Opening up ‘Oklahoma’
The Bill Rauch era comes to an end with a gay utopia at OSF
When Bill Rauch became artistic director at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2007, one of the first things he did was to validate my deep … Continue reading
Performing Arts: Page 28
Hilarity and Horror
Indulge yourself at VLT’s Little Shop of Horrors
I could not have been more excited to check out Little Shop of Horrors at the VLT this past weekend. As a kid I used … Continue reading
Losing My Religion
Puppets wreak hell on a fundamentalist ministry in OCT’s Hand to God
I have to say that when it comes to art, I categorically reject the idea of “trigger warnings,” which is simply another term for censorship. … Continue reading
Still funny after all these decades
Paula Poundstone returns to Eugene this weekend with a show at the Hult
When comedian Paula Poundstone wanted to get in shape, she opted for taekwondo — not because she had a passion for self-defense but because it … Continue reading
Back Down the Rabbit Hole
Ballet Fantastique and crew refashion Alice in Wonderland
In Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel, Alice falls from the quaint English countryside into a whirling subconsciousness thick with verse and whimsy, but in the new … Continue reading
God Help the Outcasts
A Disney twist on Victor Hugo’s gothic tragedy in ACE’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame
This past weekend I had the pleasure of bringing my 8-year-old thespian to Actors Cabaret of Eugene to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame. For … Continue reading
Four Decades of Putting Kids on Stage
Rose Children’s Theatre celebrates 40th season with its first original play To Oz
Before Rose Children’s Theatre began in 1978, parents were putting on plays for their children. Now, nearly 40 years later, the roles have reversed: Rose … Continue reading
The Struggle is Real
Messy folks comingle in Opal Center’s production of Good People
There are two kinds of people in the world: good people, and self-centered scum who don’t bother to return their grocery carts. The Opal Center’s … Continue reading
Flesh and Blood
Dark secrets haunt an American family in OCT’s production of Sam Shepard’s Buried Child
Between my two favorite American playwrights, Tennessee Williams and Sam Shepard, I find Shepard to be, inexplicably, the more familiar but less accessible of the … Continue reading
Powerful in Pink
The indefatigable Elle triumphs in Cottage Theatre’s lovable production of Legally Blonde
On yet another gray and wet Oregon night, the last thing my depression wanted was to be confronted by bubbly optimism. But somehow I managed … Continue reading