Tag Archives: theater

July 24, 2009 · 6:42 am

Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival delivers two winning plays

What a difference a year makes.

In 2008, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival began producing its plays in house for the first time, and the result was rocky. The shows were inconsistent in quality, and the original musical “Cambio” had more problems than any production I’ve seen at the festival’s lovely Sand Harbor venue.

Fast forward to 2009 and the festival is happily back on track with two terrific plays: “Measure for Measure” and “Much Ado About Nothing.”

Click here for full review: http://www.rgj.com/article/20090724/ENT/307240001/1056/ENT/Review–Performances-and-plays-combine-for-terrific-evening-of-Shakespeare

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July 12, 2009 · 9:10 pm

Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival is about more than the great view

Henry Woronicz, new executive producer for Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, says audiences this year should expect a lot more than lapping waves and a great view.

“One of the challenges of this festival is that the venue is so beautiful that you’ve got to make the plays equally interesting,” Woronicz said. “You really have to because if they lose interest in the play, they have these wonderful dinners and glasses of wine. “» Friends of mine, over the years, have seen a play there and I always ask them what they saw, and they can never remember. They talk about the venue. They talk about how beautiful it was sitting on the beach.”

Woronicz says he wants his audiences to walk away talking about the plays.

Click here for full story: http://www.rgj.com/article/20090712/LIV/907120305/1089/Much-ado-about-Lake-Tahoe-Shakespeare

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May 29, 2009 · 4:13 pm

‘Mamma Mia!’ heading to Reno

Mama MiaMichelle Dawson says you needn’t love ABBA to have a blast at “Mamma Mia!”

“Once you’ve seen it, you become an ABBA fan,” said Dawson who stars in the touring production of the musical, opening Tuesday at the Pioneer Center. “I mean the songs are incredible. “I don’t think people realize how popular and famous these songs are if they’re not an ABBA fan.”

“Mamma Mia!” is mostly a showcase for the music of the Swedish pop group. But that doesn’t mean it’s plot-free. Dawson plays Donna Sheridan, a freewheeling single mother who runs a hotel on a Greek island, and the show begins as her daughter, Sophie, is about to get hitched. Trouble is, Sophie wants her father to walk her down the aisle and Donna doesn’t know who the Daddy is. After some investigation, Sophie invites three men from Donna’s past to her wedding, convinced she’ll be able to figure out who is who. Add the arrival of two of Donna’s longtime girlfriends, and the stage is set for a wild musical comedy and a whole bunch of ABBA tunes.

Click here for full story:  http://www.rgj.com/article/20090528/ENT/305280004/1056/ENT/You+needn+t+love+ABBA+to+love++Mama+Mia+

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May 7, 2009 · 9:10 am

TMCC producing ‘Rocky Horror’

Talk to Truckee Meadows Community College theater instructor Paul Aberasturi and it doesn’t take long for him to start gushing about students and colleagues.

“We have something that we’re proud of,” he said before a rehearsal for the school’s upcoming production of “The Rocky Horror Show.” “We think it’s probably one of the best theater companies around.”

That makes it meaningful when Aberasturi says the spectacle of TMCC’s version of “Rocky,” which opens Friday in Reno, goes beyond anything the company has produced in the past.

Click here for full story: http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009905070312

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April 24, 2009 · 7:29 am

Copperfield is dedicated to magic

What you see is rarely what you get with David Copperfield.

What you see is rarely what you get with David Copperfield.

Magician David Copperfield is bringing his “Grand Illusion” show to Reno’s Pioneer Center on Wednesday, and I had the opportunity to conduct a short e-mail interview with him. Our conversation follows.

Question: You have been performing magic for more than 40 years, and the scale of illusions seems to be growing ever-larger. Do you feel like magic itself is changing or is it still based around the same principles as when you started?

Click here for complete story: http://rgj.com/article/20090424/ENT/904240375/1056

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April 4, 2009 · 4:46 pm

‘Scoundrels’ musical is a kick

Left to right, Brian McKay, Christy Adamson and Stephen Patterson in a scene from "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

Left to right, Brian McKay, Christy Adamson and Stephen Patterson in a scene from "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

Steve Martin and Michael Caine are tough acts to follow, but Stephen Patterson and Brian McKay do just fine in the national touring production of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” playing through Sunday at Reno’s Pioneer Center.

The show is a musical adaptation of the 1988 film starring Caine and Martin and while the plotting is similar, the music adds a new dimension. This version of “Scoundrels” is a full-on song-and-dance show in the classic musical theater tradition. Dialogue is interspersed with jazzy tunes that are often even funnier than the Jeffrey Lane script.

Click here for full story: http://rgj.com/article/20090404/ENT/90404035/1056

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April 3, 2009 · 11:30 am

‘Scoundrels’ musical mimics the film

A scene from "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

A scene from "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

If you saw the 1988 movie “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” Brian McKay says the musical theater version will feel awfully familiar.

“The musical that opened on Broadway in 2005 is very, very closely based on that movie,” said McKay, who stars in the touring production of the show, which is in Reno this weekend. “The script has all of the fantastic humor that made the movie so successful.”

Click her for the complete story: http://rgj.com/article/20090403/ENT/904030388/1056

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February 15, 2009 · 1:34 pm

On the boards in Reno

In “As You Like It,” William Shakespeare wrote that “all the world’s a stage,” and while he clearly was being metaphorical, there does seem to be a lot of theater in Reno these days. So, I thought it would be fun to give you a rundown of several noteworthy productions that are either playing now or coming soon to a stage near you.

Click here for the complete list: http://rgj.com/article/20090215/ENT/902150308/1056

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January 31, 2009 · 10:23 am

Martin Short in Reno today (Jan. 31)

Jiminy Glick and Ed Grimly will be at the Silver Legacy on Saturday night, and they’re bringing Martin Short along for the ride. Or maybe it’s the other way round. With Short, an actor who immerses himself in every role, it’s tough to tell.

In Reno, Short — and his many characters — will deliver a showcase smacking of everything from Broadway to sketch comedy.

Click here for entire story: http://www.rgj.com/article/20090130/ENT/901300403/1056

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January 17, 2009 · 3:40 pm

‘Pajama Game’ lively in Reno

Cast of the national touring company of "The Pajama Game."

Cast of the national touring company of "The Pajama Game."

Modern musicals are dandy, but they are rarely as charming as Golden Age Broadway works. Like classic film, vintage musicals are a reminder of an earlier, less cynical age. Yet, when well-staged, they feel fresh and relevant thanks to live performance.

The national touring production of “The Pajama Game,” which opened a three-day run at Reno’s Pioneer Center Friday, is particularly well-staged. Everything from set changes to curtain drops are timed to perfection, and the musical numbers feature dazzling Mark Minnick choreography.

Click here for full review:  http://www.rgj.com/article/20090117/ENT/90117012&OAS_sitepage=news.rgj.com%2Fbreakingnews

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