Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Review: “The Color Purple” reaches full flower in terrific Actor’s Express musical by Andrew Alexander and Jim Farmer

The musical The Color Purple, based on Alice Walker’s novel, had its world premiere back at the Alliance Theatre in 2004 and hit Broadway a year later. After a recent reworking and reviva…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 10:01AM
Thursday, June 21, 2018

An excerpt from Tony-winning director and True Colors’ founder Kenny Leon’s memoir by Kenny Leon

Kenny Leon’s new memoir Take You Wherever You Go tells the story of his journey from rural Florida to Atlanta and on to Broadway, film and television. The chapter “A Place to Hear Ev…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 11:00AM
Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Corian Ellisor creates “veraCity” at 7 Stages to champion dance choreographers of color by Vanessa Alamo

Artists of color are oftentimes overlooked due to lack of exposure, and this is especially true in Atlanta. In order to showcase this city’s diverse dance artists and their abundant creati…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 10:01AM
Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Review: The political gets personal in stunning dance showcase “Citizen Lift” by Andrew Alexander

“The personal is political,” or so we’re told. Even so, all too often there can be a touch of something cold and impersonal about a great deal of “political” art. Not so with Citiz…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 10:00AM
Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Review: Alliance’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” makes a charming return to Hundred Acre Wood by Andrew Alexander

I couldn’t tell you much about what Winnie-the-Pooh has been up to since the game of Poohsticks in The House at Pooh Corner, the second and last of British author A.A. Milne’s collectio…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 02:01PM

Photo essay: Serenbe Playhouse breathes new life into the classic “Peter Pan” by ArtsATL Staff

The classic children’s tale Peter Pan gets a reboot from Serenbe Playhouse in a world premiere that runs through August 26. With a book by Roger Q. Mason, and music and lyrics by Ella …

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 11:01AM

Review: Atlanta Lyric Theatre’s skillful spin turns “Tarzan” into engaging guilty pleasure by Jim Farmer

Clad in a loin cloth and swinging carefree through the jungle, Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan character has been a staple of all sorts of pop culture — books, films, television special…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 10:01AM
Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Review: The Atlanta Opera borrows from the old for a gruesomely fun “Sweeney Todd” by Mark Gresham

The Brits enjoy their meat pies. They have for centuries. As essential foodstuff for travelers in Tudor times, the pastry was just a vessel for protecting the meat, with clarified butter pou…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 02:01PM
Friday, June 8, 2018

Review: “110 in the Shade” has good musical moments, but struggles to find its footing by Jim Farmer

It’s the Fourth of July in a small Texas town, circa 1936, and the locals are longing for some rain and relief from the blistering heat that has encompassed the area. When a mystery man sh…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 12:59PM
Thursday, June 7, 2018

Review: An ode to the traditional black church, “Crowns” serves up powerful mix of gospel music and “hattitude” by Kelundra Smith

Hats and religion have a complicated relationship, especially when it comes to women. They have been used as a device to impose modesty on women by keeping their heads covered, and they also…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 02:01PM
Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Review: Lauren Gunderson’s “The Taming” takes an irreverent (and decidedly witty) aim at our political divide by Andrew Alexander

When placing politics on the stage nowadays, absurdism and farce seem the best, if not the only possible, approach. It’s the tack of playwright (and Decatur-native) Lauren Gunderson in her…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 10:01AM
Monday, June 4, 2018

Preview: Atlanta Fringe Festival returns for its sixth season of performing on the edge by Daniel Lamb

Each year over the first weekend in June, the Atlanta Fringe Festival produces approximately 20 shows with multiple performances in several venues around Little Five Points and Poncey-Highla…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 12:59PM
Thursday, May 31, 2018

Legacy Series: Theatrical Outfit artistic director Tom Key seeks to bring the truth of the human spirit to the stage by Gail O'Neill

Tom Key’s instincts for summoning the right words at the right time have served him well for over 40 years as an actor, playwright and director. Theater critic Curt Holman has described Ke…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 12:00PM
Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Review: Horizon’s “Citizens Market” reminds us that we are a nation of immigrants by Kelundra Smith

“It seems to me that in America no one is really from here.” These words, uttered by recent Ghanaian immigrant Akosua, rendered with humor and sincerity by Jasmine Thomas, underscore Cor…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 05:50PM
Friday, May 25, 2018

Review: In just about every way, Broadway icon “Hamilton” lives up to its reputation by Pierre Ruhe

Hamilton is everywhere just now, with good reason. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s masterpiece arrived in Atlanta this week (through June 10), a touring production joining Broadway and several cities…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 12:59PM
Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Playwright/director Marium Khalid on her Sky Creature journey and the new “Sin Piel” by Marium Khalid

Playwright and director Marium Khalid writes an exclusive personal essay about her first production in four years, "Sin Piel."

