Arts and LifestyleTheatre Review: Davis Shakespeare Breathes New Life, And Death, Into 'Romeo and Juliet'October 7, 2016 | Jeff HudsonThe Davis Shakespeare Festival – until now a summer event – has expanded into the fall with a production of the tragedy “Romeo and Juliet.” Theatre critic Jeff Hudson says the company’s first foray beyond summer is a real winner. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Arts and LifestyleCapital Stage's 'How To Use A Knife' Perfectly Melds Farce With DramaSeptember 20, 2016 | Jeff HudsonCapital Stage is premiering a raucous new play called “How to Use a Knife.” The show begins as an expletive-laced comedy, then veers into serious dramatic territory. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Arts and LifestyleTheatre Review: 'Satchmo At The Waldorf' - A Revealing Portrait Of An American Musical IconSeptember 9, 2016 | Jeff HudsonThis one-man show at the B Street Theatre depicts the legendary Louis Armstrong in the twilight of his career. The script by Armstrong biographer Terry Teachout packs a punch and the actor playing Armstrong gives an equally powerful performance. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Arts and LifestyleTheatre Review: A Novel Musical Twist On Hugo's Classic 'The Hunchback Of Notre Dame'August 25, 2016 | Jeff HudsonSacramento’s Music Circus is staging a Disney musical based on the Victor Hugo classic, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame." It features a talented deaf actor and a classically-trained singer sharing the title role. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Arts and LifestyleTheatre Review: 'The Last Lifeboat' Examines Drama Behind The Sinking Of The TitanicAugust 22, 2016 | Jeff HudsonMain Street Theatre Works in Jackson is staging this drama about the Titanic. It raises the morally challenging question: if you were on a crippled ocean liner about to go down… what would you do? Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Arts and LifestyleReview: 'Nice Work If You Can Get It' Offers Great Song And Dance, Not Much MoreAugust 12, 2016 | Jeff HudsonThis nostalgic musical at the Music Circus blends 1920's Gershwin tunes with a script from 2012 involving Prohibition-era bootleggers. Critic Jeff Hudson says the high energy dancing is great fun but the characters are cliché, the story cartoonish. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Arts and LifestyleTheatre Review: 'Comedy Of Errors' A High Energy Hit At Tahoe Shakespeare FestJuly 26, 2016 | Jeff HudsonShakespeare's popular mistaken identity farce is done up "big box" style in this rousing production by the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, set in Rio de Janeiro and featuring lots of colorful costumes and samba dancing. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Arts and LifestyleTheater Review: Well-Told Romance 'Constellations' Also A Mind Expanding MeditationJuly 18, 2016 | Jeff HudsonThis unusual play at the B Street Theatre starts as a boy-meets-girl encounter then develops into a series of different outcomes in alternate universes, a mind-boggling scenario and a surprisingly appealing show - also a big challenge for the actors. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Arts and LifestyleReview: 'Bells Are Ringing' Revives Forgotten 50's Musical And Its Very Memorable SongsJuly 11, 2016 | Jeff HudsonThe Davis Shakespeare Festival also produces neglected Broadway shows. This season they’ve revived a 60-year-old musical which probably hasn’t been staged locally since the Music Circus did it in 1959. It's almost like opening a time capsule. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Arts and LifestyleDavis Shakespeare's 'Cyrano' Delights With Irresistible Energy And Acrobatic WordplayJuly 8, 2016 | Jeff HudsonHear the name “Cyrano de Bergerac,” and you'll probably think of the French swordsman with the long nose. Cyrano is also long on witty wordplay and just plain fun, as this production from the Davis Shakespeare Festival amply demonstrates. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.