Death and the Maiden See Related Events below for details Anton Chekhov is credited with establishing the rule that if you introduce a gun in the first act, it must go off in the third. So abides Ariel Dorfman, who, in Death and the Maiden, introduces a gun in the first minute and keeps you […]
Zack Smith
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Posted inArt
N.C. Theatre’s Annie wins over a new generation of fans
Annie North Carolina Theatre At Raleigh Memorial Auditorium Through Aug. 1 On June 13, Little Orphan Annie ended its 86-year run on newspaper comics pages, finishing on yet another cliffhanger as the eponymous blank-eyed foundling is held captive by the “Butcher of the Balkans.” At this point, fewer than 20 newspapers still carried the strip. […]
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A strong set of comic shorts at The ArtCenter’s 10 by 10
10 by 10 in the Triangle The ArtsCenter Through July 25 In its ninth year, the 10 by 10 in the Triangle festival at The ArtsCenter of Carrboro piles on the comedy in its dectet of 10-minute plays. In the program, one of the cast members describes it as the “tapas of theater,” which proves […]
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Why are we still watching Rent?
Rent City Stage of Wilmington/ Broadway Under the Stars At Fletcher Hall, Progress Energy Center Through July 17 In 1998, as part of a high school graduation present, I spent a few days in New York City with my mom and caught Rent on Broadway, where it had been the talk of the town. Even […]
Posted inTheater
Rednecks, white trash and blue humor in Trailer Park Musical
The Great American Trailer Park Musical Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy At Kennedy Theatre, Progress Energy Center Through July 11 Redneck humor is a staple of regional theater, whether it is the travails of Greater Tuna or Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten’s tales of Fayro, Texas, in such plays as Dearly Beloved. […]
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FATE’s production of Don DeLillo’s Valparaiso
Valparaiso FATE At Common Ground Theatre Through July 3 If nothing else, Free Association Theater Ensemble’s production of Don DeLillo’s Valparaiso at Common Ground deserves points for creative staging. The staging area is set up like rows of airplane seats, with the playbill and tickets given out as boarding passes and free peanuts distributed at […]
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Agatha Christie’s Spider’s Web at TheatreFest
Spider’s Web TheatreFest Titmus Theatre, Thompson Hall, N.C. State Campus Through June 27 Agatha Christie’s Spider’s Web, which was written as an original vehicle for the actress Margaret Lockwood during the final rehearsals for her better-known Witness for the Prosecution, combines drawing-room farce with drawing-room murder mystery. Even upon its initial production in 1954, critics […]
Posted inTheater
Justice Theater Project’s Dancing at Lughnasa
Dancing at Lughnasa Justice Theater Project At Cardinal Gibbons High School Through June 27 None of the actors in the Justice Theater Project’s production of Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa have an Irish accent in real life, but it’s impossible to tell while you’re in the auditorium at Cardinal Gibbons High School. For two hours […]
Posted inArt
Beauty and the Beast is familiar family fare
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Durham Performing Arts Center Through June 13 There’s not a lot to say about the production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Durham Performing Arts Center other than it certainly looks pretty, and it’s entertaining family fare. If you’ve seen the classic 1991 animated film, you’ve already seen […]
Posted inFilm & Television
An interminable remake of The Karate Kid
The Karate Kid opens Friday throughout the Triangle (see times below) I know Ralph Macchio, and you, Jaden Smith, are no Ralph Macchio. The interminable remake of 1984’s The Karate Kid manages to re-create the original, almost scene for scene, with none of its charm and resonance. Though it might appeal to younger viewers, its […]
