What does it meant to be human? Is it the small changes in our DNA that separate us from our close animal kingdom relatives? Or is it the experiences, memories and moments we accumulate day by day, everything from the…
Tag: Park Square Theatre
Review | The Skin Of Our Teeth: a multifaceted gem
There are plays that are so good that audiences enjoy them even if the production isn’t first class—Midsummer Night’s Dream for example. Then there are plays that are unwieldly gems, difficult to take in unless the production is of first-class…
Review | The Pirates of Penzance: a fresh reframing of a beloved classic
There is a reason Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance is a theater mainstay – it is clever, approachable, and hilarious. Yet, with so many productions of the show over the years, it’s charm inevitably has faded for all…
Review | Dot: glitter, with tarnished gold
Christmas time mingles past, present and future as families gather to celebrate and share common traditions and memories. So it’s no surprise to discover a play about a family’s struggle with Alzheimer’s during the holiday season when the loss of…
Hamlet: timeless and brand new
If there is one word in theater that’s recognized globally, it must be “Hamlet;†to take on this play is a somber responsibility. Park Square Theatre, under the guiding hand of director and scenic designer Joel Sass, has opened a…
Idiot’s Delight: a lovely rendering of this chestnut
The (unfortunately) late Archie Leyasmeyer would likely be the chair of the Girl Friday Productions board of directors. As one or two of you perhaps know, Archie taught (at the U) a survey of dramatic literature focusing on the kinds…
The Realistic Joneses at Park Square Theatre
Jane Froiland is in The Realistic Joneses (Park Square Theatre, through October 16). As always, she delights. She projects catchy breeziness, with a goofy smile and an energetic friendliness. All underlaid with real pain, loneliness and a shaky bitterness which…
The Liar at Park Square Theatre
Productions of classic comedies can many times feel outmoded. Characters have romantic and societal motivations foreign to modern times and, well, people also tend to talk oddly, especially when dialogue is delivered in verse. None of this is overlooked by…
Sons Of The Prophet at Park Square Theatre
The only truly universal experiences of life are pain and death, and the two are often closely intertwined. Whether it is the emotional pain resulting from a loved one’s death or the physical pain reminding us we are all approaching…
Nina Simone: Four Women at Park Square Theatre
Nina Simone is a musical icon whose complex personal history fueled her artistic creativity and revolutionary passion. It is no wonder that we are now seeing a rash of artistic works remembering her, from last year’s Oscar-nominated documentary What Happened,…