Let’s take these one at a time. Since WICKET closes after this weekend we’ll start with that. THE BASICS: WICKET – A Parody Musical: The Untold Story of the Ewoks of Bright Tree Village, book and lyrics by Travis Sharp, music and lyrics by Haddon Kime, directed by Joey Bucheker, musical direction by Lucas Colon, presented by O’Connell & Co. (at the Smith Theatre), starring Sam Crystal, Corey Bieber, Marissa Biondolillo, Jeremy Catania, Jake Hayes, Nathanial Higgins, John Kreuzer, Jetaun Louie, Megan Mahaney, Vincent Murphy, Rylie Randall and Stefanie Warnick. It runs through February 19, Fridays – Saturdays at 7:30,…
Author: Peter Hall
THE BASICS: ANN, a play by Holland Taylor, directed by Lara D. Haberberger, presented by the Brazen Faced Varlets, starring Priscilla Young Anker as Ann Richards, opened on January 27 and runs through February 11, Fridays – Saturdays at 7:30 at the Alleyway Theatre’s Cabaret Space, 1 Curtain Up Alley (between Pearl and Main north of Shea’s). 716-852-2600 alleyway.com Runtime: About 2 hours with intermission. THUMBNAIL SKETCH: “Tough as nails, funny as hell” ANN is a no-holds-barred, warts-and-all portrait of Ann Richards, the legendary late Democratic Governor of Texas (1991-1995) who said, “I’m not afraid to shake up the system, and…
THE BASICS: LET’S PLAY HOUSE: EIGHT SHORT PLAYS. ONE EMPTY HOUSE, offers eight plays/skits by playwrights Drew Fornarola, Jeff Goode (2 plays), Adam Hahn, Donna Hoke, Samantha Macher, Wendy Marie-Martin, and Avery LaMar Pope, presented by First Look Buffalo. Opening on February 3, there are only 6 performances scheduled, Fridays-Saturdays at 8:00, Sundays at 2:00 at The Park School of Buffalo Theatre, located on the school’s campus at 4625 Harlem Road in Amherst, NY. Parking is free. Visit FirstLookBuffalo.com Runtime: 90 minutes, no intermission THUMBNAIL SKETCH: This production features eight short world premiere plays that all take place in the same…
THE BASICS: THE MAI, a play by Marina Carr, directed by Josephine Hogan, presented by the Irish Classical Theatre Company, starring Kate LoConti Alcocer in a cast of eight, runs only through February 5, Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30, also Saturdays at 3:00, Sundays at 2:00, 625 Main Street Buffalo NY 14203 716-853-4282 irishclassical.com Runtime: Two hours fifteen minutes with one intermission THUMBNAIL SKETCH: The Mai (say “May”) is an accomplished, savvy, middle-aged woman, who has been successfully navigating after her husband abandoned her and her children. But now he has returned. That might seem like a good thing, but it…
JoAnn Falletta, as the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s Music Director, with her committee, picks the music for the year ahead and, for the annual Mozart Birthday concerts, this year has cleverly given us a look at 22-year-old Mozart’s big road trip to Paris, to, from, and back home. Because Mozart didn’t actually land a permanent position in Paris (he apparently was a bit picky) and so ended up back home in Salzburg where his dad had to get him a job, he was sorely disappointed. But his loss is our gain. But over a short period in 1778 and 1779 around…
THE BASICS: RETURN TO SEYMOUR ST, a play by Tom Dudzick, a world premiere, directed by Steve Vaughan, presented by O’Connell & Company, starring Daniel Lendzian, Jenn Stafford, and Max Goldhirsch, runs through February 5, Fridays – Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 3:00, with an extra matinee Saturday, January 28 also at 3:00, on the O’Connell & Co new stage, 4110 Bailey Avenue, Amherst, NY 14226 716-848-0800 oconnellandcompany.com Runtime: 2 hours, one intermission THUMBNAIL SKETCH: In this world premiere performance of a new play by Buffalo’s own Tom “Over the Tavern” Dudzick, Peter Witkowski, an author, now divorced, visits his empty,…
THE BASICS: LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL, a musical by Lanie Robertson, directed by Thembi Duncan, with music direction by George Caldwell, starring Alex McArthur, runs through January 29, Fridays – Saturdays at 8:00, Sundays at 2:00, presented by MusicalFare Theatre on the Premier Cabaret Stage, located on the Daemen University campus, 4380 Main Street, Amherst, NY 14226 (716) 839-8540 www.musicalfare.com Runtime: An hour and a half without intermission THUMBNAIL SKETCH: This is the inaugural production in MusicalFare’s “Cabaret Musicals Series” and is a freely imagined composite of what might have been Billie Holiday’s final performances. Taking place in…
You may have seen him conduct the Chautauqua, Rochester, and Toronto symphonies, and he’s in Buffalo this weekend. In his publicity photo, he looks like Wayne Newton. In real life, he’s much more like Jack Black from the movie “School of Rock,” and like legendary rock producer Phil Spector, he can produce a “wall of sound” unlike anything I’ve heard in a long time at Kleinhans Music Hall. We’re talking about Marcelo Lehninger, the young, vibrant guest conductor this weekend who is to classical music what the Bills Mafia is to football. Even though he was born in Brazil and…
THE BASICS: PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS, a play by Duncan MacMillan, directed by Katie Mallinson, in a limited run (January 12th-15th) tonight Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at Shea’s 710 Theatre, 710 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14202. www.sheas.org NOTE: Due to the generous support of the Scott Bieler Family Foundation, tickets for this event are FREE but need to be reserved at www.Sheas.org. The venue will be alcohol-free and will have representatives from various addiction groups and agencies including Save The Michaels of the World. Runtime: 2hours 45 minutes including…
ALL IS CALM, The Christmas Truce of 1914 musical, presented by MusicalFare Theatre, runs through December 18, Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 8:00, and Sunday at 2:00 at Shea’s 710 Theatre (710 Main Street at the corner of Tupper). 716-847-1410 or visit sheas.org or just show up at the box office. 1 hour, 10 minutes without intermission. WARNING – flashing lights, sounds of gunfire and explosions, and atmospheric effects are used in this production. This is the same show that MusicalFare originally presented on their mainstage in Amherst in November 2021. ALL IS CALM takes place on The Western Front of World…