Jeff Davis - Page 2

The Broadway @ Woodlawn Theatre Celebrity Series kicks off on November 8, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. with Seth Rudetsky and Ana Gasteyer. Ana Gasteyer is well-known for her six season stint on TV's 'Saturday Night Live' as well as her work on ABC's 'Suburgatory.' Her Broadway credits include 'Wicked' and 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'

The current touring production of Beauty and the Beast shares the songs, dialogue, title, and even the creative team of the original Broadway production, but it completely lacks any sort of purpose, save the desire to put cash in the pockets of its producers. There's no magic or life in this pitiful production at all.

It's clear even before Time Stands Still begins that the show has been carefully designed to make us ponder the effects of war. Before the actors take the stage, clips of the war-torn Middle East are projected on the stage, including images of children being indoctrinated into ISIS. It's impossible for these images to not have an effect on the viewer, and the same can be said for the play itself. The Tony-nominated drama, now playing at Austin Playhouse, makes an unforgettable impact.

Lots of things are meant to be paired together. Peanut butter and jelly, Meryl Streep and Oscar nominations, but romance and quantum physics? They might not be a logical pairing, but in Penfold Theatre's Now Then Again, the way that they come together is an entertaining thing of genius.

Ask anyone you meet and they're bound to tell you that, with the possible exception of The Godfather Part II, sequels aren't as good as the original. That seems to be the case with Rex's Exes, now playing at Sam Bass Theatre. For three years in a row now, Sam Bass has opened their season a slapstick, Texas-themed comedy of errors by the writing team of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten. This year's offering is a sequel to last year's Red Velvet Cake War, and while the performers at Sam Bass give it their all, it seems that Jones, Hope, and Wooten are on auto-pilot, recycling jokes and plot points that we've now seen for three years running.

There may be quite a few ideas and institutions that bond mankind around the world, but there's one that's more powerful than the rest. It's not politics. It's not religion. It's music.

BroadwayWorld-Austin is pleased to share the following production photos from Austin Playhouse's production of Time Stands Still.

BroadwayWorld-Austin is pleased to share the following production photos from Wimberley Players' production of Young Frankenstein.

BroadwayWorld-Austin is pleased to share these production photos from the World Premiere production of Still Now, a new play by Katie Bender. Still Now is produced by Shrewd Productions.

Conceived, adapted, and performed by Robert Faires, Henry V is a production that astounds from beginning to end. The production, which premiered in 2009, is certainly worthy of the revival its received.

Megan Hicks De Young, who stars in Smokey Joe's Cafe at San Antonio's Woodlawn Theatre, recently brought the house down at Woodlawn's late night cabaret, Broadway Nights, by singing 'Screw Loose.' Check out the video below for the hillarious rendition of the song.

Every once in a while, I hear comments about theater that just make me cringe. One that I've heard on more than one occasion (usually from a pre-teen who doesn't know any better) is, 'OMG! The score from Wicked has got to be the toughest thing that Schwartz guy ever wrote. How did Idina do 'Defying Gravity' 8 shows a week?' Of course, the correct response is, 'Idina's a professional, and Wicked is a synch when compared to Godspell, the first musical written by 'that Schwartz guy.'

There's a sad phenomenon that occurs when an artist shows extreme talent and brilliance in one artistic medium. We tend to reward that talent by unjustly pigeonholing that artist into that medium alone. Case in point: Chekhov. We revere the Russian artist as a playwright, but we forget that he wrote an abundance of short stories as well.

This is a show with one solid goal in mind: spark conversation. And that it does quite well. It's the intent of Daniel Pearle's smart and powerful play to challenge the audience's thoughts on the education system, gender identity, and relationship between the two. Even the most socially liberal among us are bound to have a new perspective afterwards, and some of what's presented is bound to make us angry and agitated.

The Who's Tommy opened at The Playhouse - San Antonio last weekend, and BroadwayWorld is pleased to share these stellar photos from the rocking production. Tommy is an electrifying 1960s rock opera, told through the legendary music of The Who. It chronicles one child's 'Amazing Journey' from boy to man and misfortune to fame.

Excuse me if I'm suffering from a case of deja vu. Last year, theatergoers in Central Texas got to see Austin's Zach Theatre and San Antonio's Playhouse duke it out with competing productions of Les Miserables. I was fortunate enough to see both productions, and in the battle of the barricades, I declared a draw. Naturally, Zach and The Playhouse's current production of The Who's Tommy feels like a rematch. So which has the pinball wizard winner? The answer is: both. While Zach's production is a feast for the senses, The Playhouse's production places its focus squarely on its awe-inspiring cast.

If you attend Jungalbook, currently running at Sam Bass Theatre, leave your memories of the Disney movie at the door. The stage adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's short stories, written by Edward Mast, differs greatly from the iconic Disney film and from the original Kipling stories. While Kipling takes his inspiration from the jungles of India, Mast finds inspiration in children and their world. It's fitting then, that the Sam Bass Youth Guild would produce Mast's adaptation. It may not be Disney, but given the talent of the young cast, who cares?

Austin's theater scene is currently only one degree of separation away from Kevin Bacon. SummerStock Austin's production of Footloose, one of three musicals currently running in rep at The Long Center for the Performing Arts, is a fun, upbeat, and entertaining show, despite its weak and uninspired material.

SummerStock Austin has a long tradition of producing one musical specifically written for the under 13 set every year. I was introduced to this tradition back in 2012 when I went to a performance of SummerStock Austin's production of A Year With Frog and Toad. As a childless twenty-something guy, I was the only adult in the audience who was unaccompanied by a kid. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the show and praised its ability to please all audience members, regardless of age. The next year, I attended The Bremen Town Musicians, and was pleased to see that, once again, the show spoke to adults and children. It's no surprise then, that history's repeating itself with SummerStock Austin's production of Stone Soup. In its world premiere production, Stone Soup pleases kids and adults alike and easily entertains from beginning to end.