Encore Michigan
‘Swimming Upstream’ at The Detroit Rep looks at spawning of both salmon and people
DETROIT–New plays that deal with real things and real issues are a welcome treat at a time when prevailing power in government these days chooses... Continue Reading
‘Be A Good Little Widow’ lights up Open Book with hope
TRENTON, Mich.–When a play makes you guffaw and weep in the same 90 minute time period, you know the playwright, director and actors have done... Continue Reading
‘Love Never Dies’ stops in Detroit on way to Broadway
DETROIT–Andrew Lloyd Webber is taking the long route to Broadway this time with his Phantom of the Opera sequel, Love Never Dies. It has played... Continue Reading
Noel Coward’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ inhabits Great Escape Stage Co.
MARSHALL, Mich.–Noel Coward created a play with unsympathetic characters so we would feel free to laugh at the situations they got themselves into. Blithe Spirit,... Continue Reading
‘The Bodyguard’ stage musical beats the film
LANSING, Mich.–Not everything made for the silver screen translates well to the stage, despite the best efforts of those involved. On the other hand, some... Continue Reading
Struggling actors are charming and funny in Snug’s ‘Moon over Buffalo’
MARINE CITY, Mich.–Live theatre was a main form of entertainment in just about every culture around the globe for millennia, until it was essentially eclipsed... Continue Reading
Flint Youth Theatre offers hope amongst the shadows
FLINT, Mich.–There is a lot of power in some children’s stories, themes that never die and need to be told over and over again. The... Continue Reading
MOT’s ‘Rigoletto’ goes to 1950s Little Italy and is full of Goodfellas
DETROIT, Mich.–Twentieth century updates of 19th century operas is very hit and miss. But the Michigan Opera Theatre’s production of Rigoletto, set in Little Italy... Continue Reading
‘Gypsy’ at Farmers Alley comes up roses
KALAMAZOO, Mich.–There’s one thing Gypsy has to have to succeed—a strong Rose who can command the stage, fill the auditorium with her singing and own... Continue Reading
‘God of Carnage’ is bloody terrific at Purple Rose
CHELSEA, Mich.–It’s easy to find laughs in Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage. After all, watching four middle-aged parents dismember one another over a schoolyard tussle... Continue Reading