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 12:02PM

ArtsATL’s top 10 things to do in Atlanta that aren’t “Hamilton” by Andrew Alexander

The touring production of the Broadway blockbuster Hamilton arrives at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre this week for a 14-day run of 22 beyond-sold-out performances. If you’re smart, lucky or rich…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 10:00AM
Thursday, May 17, 2018

“Sordid Lives” author Del Shores brings “Six Characters” to Atlanta in one-man show by Jim Farmer

His work tends to resonate everywhere it plays, but Atlanta is especially receptive to the characters brought to life by Del Shores. The playwright, best known for stage, film and television…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 10:07AM
Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Review: Glamorous, inventive “Bach to Broadway” closes Atlanta Ballet season by Andrew Alexander

On Saturday night, dancers Jessica Assef and Moíses Martín, substituting for Emily Carrico and Jacob Bush, paired beautifully in the opening moments of Helgi Tomasson’s 7 for Eight, the …

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 11:35AM
Monday, May 14, 2018

Review: Collaborative “Candide” brings some highs, some lows for ASO and Alliance by Andrew Alexander and Mark Gresham

The new production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide at Symphony Hall represents a historic collaboration between the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Alliance Theatre. Humbly treading a pa…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 10:00AM
Thursday, May 10, 2018

News: “Hamilton” announces lottery of $10 tickets for each performance of its Fox run by ArtsATL Staff

Hamilton is the hottest ticket of the season, and the May 22-June 10 run at the Fox Theatre sold out within minutes. If you missed out, there is another way to score tickets: the #HAM4HAM lo…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 12:59PM
Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Review: Atlanta Theatre Club hits comedic stride with “A Funny Thing Happened” by Kelundra Smith

The title of the play A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York City is a pretty good indication of what to exp…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 02:01PM

Alliance Theatre and Atlanta Symphony join forces for an epic version of “Candide” by Gail O'Neill

When a concert staging of the Tony Award-winning musical Candide opens tonight in Symphony Hall, actors, singers, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Chorus will share t…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 10:01AM
Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Atlanta Ballet closes season with George Balanchine set to the music of Gershwin by Rachel Hellwig

Baroque, the American Songbook, and a harmonica concerto will color the musical palette for the mixed-repertory Atlanta Ballet season finale Bach to Broadway, running May 11-13 at the Cobb E…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 02:01PM
Thursday, May 3, 2018

Essay: Can’t we please just put away our cell phones and enjoy the show? by Jim Farmer

It’s happened — I imagine — to almost everyone who attends theater, film or other kinds of arts events on a regular basis. A patron nearby brings out a cell phone, starts texti…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 12:59PM
Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Review: “Revolt” at 7 Stages hits (and also misses) the gender revolution of #MeToo by Kelundra Smith

What if instead of working 40 hours per week, missing time with family and losing sleep, Mondays were optional? What if marriage didn’t come with the expectation of having children? What i…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 12:59PM
Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Review: The Atlanta Opera puts a playful, wily spin on the smoldering “Carmen”  by Mark Gresham

The Atlanta Opera kicked off its penultimate main-stage production of the 2017–18 season Saturday night with a traditional operatic favorite, George Bizet’s Carmen, directed by Brenn…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 02:01PM
Thursday, April 19, 2018

Remembrance: Actress Valerie Payton brought her kindness and joy to every stage by Jim Farmer

She was known for her hugs, her warmth and her charisma, as well as her musical prowess and onstage presence. Valerie Denise Payton, a popular local actress and musician, passed away unexpec…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 11:01AM

The Shuler Awards return for 10th year of celebrating high school musical theater by Jim Farmer

For many of the students participating in this year’s Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards, it will be their first time performing at such a prominent event. Some of them also hope t…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 06:00AM
Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Review: Aurora’s Spanish-language comedy “El Gran Dia de la Madre” serves up the giggles by Kelundra Smith

Violeta (Irma Cristancho) hasn’t seen her daughter Cotillon (Joselin Reyes) and granddaughter Prudencia (Limara Meneses Jiménez) in years, and she is determined to make amends with her fa…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 12:59PM

Review: Synchronicity’s “Ripe Frenzy” delves into school shootings with mixed results by Andrew Alexander

Maryland-based playwright Jennifer Barclay takes on the subject of school shootings in her interesting but faulty new play Ripe Frenzy, running at Synchronicity Theatre through May 6. The pl…

SOURCE: artsatl.com at 11:59AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards