By Daniel Skora With characters named Vanya and Sonia and Masha all sharing marquis space in playwright Christopher Durang’s wonderfully creative mishmash of comedy and classics, one has to suppose that famed Russian author Anton Chekhov must be lurking in the background of a lot of things that take place during the play. And he … More Comedy and Chekhov Collide at Open Book
By Daniel Skora No female celebrity had as many fans and as much exposure during the decade of the 1950’s than Rosemary Clooney. Her recordings regularly made it to the top of the Hit Parade. Her movie career was highlighted by the now-classic “White Christmas” in which she co-starred with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. … More Meadow Brook Showcases Clooney, Tenderly
By Daniel Skora Record keeping was sketchy at best in Cotton Plant, Arkansas in 1915. But Rosetta Rubin, or Rosether Adkins, or whatever her legal name might have been at birth, the woman who came to be known as Sister Rosetta Tharpe was destined to overcome the restrictions imposed by the cotton fields where her … More Rosetta and Marie Ride the Gospel Train at Detroit Public
By Daniel Skora There’s so much that’s gone wrong in the MaGrath Family that you wonder how they’ve managed to hold on to their sanity all these years. Well, some It would appear, actually haven’t. First, the father went off and deserted his family. Then mother MaGrath committed suicide, hanging herself along with the cat … More “Crimes of the Heart” Find Forgiveness at Puzzle Piece
By Daniel Skora The Fisher Theatre is presenting a limited two week engagement of “Finding Neverland”, the story of how Sir James Matthew (J. M.) Barrie came to create his most famous character, Peter Pan. Barrie was already an established novelist and playwright when he became acquainted with the Llewelyn Davies family and their five … More “Neverland” Found at The Fisher
By Daniel Skora Williamston Theatre is presenting the World Premiere of “Our Lady of Poison”, Michigan playwright Joseph Zettelmaier’s latest play. The drama, set in Rome in the year 1659, tells the story of three women caught up in an intrigue involving love and murder. Giulia Tofana (Janet Haley) is an apothecary who, besides providing … More “Poison” Goes Down Exceptionally Well at Williamston
By Daniel Skora There are probably any number of reasons why people take a room for the night: an overnight stop on a long vacation trip; an illicit romantic tryst; temporary shelter after a fire or flood at home. But murder? And at that most family friendly of all places, the Howard Johnson’s? The Dio … More Dio Serves up Murder and Mayhem at HoJo’s
By Daniel Skora Sam Philips undoubtedly had free publicity in mind when he called a reporter at the Memphis Press-Scimitar and suggested he might be interested in the impromptu jam session that was going on at his Sun Records recording studio. Four of Philips’ protégés were now holding court in a songfest of epic proportions. … More Encore Musical Rocks with $1Million Quartet
