Don Calamia
Shades of 'Gray' at the Blackbird Theatre
If given a choice, I would much rather sit in a dark theater and experience something new – such as an original work or a fresh interpretation of an old chestnut – than find myself bored with yet another production of "Cats" or any other show I've [...]
World premiere has heart at the Rep
There's a moment towards the end of "Finding the Burnett Heart" when a very frustrated and upset Grace Burnett shrieks at her husband, son and father-in-law, "This is not a laughing matter" – and she's correct: Threatening to toss your 16-year-old [...]
Curtain Calls
Review: 'The Damnation Game' It's a helluva hot time at the Improv Inferno How do you like your men, five improvisers – most of whom I'll assume are straight – were asked at the start of last Friday night's performance of "The Damnation Game" at [...]
Curtain Calls XTRA
Review: 'Topdog/Underdog' African Renaissance Theater deals fine performances in drama about sibling rivalry "You've gotta know when to hold 'em/know when to fold 'em É" A card game as a metaphor for life isn't a totally original concept, but [...]
Curtain Calls
Wrap-up: The 2004 Wilde Awards Fun-filled event was one for the record books As you've probably read elsewhere this issue, it truly WAS 'One Wilde Night.' Not only was the 2004 Wilde Awards a fun-filled evening of accolades and entertainment, it [...]
Curtain Calls XTRA
Tidbits: News from Around Town New home and season for Sunsets; more theatre in Royal Oak; the Players' barn door is open ITEM: Some snowbirds head south for the winter, but not Lansing-based Sunsets with Shakespeare. Instead, the non-profit [...]
So 'sue me': An entertaining show with a few bumps in Dexter, Encore Musical Theatre presents 'Guys and Dolls' through April 19
Nestled between The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea and Performance Network Theatre in Ann Arbor sits a rather unique venue with a name that explains why it makes total sense to open in a market dominated by two highly regarded institutions that [...]
A comedy not hard to swallow at Go Comedy!
I love a challenge – and the 10 p.m. show at Ferndale's Go Comedy! Improv Theater certainly is a challenging show for critics to review. It's not that the show isn't funny – trust me, it is, and sometimes hilariously so – but certain words, phrases [...]
Family searches for its heart at the Rep
Families. For better or worse, love them or hate them, the families we're born into are the foundations upon which our lives and histories are built. But what happens when familial secrets threaten to destroy that very foundation? That's the premise [...]
Attend, enjoy the ballad of Sweeney Todd
It's no secret to regular readers of Curtain Calls and my blog that "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" ranks near (or, depending on which day it is, at) the top of my list of all-time favorite musicals. And the rather unique [...]
Satire spoofs Broadway favorites
There's no business like show business when it comes to subject matter ripe for satirizing, and that's precisely what Gerard Alessandrini has made baskets of money doing since his "Forbidden Broadway" first opened in 1982. In the intervening years [...]
An intriguing experiment at Planet Ant
If asked to identify one specific type of play I prefer to review, the answer will always be a show I've never seen before. Then, if pressed to be even MORE specific, I'll explain that I love to experience new or recent works written by young or [...]