Like me, you probably associate puppet shows with children’s entertainment, not sophisticated Broadway productions. So when I heard that a theatrical version of War Horse featuring horse puppets was coming to the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas on its first national tour, I didn’t know what to expect. I mean, come on, horse puppets?!? On my way in I was intrigued to overhear a man say, “I’ve seen this show four times, and I still forget those horses aren’t real.” After seeing the show, I know exactly what he means. From the opening scenes, in which we are introduced…
Category: Theater Reviews
To see Chicago or not to see Chicago, that is the question The AT&T Performing Arts Center kicks off its Lexus Broadway Series with the classic musical, Chicago. Opening night at the Winspear Opera House was a rousing success, with an audience that spontaneously clapped and cheered throughout, then unhesitatingly leapt to a standing ovation at the finale. There are several reasons Chicago has endured, becoming the longest running American musical in Broadway history. For one thing, like Shakespeare’s classic play, Hamlet, even if you’ve seen it before, you want to see it again. Why is that? Because with the…
The Tony Award-winning musical, Jersey Boys, is now playing in Dallas as part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Lexus Broadway Series. Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical, meaning that the primary score is based on previously released music. Unlike some others, such as Green Day’s American Idiot, or ABBA’s Mamma Mia, which have fictitious story lines, Jersey Boys tells the true story of the pop group, The Four Seasons. So in addition to catchy music, Jersey Boys offers a fast-paced storyline with elements of a musical documentary. Here’s the plot in a nutshell: Long before reality TV, an ambitious…
The first national tour of American Idiot a Broadway musical based on Green Day‘s 2004 album of the same name is currently playing in Dallas, Texas at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. I wasn’t sure how well Green Day’s music would translate to musical theater. After attending the opening night performance, I’m calling American Idiot a fine example of musical theater’s continuing evolution. Inspired by the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and The Who’s rock opera, “Tommy,” Green Day band members, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool, intended for the Grammy award-winning album, American Idiot, to become a theatrical…
The Tony Award-winning musical “In the Heights,” opened last night in Dallas as part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Lexus Broadway Series. This production received 13 Tony Award nominations and won four: Best Musical, Best Orchestrations, Best Original Score and Best Choreography, so I was excited to check it out. I was not disappointed! For one thing, the pre-show last night was fun and festive. As the audience wandered in, volunteers from Z.O.A.S. Creative & Healing Arts painted a mural in front of the Winspear Opera House, while children and adults frolicked and posed for photos in the nearby…
Moxley Manor’s rooms, corridors and cubbyholes are spread across 6,000 square feet. And, believe me, it feels even bigger as you wander through that labyrinthian interior in semi-darkness, trying desperately to find your way out. Despite our prior tour in full daylight, when the time came to experience Moxley Manor Haunted House at full throttle, it was quite different, and by “different” I mean “scary!”