Laughin’ and Cyan

Blue Man Group

I’m not sure the physical theatre ensemble Blue Man Group has changed much since I last saw them at the Briar Street Theatre about eight years ago.  Back then, in an apparent effort to stay current, the three mute, bald and blue-bodied percussionists engaged in some tomfoolery with large smartphone-styled props, although mostly they banged lustily on drums, clambered over the theatre’s seats, and caught marshmallows with their mouths.  Friday night — still at the Briar Street Theatre — three new but still blue performers once again engaged in a bit of tomfoolery with large smartphone-styled props, banged lustily on drums, clambered over the theatre’s seats, and caught marshmallows with their mouths.  

Flippy Floppy Floory

Elephant & Piggie’s: “We Are In a Play!”

Any young child with access to a library or bookstore will probably have memorized the books of the prolific and Caldecott-Honored author, Mo Willems. Savvy parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians and booksellers are also huge fans of his delightful stories. They provide hours of joy for children and, may I confess, adults, as well! Why? It’s because they’re all so simple, completely relatable, happy and positive. How refreshing to be able to spend time with two “bestus” friends in today’s world, that’s filled with so much danger and violence.

I Can’t Fight This Feeling

Rock of Ages

Chris D’Arienzo’s theatrical tribute to the glam rock bands of the 1980’s is yet another jukebox musical. The show sports a huge roster of rock hits by the likes of Journey, Pat Benatar, Bon Jovi, Styx, Twisted Sister and many more artists. It’s a loving tribute to that bygone era of excess. The show features big sound, big talents and big hair, generously peppered with spandex, mini-skirts, thigh-high boots, acid-washed denim and lots of skin.

Be Our Guest

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

Everyone, I dare say, has felt like an outsider at some point in their lives. In this story, a young girl, lovingly raised by her widowed father, is the new girl in a small French town. But just like any kid who’s moved to a new city and entered a new school, Belle is made fun of and told she’s odd. The young lady escapes her “provincial life” through books. The only person in town who seems to like the girl is Gaston, a horribly pompous egotist, who wants to marry her because she’s pretty. 

Soul Sisters

Marie & Rosetta

Evolving naturally from the Blues, Gospel music had its beginnings in Chicago. So what better place to celebrate this incredibly talented singing duo than right here at Northlight Theatre? As we enjoy this musical celebration of original Soul Sisters, Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight, we witness how the genre ultimately melded into Jazz, R&B and Rock & Roll, and inspired such popular musicians as Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton and even Elvis Presley.

Bristol Renaissance Faire

Hear Ye hear ye, summer has arrived and the Bristol Renaissance Faire is in full swing. I have been coming to this event for about the last 20 years and every year the magic and fun never disappoints. 

Hair for the Ages

Hair

Hair burst on the scene in 1968 with music by Galt MacDermot and book and Lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado. It was a groundbreaking show complete with controversial topics, nudity, rock music, hippies, multiracial cast and anti war themes. 

Hero Is My Middle Name

Nickelodeon’s The SpongeBob Musical

Oh, my goodness! An environmental calamity is about to demolish the undersea city of Bikini Bottom and all its inhabitants. Mount Humongous, a subaquatic volcano, is loudly rumbling and hurling boulders at everyone. The probability is certain that it’s going to erupt very soon and take out every living thing in the Pacific Ocean paradise. It seems like everyone has a plan to try to save the citizens of Bikini Bottom: the Mayor has ordered an escape vehicle to transport the entire town to safety; evil Sheldon J. Plankton and his wife Karen the Computer have a nefarious scheme that only promotes their own selfish interests; even the miserly crustacean who owns the Krusty Krab restaurant has cooked up a way to make a profit from the disaster. But it takes an optimistic little guy named SpongeBob SquarePants, working together with his friends Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks, to literally save the day, because, as he sings “Hero is My Middle Name.”

Hitchcock Heightens into Hilarity

The 39 Steps

Imagine if someone took the grandaddy of the chase film, a classic Alfred Hitchcock mystery/thriller, and turned it into a laugh-out-loud farce. Well, the result is this play that features nonstop action and parodies the 1935 Hitchcock film. That movie had been adapted (four times, in fact) from a 1915 novel by John Buchan. And while this theatrical script overflows with diabolical murders, criminal  intrigue and villainous spies, and is filled with a large cast of colorful characters, the gimmick of this theatrical version is that only four actors play all the roles. Therein lies the source of humor for this Monty Python-like comedy.

You Make Me Wanna Shout!

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story

Today, jukebox and biographical musicals make up a large portion of the productions playing on Broadway and the West End, and the public absolutely adores them. Telling the life story of a world-famous celebrity, while liberally peppering it with a playlist of the artist’s most beloved songs, has become a theatrical staple. But back in 1989 this was a new style of musical. Written by Alan James, and supported by Sir Paul McCartney (who owns the rights to the music), brought “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” to London’s Victoria Palace Theatre. This toe-tapping, high energy musical story, which eventually transferred to Broadway, depicted the meteoric rise to fame of rock and roll legend Buddy Holly. proving to be an absolute crowd-pleaser, it played for 12 years and began a new trend of theatre called the jukebox musical. That trend continues today with shows like “Jersey Boys,” “Ain’t Too Proud,” “Tina” and “MJ.”