Playmakers’ Little Shop of Horrors Justifies the Multigenerational Cult Classic
Published, Arts, Relationships, Music Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Music Melissa Rooney

Playmakers’ Little Shop of Horrors Justifies the Multigenerational Cult Classic

The current PlayMakers Repertory Company production of Little Shop of Horrors has all the makings of a Broadway production, especially the strong vocal talents required by characters Audrey, plant Audrey II, and the trio of female "street urchins" who narrate in harmonic doo-wop throughout the production…

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Mengwe Wapimewah Gives a Broadway-Caliber Performance in Dominique Morisseau's Confederates at PlayMakers Rep

Mengwe Wapimewah Gives a Broadway-Caliber Performance in Dominique Morisseau's Confederates at PlayMakers Rep

Set in two distinct periods -- during the American Civil War and in the modern day -- Confederates moves seamlessly between a one-room slave cabin on a Confederate plantation and a prestigious university professor's office in the current world. What could easily become preachy or overly sentimental instead feels strikingly personal and intimate…

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#VIMH: Social Security Was Always A Tax (?)

#VIMH: Social Security Was Always A Tax (?)

About 25 years ago, shortly after I moved to Australia, I met an American expat who ranted about the farce of Social Security in America. She insisted it was nothing more than a tax -- or would be, in the end -- and resented being forced to pay it, which is one of the reasons she left the country…

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Leanne Bernard's Masterful Lady Bracknell Is the Star of Stone Soup Theatre Company's Rendition of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest
Published, Arts, Relationships Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships Melissa Rooney

Leanne Bernard's Masterful Lady Bracknell Is the Star of Stone Soup Theatre Company's Rendition of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest

Stone Soup Theatre Company's Feb. 21-March 2 presentation of The Importance of Being Earnest is a production worth seeing. Oscar Wilde's sharp critique of Victorian society is as relevant and funny today as it was in 1895. If you've never experienced The Importance of Being Earnest, this is your opportunity to see it in a charming, unconventional setting. The production is sure to leave you with a smile on your face and a few of the play's iconic lines ringing in your ears.

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A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical at DPAC Is FABULOUS, with Flawless Music and Acoustics
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Music, Inspiration Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Music, Inspiration Melissa Rooney

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical at DPAC Is FABULOUS, with Flawless Music and Acoustics

On Tuesday, Jan. 7th, I attended the opening-night performance of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical at the Durham Performing Arts Center with my mother-in-law, who experienced Neil Diamond's music as it was released; but I had never been a Neil Diamond fan. Well, I am now…

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Stone Soup Theatre Company's Guys on Ice Is a Fun and Quirky Musical About ... Ice-Fishing
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community Melissa Rooney

Stone Soup Theatre Company's Guys on Ice Is a Fun and Quirky Musical About ... Ice-Fishing

Stone Soup Theatre Company's production of Guys on Ice: An Ice Fishing Musical is a fun and quirky performance that brings together humor, catchy tunes, and a sense of community. Directed by Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski, with music director Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis, the show presents a day in the life of a couple of guys from Wisconsin, combining ice fishing, friendship, and Green Bay Packers fandom in an intimate look at the upper Midwestern United States.

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