God Bless the Outcasts

The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Music Theater Works

Victor Hugo’s sweeping early 19th century novel was written, much like his Les Miserables, as a social commentary, as much as an entertaining Gothic romance. It’s a timeless reminder about the importance of looking beyond the physical to find an individual’s inner beauty. It’s also a tragic love story, telling about how a beautiful young Gypsy woman named Esmeralda bewitches three men from very different walks of life: the Archdeacon of Notre Dame, the Captain of the Cathedral Guard and the Cathedral’s hunchbacked bellringer. Set in 1482, everything takes place in and around Paris’ massive stone structure that is the world-famous Cathedral of Notre Dame. 

Always, Always Remember

All That He Was – Pride Films & Plays

First, a gentle warning to theatergoers planning to see this deeply moving, sometimes humorous new musical: bring along  lots of Kleenex. If any audience member can make it through this stunningly soulful production without shedding a tear or two, you’d better see your doctor immediately. Because, like the Tin Man of Oz, you’re missing a heart.

“A Kind of Love Story” at Oil Lamp Theatre

What an apt name for a tale of modern day romance: A Kind of Love Story. The current generation has been lambasted for our non-committal views and our reluctance to label aspects of our lives. So, in turn, we are given a love story that is a saga of missed encounters and opportunities that have fallen through the net. Oil Lamp Theatre’s first show of the season, A Kind of Love Story by Jenelle Riley, is marketed as 500 days of Summer meets Sleepless in Seattle, but it would be more appropriate to purely market it as a conglomeration of Meg Ryan’s rom-com resume of Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and When Harry Met Sally.

Lost in Space

Women of 4G – Babes with Blades

It’s the year 2094, 75 years in the future. Because of the arrogance and stupidity of our world leaders, the earth’s fragile environment has now been totally destroyed. With the planet’s atmosphere almost completely polluted, mankind is literally gasping its last breath. In one final, heroic attempt to insure  another 500 years of life, a team of seven, superior female scientists, and their lone male Captain, have been sent on a life-and-death mission into outer space. Once into the cosmos, the crew of 4G plan to launch a lifesaving satellite, brilliantly developed by one their their own, LT Wollman. This celestial orb promises to reverse the harmful gases and lethal rays that have destroyed earth’s precious oxygen supply. But something else has gone deadly awry.

A Triumph of Humanity Over Hatred

Come From Away – Broadway in Chicago

First of all, this musical is not, as many have labeled it, about the 9/11 tragedy. It’s an uplifting show inspired by those events, but it’s really about the triumph of humanity over hatred. It’s an exhilarating, joyous, sometimes funny and often heartbreaking story that celebrates the goodness inside most of us. It shows what happened when people put away their fears, prejudices and hostility to embrace the positive side of what it means to be a  human being.

A Pas de Deux for Six

Now and Then – Pride Films & Plays

Two young gay college students meet by chance at a weekly amateur variety show. The Fabulously Fabulous Open Mic Night is hosted by an outgoing guy named Greg, who fancies himself a comedian in the style of Don Rickles. In spite of never having heard him sing or play his guitar, Greg kiddingly introduces Daniel as the worst act of the night. Dan, dressed in bluejeans, boots, a white tee shirt and cowboy hat, sings “Solitary Man,” a lovely, moving ballad that he wrote after graduating from high school. Both the handsome young man and his personal song have a positive effect on Greg,  so he invites Daniel back to his dorm room. There, Dan plays Greg another of his compositions and the two end up sharing Greg’s bed for the night. The rest, as they say, is history, with the two young men forming a relationship that will last over forty years.

A Journey Through Funk Music

You Can’t Fake the Funk – Black Ensemble Theatre

In the late 1960’s, African American musicians created a rhythmic, very danceable new form of music that combined soul, jazz, rhythm and blues. They called it Funk. One particular singer, the brilliant entertainer James Brown, is credited with writing and recording the first song of this new genre. Some argue that it was “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag;” others claim that it was his pulsating “Cold Sweat” that launched this unique musical form. It would grow beyond being simply a novelty or a  trend and blossom into its own style. It makes little difference which song began the movement, Funk Music continues to hold an important place in American pop culture. 

Macabre and Mysterious

And Then There Were None – Drury Lane

Agatha Christie’s best-selling murder mystery—in fact, the greatest-selling crime novel of all time—is a thriller known almost everywhere in the world. Originally published in 1939 (under two different, less politically correct titles), the page-turner remains as popular today as it was when it was first hit the bookstore shelves. The novel, and Ms. Christie’s own stage adaptation, takes its current title from the last five words of a nursery rhyme that inspires the murders in this mystery story.

Love, Chaos & Dinner

Teatro Zinzanni – Cambria Hotel

You arrive at the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel to be greeted by a bevy of smiling faces, all of whom are there to happily launch your theatrical experience. If you’ve ever been on a cruise ship, you’ll understand what awaits you. At the far end of the theatre lobby there’s a huge bar, where all manner of beverages await your order, including a complimentary glass of champagne. Then, with a fanfare, the company of waitstaff announce that the 300+ seat Spiegeltent is now open and ready for your entertainment and dining pleasure. And with that, you’re off and running for three hours of nonstop munching, merriment and mayhem.