By Daniel Skora Some movies are so good you can watch them over and over without getting tired of seeing them. “The Fugitive” is one of them. “Mrs. Doubtfire” is another, as are “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Back to the Future”. Gloriously entertaining, they are perfectly crafted encapsulations of the human experience, both realistic and … More “Dirty Dancing” Comes To the Fisher Stage
By Daniel Skora One of the pleasures of going to a new place is discovering that not only does the place have a theatre, but that the theatre has been alive and flourishing for many years. Abingdon Virginia is a town of some 8,000 people nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains near the state’s Tennessee … More The Barter Theatre
By Daniel Skora “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” is the cruelest, most relentlessly vitriolic play in the canon of modern American Theatre. Edward Albee’s play about an alcoholic academic, his equally alcoholic wife, and their two late night guests caused quite a stir when it opened in 1962. The language was raw, the tone frightening, … More “Woolf” Has Tooth and Nail
By Daniel Skora Travis W. Walter has a habit of opening up the Meadow Brook season with a play that has “scope”: themes and production values that stretch the boundaries of what can be expected from local theatre. Several years ago, he put on shows with autumn/fantasy themes, like “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Something … More Explorers Club a Comfortable Way to Travel
By Daniel Skora Jeff Daniels has written a perfect little gem of a play in “Casting Session”, a comedy about two middle-aged actors who find themselves auditioning for the same part in an upcoming movie. The world premier of the play is the current production at Chelsea’s Purple Rose Theatre. Frank (Tom Whalen) is a … More Two Actors in Search of a Job
By Daniel Skora Baseball has often been called a metaphor for life. It’s played on a field of green which serves as a constant reminder that life is best lived in natural surroundings. While many get to play the whole nine innings, some get pulled early. No one succeeds every time, but there’s always another … More “Rounding Third” Tastier Than Hot Dogs, Cracker Jack or Apple Pie
By Daniel Skora All too often, the reason given by people who have difficulty understanding gay/lesbian relationships is that they believe that the dictates of gender will allow for little, if any, of those unique distinctions that make a good union possible. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, a woman is a woman is a woman. One … More Gay Relationship Has Brilliant Half-life
By Daniel Skora Thieves, scoundrels, and villains of every stripe can often achieve a notoriety that would otherwise be unavailable had they kept instead to the straight and narrow. All it takes for miscreants to achieve fame is to have their crimes plastered all over the front pages of newspapers. Having a catchy or melodic … More Bonnie and Clyde on Musical Crime Spree
