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LIFESPAN OF A FACT
By Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell Based on the book by John D'Agata and Jim FingalPresented by Stage West
Runs through 12/8/2019
Reviewed by Ann Saucer,
Associate Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN
What is “truth”? If you think you know the answer, then the playwrights of The Lifespan of a Fact would like to challenge what you think you know. Stage West Theatre has brought an intellectual debate to life in this riveting, fast-paced comedy.
In 2012, essayist John D’Agata and his erstwhile factchecker Jim Fingal co-authored a book about, well, factchecking. Fast-forward to 2018 (hmm, what happened in the interim), and three playwrights have based a Broadway play of the same name upon this book. The play is thoroughly original. Two of the three main characters are the two authors of the book on which the story is based. I do not think I have seen anything like it.
The play opens with the crisply put together magazine editor Emily (a gorgeous Dana ...
DEAR EVAN HANSEN
Book by Steven Levenson; Music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul; Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul National TourPresented by Dallas Summer Musicals
Runs through 12/8/2019
Reviewed by John Garcia,
Senior Chief Critic/Editor/Founder for John Garcia's THE COLUMN
“No, I'd rather pretend I'm something better than these broken parts
Pretend I'm something other than this mess that I am
Cause then I don't have to look at it
And no one gets to look at it
No, no one can really see
Cause I've learned to slam on the brake
Before I even turn the key
Before I make the mistake
Before I lead with the worst of me
I never let them see the worst of me
Cause what if everyone saw?
What if everyone knew?
Would they like what they saw?
Or would they hate it too?
Will I just keep on running away from what's true?”
-"Words Fail" – Evan from DEAR EVAN HANSEN
DEAR EVAN HANSEN (DEH) was given life from the creative genius minds of ...
QUEEN OF BASEL
By Hilary BettisPresented by Kitchen Dog Theater
Runs through 12/15/2019
Reviewed by Travis McCallum,
Associate Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN
Regional Premiere’s are always exciting to behold. It’s a thrill to go into a show with no clue what to expect. But you know when it comes to Kitchen Dog’s forte, the experience will be disruptive—if not unsettling to watch. KD always delivers.
Enter the Basel Hotel in Miami Florida. A great big party lights up the night and we, the audience, sit idly in its kitchen. Through the swinging industrial double doors we see rainbow shadows of the spotlight and the heavy reverb of bass electronica surging around the corner on a hidden dance floor.
Joining us in the kitchen is the Julie (Kat Lozano), accompanied by Christine (Stephanie Cleghorn). There was a spill and the Queen of the Basel Hotel sobs, her cocktail waitress frantically attempting to appease the error of ...
NOISES OFF
By Michael FraynPresented by Theatre Three
Runs through 12/22/2019
Reviewed by Ann Saucer,
Associate Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN
Noises Off is a farce about a farce, celebrating the joy of live theater while simultaneously delivering a tale of live theater gone comically awry. And when I say awry, I mean a prologue and epilogue of mishaps, misdeeds, and a gamut of naughtiness. Theatre Three’s production is consistently hilarious, and kept the audience laughing throughout.
Noises Off traces the travails of the director, cast, and crew of a British farce, as their rocky production weaves its way through a Texas tour. A program for the play-within-a-play, “Nothing On” by the fictional “Robin Housemonger,” is included within the real Noises Off program. Noises Off treats us to the same opening act from “Nothing On” three times over, but at different times during the play’s run. The first time is the dress ...
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
By Charles Dickens – Adapted by Kevin MoriartyPresented by Dallas Theater Center
Runs through 12/29/2019
Reviewed by Chris Hauge,
Associate Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN
Dallas Theater Center’s production of “A Christmas Carol” begins with a child beautifully singing a song of the hope of Christmas on the floor of a dark, dirty Victorian factory and ends with a child ringing a single bell that pierces the heart and shows that hope can be kindled in each of us all year long. In between, Director Joel Ferrell, using Kevin Moriarty’s adaptation of Charles Dicken’s classic story, has presented this tale of the redemption of the soul of one man and of all of society with a fresh sense of joy, seasoned with more than a dash of social conscience. This is the story of the reclamation of Ebenezer Scrooge and of all humankind, so that each person can live a life free of oppression and hunger. ...
