Walking to my seat at last night’s production of The Lion King, I heard an usher comment on how this show was “something different.”
Great Depression era American criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow captured newspaper readers’ imaginations of their day, becoming public figures for doing no good and creating celebrity culture before its time. And our obsession with these real-life characters who lived and loved with wanton desire and freedom only to die young in a blaze of glory never really waned. Their story has been adapted for film, television, cartoons, hip-hop songs, and podcasts, among practically infinite variations on their daring, romantic, violent tale.
Prolific comic American playwright Neil Simon has written more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of screenplays, has received more combined Oscar and Tony nominations than any other writer, and was awarded many of the most sought-after literary awards, including the Pulitzer.
The story of one can relate to many. That’s the binding truth at the heart of Circle Theatre’s Fun Home.
Exit Left Theatre Company is working to change the boundaries of art in Holland.
On July 21, some of the Wharton Center’s typical theater house rules will be a bit relaxed. Patrons will be allowed to eat snacks, look at phones and move around the theater during this production of Disney’s The Lion King.
If “Shakespeare” brings to mind recollections of high school English, all “thee, thou, thine,” The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company entices you to give a live performance a try. Thou just might like it more than ye think.
The idea to document the Work Progress Administration and the Farm Security Administration during the late 1930s through photography was an idea well ahead of its time, according to Michelle Stempien, curator of education for the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
Zion Lion Reggae Band is not your typical reggae group.
Home to nearly 5,500 campers and 700 faculty members studying music, art, theater and dance every summer, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp also hosts an annual Summer Arts Festival that offers evening entertainment in July and August. Cost is no barrier, as nearly every event is free.
American author L. Frank Baum’s children’s book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” has been adapted practically countless times since its publication in 1900, and for good reason. It’s a timeless allegorical quest tale of self discovery — about trusting what’s real beyond false facades, believing we already possess that which we seek, and realizing that when we know ourselves, we’re always at home, anywhere.
What’s the big deal about Mamma Mia!, the fluffy jukebox musical built upon Swedish disco-pop group ABBA’s hits? With a 14-year run on Broadway and solidly placed in the top-10 longest running shows in both Broadway and West End history, and a movie adaptation with a sequel set to release this year, it’s a show people are downright wild about.
There is perhaps no more perfect musical than “Hairspray,” the multiple Tony Award-winning Broadway hit adapted from the John Waters’ 1988 cult classic film.
People like to describe what Sutton Lee Seymour does as “old school drag,” though the opening night of her two-night engagement at Farmers Alley Theatre this weekend indicates an homage to camp, to Broadway, to Disney princesses from a performer who’s so skilled at singing, dancing, character work, improvisation, and innovative (not to mention lightning-quick changes in) costumes, s/he clearly owns whatever stage s/he inhabits.
