Jackie Camborde - Page 2

Forum is a fun romp and a great way to spend an evening. The promise put forth in the opening number of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was certainly delivered by the cast of Tri-M's production of the Sondheim classic.

While uneven in its songs and performances, MTS did a good job with a not great score or book. Kudos to the company for always pushing the envelope and trying new things!

Excellent production with extremely topical and relevant message, now more than ever.

According to their website, Theater Grottesco creates a new kind of performance that is visual, explosive and full of surprise. The Grottesco Ensemble rekindles interest in live performance by juxtaposing classical and modern theatrical styles with a daring, poetic research of culture and imagination, giving voice to the marginal elements of our contemporary society, and taking audiences to the brink of emotional wonder and soulful reflection.

Catch this amazing production - A Delicate BAlance April 23-May 15, Santa Fe Playhouse. Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35812/production/1098941

I've been going to productions at Musical Theater Southwest for several years now, and this company never ceases to amaze me with what they can do in their little black box space. Their latest production, Big Fish, is no exception. Taking this epic tale of a small man with big dreams and even bigger stories was no small task, but the actors, musicians and technicians definitely rose to the occasion.

Full confession: I was not jumping up and down to see another production of Cabaret. Chalk it up to Cabaret being the show that wouldn't die when I was in college - cast as a chorus member, it was a grueling rehearsal period and extended run, then we won American College Theater Festival for our region and had to come back early from winter break to recreate it, it literally went on for a good two thirds of my sophomore year. Some of the songs can give me PTSD. True fact.

The story of Godspell is the Gospel According to St. Matthew and consists of Jesus sharing parables with his disciples, and his disciples emulating those parables through song. It's got a hippie/early 70s quality, via the crazy costumes and the peace/love at its core. The Tri-M ensemble embraces the joy of the piece - special standouts include Julie Anne Shapiro singing Bless the Lord, accompanist and Music Director Kathlene Ritch singing On the Willows and the ensemble number It's All for the Best. Evan Aguilar is also engaging and is the glue that holds the company together as Jesus.

What happens when a prodigal daughter comes home after breaking down? How do super-conservative parents obsessed with image deal with their less-than perfect children and lives? These questions and more are at the center of Lon Robin Baltz's play Other Desert Cities. A new production at New Mexico Actors Lab is playing in Santa Fe through November 14th.

It's the 1920s. As a woman, you need to please your husband, your children, your community. You need to keep a beautiful house and need to keep yourself beautiful as well - it's especially important, as your husband wants his 'little bird' to just be lovely and free of worry. After all, why should there be anything to worry about, especially since your husband has just been named manager of the bank?

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Storms Musical Theater Southwest

So, you want to marry the love of your life on a Greek isle at your Mom's dilapidated hotel and you're not sure who your Dad is - so you read Mom's diary and realize there's three potential Dads - what's a girl to do? If you're Donna's daughter Sophie, you drop three letters in the mail and invite them all to the wedding - what else would you expect from a musical comedy?

When we arrived at Santa Fe Playhouse for the Sunday matinee of The Happiest Song Plays Last - part three of the Elliot Trilogy, superbly written by Quiara Alegria Hudes and currently being produced in a collaborative effort by three local theaters, - I asked the director, 'is this really the happiest one?' Truth be told, part two, Water by the Spoonful, emotionally wrecked me for about a week - I was hoping the trilogy's conclusion would end on a higher note. Happiest Song did not disappoint, although I wasn't always sure it was going to go that way.

Even though the subject matter is heavy, Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue, part one of the Elliot Trilogy by Quiara Alegria Hughes, left me with a light feeling at the end. I was looking forward to part two, Water By the Spoonful, this week, hopeful for a similar experience. Part two was a whole other experience and this time, the heaviness did not subside at the conclusion.

Excellent kickoff for trilogy of plays by Pulitzer Prize winning author Quiara Alegria Hudes.

I don't know about you, but I rarely go to a musical in a bad mood. But I was in a bit of a bad mood when I arrived for the Sunday matinee of Spamalot this weekend - my kids were bickering, my husband was trying to manage my driving on the way to Albuquerque, I was exhausted from my week at my real job - so what a delight to sit down at the lovely Rodey Theater and have a completely fun and frothy afternoon with Landmark Musicals' production of Spamalot.

Ever get to the theater, expecting to laugh, cry, think and be moved? This is not one of those times. I would like to say that NSFW at the Santa Fe Playhouse ran that gamut of emotions for me, but I would be lying. That's not to say that it didn't have its moments, it's just that there weren't enough of those moments to make for a cohesive and compelling evening at the theater.

Great show playing now through May 25 at NM Actors' Lab!

Your kid hit our kid with a stick on the playground - we want to make things right, don't you? Come on over to our place for coffee and clafoutis and let's discuss.