West Michigan's Arts & Entertainment Guide
Review: 'Motown the Musical' performances transcend tangled script
Written by James Sanford | Wednesday, 03 May 2017 09:52 |The songs outshine the script — how could it be otherwise? — in “Motown the Musical,” written by none other than Motown founder Berry Gordy (adapting his autobiography, “To Be Loved: The Music, The Magic, The Memories of Motown”) and scored with more than 50 of the immortal tunes his record label issued between 1958 and 1983.
Review: Grand Rapids Ballet’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is a modern masterpiece
Written by Marin Heinritz | Saturday, 29 April 2017 13:45 |“Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality,” the Cheshire Cat purrs in “Alice in Wonderland.” In today’s post postmodern cultural landscape of the information age, in which “alternative facts” litter our news and going “down the rabbit hole” is a central and daily metaphor in our individual and collective lives, there is perhaps no more appropriate story.
Failure is not a word that many people take lightly. It's certainly not something many would like to admit they are dealing with or have experienced. And yet, a local business-turned-movement is celebrating five years of failure this month.
More Than a Spoonful: MCT’s 'Mary Poppins' mixes fantasy and reality in heartwarming musical
Written by Marla R. Miller | Monday, 01 May 2017 09:00 |Featuring a 42-member cast, singing, dancing and high-flying effects, Muskegon Civic Theatre hopes to fill Frauenthal Theater and wow audiences with its spring musical, Mary Poppins.
High-Skill Musical: High-school theater productions keep getting better, inspiring students to act for life
Written by Jane Simons | Monday, 01 May 2017 09:00 |Lizzy Stone, a music theatre major at Western Michigan University, said her parents enrolled her at Portage Northern High School specifically for its esteemed drama program.
Small Price to Pay: A Lansing native talks ‘Motown’ and the life of an actor
Written by Jane Simons | Wednesday, 26 April 2017 14:45 |Devin Price was prepared to live the life of a struggling actor in New York City, but it didn’t take the Lansing native long to land a plum role in Motown: The Musical.
Review: 'The Andrews Brothers' revels in nostalgia with talent and enthusiasm
Written by Marin Heinritz | Monday, 24 April 2017 13:16 |In Farmers Alley’s crowd-pleasing, high-energy production of 1940s-era musical revue The Andrews Brothers, straight men dress up as women, white Americans dress up as indigenous Pacific Islanders, and a middle-aged woman dresses up as an ingenue.
By now, most people are familiar with Rosie the Riveter, the symbol representing the legions of women who filed into the workplace during World War II to take over the jobs of men sent overseas. Often, they were working to aid the war effort.
Review: Wellspring Dancers celebrate conflict with engaging spring show
Written by Marin Heinritz | Saturday, 22 April 2017 15:31 |
The Wharton Center’s 35th season celebrates both the old and the new
Written by Dana Casadei | Wednesday, 19 April 2017 09:00 |For some theaters, celebrating an anniversary like a 35th season could add extra pressure to selecting upcoming performances. Not for the Wharton Center, who tries to outdo itself every year.
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