out murder thriller after murder thriller with celebrated titles like, “Witness for the Prosecution,” “The Mousetrap,” “Murder on the Orient Express,” “And Then There Were None,” to name just a few of her more than 100 novels. Currently, Kansas City Actors Theatre mounts one of her most celebrated stories and...
George Gershwin music draws large opening for MTH
By Bob Evans Even though George Gershwin died of a brain tumor at the age of 38, the musical legacy he left lives on because his classic musical standards remain part of The Great American Songbook and continue to entertain American audiences through film, concerts, Broadway shows, and other events. Musical Theater Heritage at Crown Center opened its newest production on Saturday night, August 12 to a large crowd who deservedly served...
Blood, jealousy, ambition, murder abound in ‘Macbeth’
By Bob Evans For a tempting evening of intrigue, murder, ambition, madness, jealousy, and a chalice of blood to wash it all down, rush to purchase tickets for The Living Room’s newest production “The Tragedy of Macbeth” in a new 90 minute adaptation by Kyle Hatley. The new version of the Scottish play opened Friday night, Aug. 11 with a cast of three undertaking the Shakespeare classic. Kyle Hatley and Natalie Liccardello undertook...
Comedy hits on all levels with ‘Grape’s Vine’
By Bob Evans After a long theater season filled with dramas and dark comedies, time is long past for a flat-out, laugh-out-loud comedy with no dark turns, no lessons to be learned, and no deep hidden meanings to ponder, so, “Grape’s Vine” at the Just Off Broadway Theatre fills the gap, giving theatergoers the opportunity to sit back, laugh, and enjoy a fun family-friendly evening. Jacqueline Gafford, admittedly known for...
Stunning vocals lift Starlight’s ‘The Bodyguard’
By Bob Evans No musical succeeds without a spectacular musical score and the premium voices to deliver it to the audiences’ satisfaction, and the two lead female vocalists in the National Tour of “The Bodyguard” definitely deliver on the Whitney Houston cornucopia of Top 40 hits that serve as the framework for a weak story but entertaining evening. Under the stars at Starlight Theatre this week only, the Whitney Houston/Kevin Costner...