By Daniel Skora It’s the holiday season, and if you’re thinking the time might be ripe for the second annual Christmas Panto at Theatre Nova, you’d be right. Not to scare away the non-literate, but this year’s assemblage of skits, sketches, and general all-‘round mayhem draws its inspiration from “Nussknaker und Mausekonig”, which is German … More “Nutcracker” Gets Parodied in “Sugar Plum Panto”
By Daniel Skora Because audiences so love a great holiday show and because ticket sales were brisk two years ago when The Dio first presented their original musical “Home for the Holidays” (book by Steve DeBruyne and Matt Tomich), they’re presenting it again for those who might have missed it before or those who would … More “Holidays” returns Home to the Dio
By Daniel Skora Meadow Brook Theatre is celebrating its 35th year presenting the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol”. The original adaptation and staging by Charles Nolte has become an annual holiday favorite with audiences, and this year Meadow Brook has scheduled over three dozen performances of the show. If you’ve somehow managed to escape … More 35 Years of “Carol”ing at Meadow Brook Theatre
By Daniel Skora One of the disadvantages of writing for a newspaper is that much of what the reader sees and reads of an author’s work has been determined by someone other than the person who wrote the article. Word count, positioning, availability of space for pictures, deadlines, the title that goes above the review, … More it’s All Theatre’s Best of the 2015/16 Season
By Daniel Skora Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s business partner in Charles Dickens’ famous story “A Christmas Carol” is one of those fictional characters who seems not to have been given a fair shake by the author who created him. Marley may have been a disagreeable and greedy person just like his partner, but to wander the … More Jacob Marley’s “Carol” at Williamston
By Daniel Skora Performance Network Theatre has two shows scheduled for the holiday season. “Why Not Me? A Sammy Davis Jr. Story” is a one man show that has the iconic entertainer looking back on critical events throughout his life and amazing career. It alternates with “Dickens: An A Capella Carol”, a dramatic reading of … More Davis and Dickens at Performance Network
By Daniel Skora Charles Dickens published “A Christmas Carol” in 1843. The book, a ghost story that was both thrilling and entertaining, had enormous popular appeal. It also served as a call to action on other issues that affected English life, from the poverty and poor working conditions caused by the Industrial Revolution to the … More Mrs. Cratchit Binges at the Dio
By Daniel Skora What with flying reindeer, elves that make toys in a place so remote that even FedEx doesn’t pick up, and a red-suited fat guy who breaks into people’s homes by sliding down their chimneys, the secular celebration of Christmas is one easy institution to poke fun at. You only have to listen … More British Humour Tackles Rudolph
By Daniel Skora This is, perhaps, as much a testament as it is a review. I rarely inject the first person pronoun when writing about a show. But Meadow Brook Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Carol” has always been special and I find it impossible to separate my enthusiasm for the show from its mechanics. … More Meadow Brook’s “Carol” Celebrates 34 Years
