Chris Arneson - Page 2

Chris Arneson

Chris has been writing with BroadwayWorld since 2014. He's also an actor, typically performing in musicals based on movies where he dies. He almost won a BroadwayWorld Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Scott in Evil Dead: The Musical, but he was ousted by an actual Broadway veteran. He's actively recovering from the loss. 






BWW Review: TOOTSIE is Mostly a Drag at the Buell Theatre at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts
BWW Review: TOOTSIE is Mostly a Drag at the Buell Theatre at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts
April 6, 2022

Oh look, another movie turned musical no one was asking for! When a film is adapted for the Broadway stage (which is almost a given nowadays), I'll get excited if it's a classic I can't wait to see updated and reimagined. The trouble with Tootsie is...I guess I just didn't care from the start.

BWW Review: Opera Colorado's THE SHINING
BWW Review: Opera Colorado's THE SHINING
March 6, 2022

If your experience is more with the book, you might appreciate the recently adapted opera version better. Currently playing with Opera Colorado, Moravec & Campbell’s The Shining is being presented for the first time since its premiere with Minnesota Opera.

BWW Review: The HAMILTON Hype is Real
BWW Review: The HAMILTON Hype is Real
February 25, 2022

I avoided Hamilton as long as I possibly could. I wouldn't even listen to the cast recording, wanting to have the freshest live experience I possibly could. Somehow I held on until around 2018, right before the show visited Denver for the first time.

BWW Review: DCPA's Long-Awaited RATTLESNAKE KATE Attacks
BWW Review: DCPA's Long-Awaited RATTLESNAKE KATE Attacks
February 22, 2022

The musical is based on former Lumineers member Neyla Pekarek's first solo album, Rattlesnake, which features songs inspired by the life of Colorado's own 'Rattlesnake Kate' Slaughterback. Nearly 100 years ago, Kate killed around 140 rattlesnakes mostly using a wooden sign she found after her rifle ran out of ammunition, not only saving herself but also her 3-year-old son and their horse, Brownie. 

BWW Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Littleton's Town Hall
BWW Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Littleton's Town Hall
February 11, 2022

Little Shop of Horrors may not be the happiest musical, but there's something about a plant wreaking havoc on a bunch of downtrodden folks that might offer a bit of momentary schadenfreude. And if you don't get it from that, Town Hall's production is likely to scratch your itch for a well-designed production bursting with talent.

BWW Review: THE CHOIR OF MAN is Exactly What You Expect
BWW Review: THE CHOIR OF MAN is Exactly What You Expect
January 21, 2022

If you've ever thought you needed a live show about a pub choir of burly men, have I got news for you. The Choir of Man is literally that, and apparently they're big in the UK.

BWW Review: THE OTHER JOSH COHEN at DCPA
BWW Review: THE OTHER JOSH COHEN at DCPA
January 6, 2022

Josh Cohen is overweight, can't get a date, and his apartment was just emptied by a burglar--but that was a year ago, and a lot has improved since then, according to a much healthier and happier-looking Josh Cohen with a guitar.

BWW Review: 'The King Has Returned' to Denver
BWW Review: 'The King Has Returned' to Denver
December 14, 2021

Somehow, I had managed to avoid seeing the Broadway production of The Lion King for its decades-long existence. Well, maybe not avoid necessarily--it was killing me that I'd never planned well enough to catch it. So until I did, I avoided anything that might make my first viewing any less magical than if I was my 8-year-old self seeing my first Disney musical on Broadway. 

BWW Photo Feature: DCPA's Camp Christmas Returns Outdoors
BWW Photo Feature: DCPA's Camp Christmas Returns Outdoors
December 2, 2021

Camp Christmas is back with a fresh outdoor setup for the 2021 holiday season. The festive event formerly took place in 2019 at the Stanley Marketplace, but has been reconfigured to be more of an outdoor experience at Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park. 

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD Opens for Limited Run at Brighton Armory
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD Opens for Limited Run at Brighton Armory
October 29, 2021

Platte Valley Players (Brighton, Colorado) will present their first main stage musical production since 2019 with their production of Jason Robert Brown’s emotive song cycle, SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD- running October 29-November 6 at The Armory Performing Arts Center. 

BWW Review: Forge Light's LIZZIE Kills
BWW Review: Forge Light's LIZZIE Kills
October 15, 2021

If there's one thing I will never get enough of in musicals, it's fierce women belting their faces off. That alone is enough of a reason to tell you why you can't miss Forge Light Theatreworks' current production of Lizzie: The Lizzie Borden Musical.

BWW Review: Performance Now's DROWSY CHAPERONE Is Nowhere Near Tired
BWW Review: Performance Now's DROWSY CHAPERONE Is Nowhere Near Tired
September 17, 2021

At some point in the last year, we were all a lonely person in a chair, nostalgically listening through every one of our favorite Broadway cast albums, reminiscing of a time we were able to see them live.

BWW Review:  BDT Stage's AVENUE Q is Just As Clever As You Remember
BWW Review: BDT Stage's AVENUE Q is Just As Clever As You Remember
September 1, 2021

Oh, how I missed raunchy theatre. It's been years since I paid my old pals at Avenue Q a visit. And the jokes still feel as fresh as...well, the salad I had right before I watched puppet sex at a dinner theater.

BWW Review: Forge Light's HOWARD BARNES is More Than Just Noteworthy
BWW Review: Forge Light's HOWARD BARNES is More Than Just Noteworthy
August 12, 2021

As a theatre person, I can confidently say if my life were suddenly a musical, I'd be thrilled. Isn't the what many of us crave, anyway? The combo of having the world not only revolve around our story, but supplemented with harmonies and well-rehearsed choreography?

BWW Review: Parker's LITTLE SHOP is Full of Big Moments
BWW Review: Parker's LITTLE SHOP is Full of Big Moments
July 14, 2021

Just by hearing the title, you've probably got the familiar bops of Little Shop of Horrors running through your head.

BWW Review: VAN GOGH is ALIVE at Stanley Marketplace
BWW Review: VAN GOGH is ALIVE at Stanley Marketplace
July 14, 2021

Even if you're not much of an art connoisseur, you probably know a bit about Van Gogh. At least enough to be excited about an immersive exhibit featuring his work.

BWW Review: SHOUT! at Town Hall Arts Center
BWW Review: SHOUT! at Town Hall Arts Center
June 9, 2021

SHOUT! The Mod Musical, now playing at Town Hall Arts Center, offers a silly (and sometimes somber) escape from our current world.

BWW Previews: Locally Written Musical Brings Diversity, Mental Health, Queerness to the Forefront
BWW Previews: Locally Written Musical Brings Diversity, Mental Health, Queerness to the Forefront
May 11, 2021

Wellspring by BackStory Theatre announces its inaugural production: THERE WILL BE LIGHT. This exceptional new musical brings awareness to the intersectionality of race, religion, queerness, and mental health and hopes to open a community dialogue about the impacts of mental health and difference for youth and those who support them. 

BWW Review: Aurora Fox's TOMFOOLERY isn't a Foolish Choice
BWW Review: Aurora Fox's TOMFOOLERY isn't a Foolish Choice
October 1, 2020

You might not be ready to go back to indoor live theatre a?" but if you are, the Aurora Fox is ready for you.

SUMMER isn't Necessarily the Hottest Stuff
SUMMER isn't Necessarily the Hottest Stuff
February 4, 2020

I've almost started to lose track of how many jukebox bio musicals have come out. To be honest, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical isn't one I've given a second thought to since it played Broadway. After seeing ita??I probably won't give it much more either.



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