Andria Tieman is a lifelong theatre fan. She has an MFA in fiction, play & screenwriting and presently works as an academic librarian in Providence teaching students how to find and use information. She is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association 2016-present.
Favorite Show:
Come From Away.Favorite Stories:
- Absolutely Fantastic COME FROM AWAY at PPAC - I'm kind of a Come From Away evangelist at this point. I had no idea what to expect going into that show, except I knew some people REALLY liked it. I was blown away. Even after seeing it multiple times, it still affects me in a powerful way.
- UNCLE VANYA at The Gamm is Close to Perfection - This show had many of my favorite regional actors and a fantastic director, plus a great script. Sometimes a show is so perfectly executed that it almost crackles--this was one of those.
- Haunting THE YELLOW WALLPAPER at OUT LOUD Theatre - I had no idea what to expect going to this play, and I was absolutely thrilled at what Out Loud Theatre did to make this short story come alive. It was immersive and strange and unlike anything I've seen before or since. Years later, I still think about it often.
BWW Review: Epic Theatre Rules the Yard with THESE RUTHLESS BITCHES
September 8, 2015
September 8, 2015
Epic Theatre kicks off their page to stage season with a delightfully catty update to Clare Boothe Luce classic The Women retitled THESE RUTHLESS BITCHES. All of the original themes are still present: loyalty to men, the notion of the Ideal Woman, but everything is slightly sideways in that this re-telling takes place in a Women's Prison. Comparisons to Orange is the New Black are obvious and easy to make, but telling the story of upper class women in a prison rather than a parlor works surprisingly well. Instead of being captive by the rules of society, which may not ring as true for the audience today, these women are literally captive by the legal system and have merely transferred their social hierarchies and rules to a more drab environment.
BWW Review: Head Trick Theatre's Pastorally Pleasing AS YOU LIKE IT
August 31, 2015
August 31, 2015
Shakespeare in the park is one of the best parts of summer, and it's exciting that Head Trick Theatre has mounted a production that is affordable, family-friendly and energetic. AS YOU LIKE IT is the perfect outdoor production, and using the beautiful woods of Blackstone Park as its backdrop, and very minimal sets that allow the dialogue and performances to shine as they should.
BWW Review: The Thoroughly Satisfying THE BOYS OF ST. MATTHEW'S PRESENT TARTUFFE at Epic Theatre Company
August 17, 2015
August 17, 2015
Tartuffe or The Imposter, by Moliere was first performed in 1664, which may make potential theatregoers feel like they are doing something smart and sophisticated on a Friday or Saturday night by attending this production re-dubbed THE BOYS OF ST. MATTHEWS PRESENT TARTUFFE. It's a smart move, to be sure, but perhaps not quite in the way one would imagine. Kevin Broccoli's Epic Theatre Company has taken this French classic and added the frame of it being a forbidden production in an all boys school, to turn it into a raunchy, homoerotic and hilarious romp that had the tiny audience roaring with laughter.
BWW Reviews: SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE Swings and Shimmies into Theatre By The Sea
June 8, 2015
June 8, 2015
Smokey Joe's Cafe, the longest running musical revue in Broadway history, kicks of the summer season at Theatre by the Sea. The show is a solid and energetic spectacle, but drags in certain sections, and seems hemmed in by the small size of the stage and the sound of the live band.
BWW Reviews: The Sidesplitting and Strange MELANCHOLY PLAY: A CHAMBER MUSICAL at Trinity Rep
June 4, 2015
June 4, 2015
Melancholy Play: A Chamber Musical, begins as one might expect-- with a song about being melancholy. Set in what looks like the aftermath of a New Year's eve party with gold tinsel strewn about the floor, and a sad, saggy banner on the back wall. Our five characters regale the audience a song of melancholy setting the audience up for a witty, if nonsensical 90 minutes.
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