Stage Write

Closing out NoExit Performance’s 2012/13 season is a unique 90 minute drama. Adapted and directed by Michael Burke, the show is a retelling of Macbeth, but instead of Scottish kings and a fight for the crown, our main characters are all patients in a mental hospital. Using the existing eeriness of an old school that’s been transformed into an office complex, the production takes advantage of its location. As the audience makes its way into an old classroom and settles into the seats the patients are already stumbling around muttering to themselves. From that moment you know the title of the play, This Is Not Shakespeare’s Macbeth, is definitely true. As the story unfolds we hear well-known lines like “Out damn spot” and “something wicked this way comes” being spoken from the mouths of nurses and mad men. Macbeth (Matthew Goodrich) is a semi-catatonic patient rambling nonsense when we first meet him. As he becomes the troubled murderer audiences have been fascinated with...

EclecticPond announces its new season with a variety of shows to celebrate Shakespeare’s 450th birthday in 2014. Shakespeare Wrote What...? IndyFringe, Aug 15th – 25th Sure, you’ve heard of Hamlet, or seen Romeo & Juliet, but what about Cymbeline, King John or Titus Andronicus? ETC presents not one, but FIVE of Shakespeare's lesser known plays, in the madcap, irreverent parody style loved by audiences who saw 10x10, and at last year’s Fringe, Dracula: The Panto. R&J September 13th – 28th  You all know the story - "Two star-crossed lovers...," their feuding families, and (SPOILER ALERT), they both die at the end. But, this isn't your school textbook Verona. Originally conceived for student audiences, ETC is excited to share R&J with the entire community. Which family will you choose? 10 x 10 December 7th – January 4th Back by popular demand! After a sold out run last year, 10x10 returns...with a vengeance. This year promi...

Jets and Sharks have taken over Clowes Memorial Hall as West Side Story closes the Broadway Across America 2012/13 season this week. The young cast brings the tried and true musical back with earnest renditions of “America” and “Tonight.” The dance-heavy production adds some unique elements including a strange ballet dream sequence for “Somewhere” that puts the tomboy character of Anybodys front and center. It also turns the playfully light number “Gee, Officer Krupke” into a crasser fare. More successfully it incorporates a significant amount of Spanish into the lyrics of the songs and dialogue. This change helps highlight the differences between the cultures, giving the Puerto Rican scenes a distinct feel. A few characters, particularly Theo Lencicki as Riff, seemed to have a hard time finding their footing in their roles; he never quite clicked with the character. When you’ve had the opportunity to see multiple productions of the same show, different plot points ten...