I am rarely speechless, especially about theatre. Since I don’t get paid if I remain silent, I will make myself criticize a play I don’t feel I have any right to judge. Gotta pay the rent, and all that. I came into this performance of WitchDuck by Cadence and...
Later this month, Firehouse Theatre will combine burlesque, Dolores Umbridge, sideshow acts, Jeffrey Dahmer, and improv games to bring fans and those with a passion for the weird and unusual with their latest production, Villains of Vaudeville by River City Vaudeville. Ray Bullock, Founder of River City Vaudeville, wishes to bring back the old...
“The Nutcracker” on opening night was something to behold. On Sat. Dec. 9, Richmond Ballet premiered its annual festive production at the Carpenter Theatre for families and dance enthusiasts alike. With extravagant costumes and detailed set design, Richmond Ballet’s rendition of “The Nutcracker” is iconic. The performance’s symphony played in the...
A “spaghetti western” for the opera is woven with suspense and adventure through Giacomo Puccini’s “The Girl of the Golden West.” Virginia Opera’s production of this classic, which opened last Friday at Dominion Arts Center, is pitch perfect, making for a wonderful evening for the whole family. In a performance on Friday, Nov. 17, at the...
Richmond Ballet’s “Trio” transformed the Carpenter Theatre into three separate worlds with three remarkably presented ballets. Prior to the 2017 premiere of the “Trio,” RVA Mag was able to join the Richmond Ballet’s Company dancers as they prepared to present their repertoire to not only Richmond, but Norfolk as well. The rehearsals of “Gloria,”...
This love triangle has taken a turn for the worse. 5th Wall Theatre, along with Artistic Director Carol Piersol and local Director Lucian Restivo, is producing the 2013 off-broadway show “Murder Ballad.” The musical was originally a book written by Julia Jordan, with music later written by Juliana Nash. This love-story meets murder-mystery show...
This weekend marks the premiere of the Richmond Ballet’s second ballet of their performance season, “Trio.” This powerful show runs from Friday, Nov. 3, to Sunday, Nov. 5, at the Dominion Arts Center, and it aims to highlight the Ballet’s Company at the utmost of its capabilities. The “Trio” performance features three different ballets: “Gloria”...
I looked down at my hands, finally, away from the stage as the play ended -- and realized I had crushed my flimsy, disposable cup between my fingers until it was just twisted plastic in my bare hand. It was this visceral reaction that carried me through Act One and Act Two of Firehouse Theatre's Desire Under the Elms this past Saturday. Eugene O’...
The set is bare-boned, simple, roughly hewn. Soft white lighting pours over actor Adam Turck’s shoulders. As he balances a rake between his hands, he repeats a string of words over and over, perfecting the New England accent that will carry him through Act One: “fuck you, fuck you.” Looking around, no one but me is giving Turck’s impassioned...
Quill Theatre and the Virginia War Memorial are bringing history to life and putting audiences in the middle of the most pivotal war in history by partnering to present “For the Duration: Letters from Home.” The one-night-only event features real letters from WWII soldiers and their loved ones back home, collected by James Triesler, a historian...
