If you go to see Coach House Theatre’s latest farce, Ken Ludwig’s “The Fox on the Fairway,” hang in there. Stay through the second act, cause that’s where most of the fun is. Farces aren’t great brainteasers, although in this case, you may have to ponder how three couples (two already or formerly married and […]
Article · May 15, 2013 by Roger Durbin
Weathervane Playhouse’s “The 39 Steps.” Patrick Barlow went for the gusto when he decided to script a play based on the famous Alfred Hitchcock film “The 39 Steps,” which was itself taken from an earlier novel. The result is a frantic, fun, zany spoof that Weathervane Playhouse, a Knight Arts grantee, plays fully for the […]
Article · May 10, 2013 by Roger Durbin
Good theater is the kind where you leave with your mind reeling with ideas about what you’ve just seen – thinking about it and figuring it out. That’s what you have to look forward to if you go to see New World Performance Laboratory’s “Gilgamesh: He Who Knew Everything” at the Balch Street Theatre. NWPL […]
Article · May 8, 2013 by Roger Durbin
DANCECleveland, a Knight Arts grantee, has announced its stellar season for the upcoming year. And guess what: the season will kick off with a performance in the Akron area. Opening the season on October 5 at E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall will be BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet company, which features a roster of world-class […]
Article · May 3, 2013 by Roger Durbin
At juried art shows, you rarely if ever get a rationale for why the judges of the particular event selected the works they did for awards and prizes. The same can be said for “Brushstrokes—Here and Now,” which is the name for the 80th anniversary Women’s Art League of Akron exhibit on display at Summit […]
Article · May 1, 2013 by Roger Durbin
DANCECleveland, a Knight Arts grantee, is taking a collaborative leap next week and will make another step in its ongoing effort to bring the finest in contemporary dance troupes to the area. The noted dance presenter will be working with the Cleveland Play House for the first time ever as part of the latter organization’s […]
Article · April 26, 2013 by Roger Durbin
What goes around comes around. When that statement applies to Ballet Theatre of Ohio and its upcoming performance of artistic director Christine Meneer’s “Cinderella” at the Akron Civic Theatre, a Knight Arts grantee, that’s a good thing. BTO has four major ballets that it rotates over four years, according to Meneer – “Coppelia,” “Sleeping Beauty,” […]
Article · April 23, 2013 by Roger Durbin
In a recent crossword puzzle, a clue was “lively art,” and the answer was “Op Art.” Here’s another clue – whose art helped inspire the term Op Art? The answer is Julian Stanczak. Some 20 or so of his works are on display at the Akron Art Museum, a Knight Arts grantee, in an exhibition […]
Article · April 19, 2013 by Roger Durbin
Much-lauded actor John Lithgow has some strong theatrical roots in the Akron area, and he’s coming back to town to talk to his former friends and neighbors about “The Power of Storytelling.” John Lithgow. Photo from aceshow.com His father, Arthur, a theatrical producer and director, directed a Shakespeare festival at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, […]
Article · April 17, 2013 by Roger Durbin
Want to see a 2,500-year old tradition? Me too. As luck would have it, The Golden Dragon Acrobats are bringing a new show, “Cirque Ziva,” to the Akron Civic Theatre, a Knight Arts grantee. In ancient times, the art that we know as Chinese acrobatics apparently was called things like “miscellaneous arts” and “varied skills […]
Article · April 12, 2013 by Roger Durbin
“Charley’s Aunt” is a dude. That’s not letting the cat out of the bag, for knowing that ahead of time neither spoils the fun of the play as performed by Weathervane Playhouse, a Knight Arts grantee, nor surprises you, for you’ll have it figured out way in advance of seeing him/her. The play is set […]
Article · April 10, 2013 by Roger Durbin