Just in: a theatre review

Something Rotten   follows brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom, two struggling playwrights living in the shadow of the wildly popular William Shakespeare. Desperate for a hit, they turn to a soothsayer, Thomas Nostradamus, who predicts the next big thing in theater: musicals. What follows is a hilarious romp full of singing, dancing, mistaken prophecies, and eggs. Direction: The show was directed by Ryan Bruckman. Honestly, I am never disappointed when I go to see a show directed by Bruckman. He makes sure to assemble the best production team around. For this production, this definitely was the case. He had a clear vision, and made sure to let his team know what he wanted. All parts of the show flowed together because of his clear direction.  The show was music directed by Whitney Cahoon. The show starts off strong vocally with "Welcome to the Renaissance." "Will Power" vocals blended well together and quickly became my favorite song, vocally, of the night. When the men ...

Newsies: The Musical  is an adaptation of the 1992 film of the same name. The musical and film tell the story of the 1899 newsboy’s strike in New York City. Jack Kelly is the fictional leader of the strike helping his fellow newsboys and newsgirls, though dreaming of going to Santa Fe. Newbie Newsie Davey helps lead the strike while younger brother Les tags along. Young female reporter Katherine Plumber is caught up reporting on the strike and in a budding romance with Jack. The Newsies’ strike catches on with other overworked children of New York City caught in impoverished conditions. Direction: The show was directed and choreographed by Brodee Ripple. Doing both of those jobs might sound like an impossible feat, but it wasn't for Ripple. The choreography that he chose for each number was engaging and well rehearsed. Each song was rehearsed enough that the actors could do both the challenging choreography and sing without sounding breathless. The number, "The World Will Know...