Before “Hamilton,” there was “In the Heights,” which marked composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda’s auspicious Broadway debut in 2008. As he would do in “Hamilton,” Miranda incorporated rap and hip-hop into a
I asked myself two questions as I collected my thoughts on “Hamilton,” the commercial mega-hit that finally made its way to Kansas City this week: First, how would the production
Vanessa Severo has assigned herself a next-to-impossible task in the one-woman show, “Frida . . . A Self Portrait” — to tell a compressed version of the life of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo while weaving the actress/playwright’s own story into a kaleidoscopic narrative. Clocking in at about 75 minutes, the show whips along at such […]
Actor/playwright Logan Black’s “Bond” is, among other things, a tale of service, bravery, fear and endurance in a time of war. But beyond that, this extended monologue is a love story. And like any good love story should, it packs a punch. Black and a smart yellow lab named Diego served together in Iraq as […]
Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre continues its season with the North American premiere of “The Shawshank Redemption,” taken from the same source material on which writer/director Frank Darabont based his memorable 1994 film. This lively production, directed by Bob Paisley and showcasing a gifted, diverse cast, is performed on a sparsely decorated stage in a way that […]
Stephen Karam’s “The Humans,” a big hit in New York and London, is a play with an intriguing premise, detailed characters and a palpable sense of foreboding. The production now onstage at the Unicorn Theatre showcases nice work by talented actors who wrestle gamely with material that seems designed to remain just beyond their reach. […]
Virtually every emotional trauma and competitive humiliation we associate with high school is on full display in Jocelyn Bioh’s “School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play,” now running at Copaken Stage, Kansas City Rep’s downtown venue. Precisely directed by Chip Miller, the production showcases superior work by a gifted cast. Bioh’s tight, 75-minute one-act […]
August Wilson was a great chronicler of human behavior, one who worked on a wide canvas in subtle colors but always with a sharp eye on the goal that informed all of his plays: To chronicle the African-American experience in each decade of the 20th century. Wilson allowed himself maximum creative freedom and did not […]
