Theater

A collection of 52 posts

Announcements

What's New? March 2025

March has been quite busy for Sketching Details and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.

Announcements

Tick: A Short Musical Sheet Music is Coming

“Trust (Nerves)” from Tick: A Short Musical is now available for purchase as sheet music for piano/vocal/bass. Details inside.

News

Remembering Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim passed away last Friday, 26 November.

News

Broadway Can Reopen 14 September

The governor of NY announced that Broadway theatres will be able to reopen on 14 September. This is a lot more complicated than it seems.

Books/Print

Spookier Times Episode 16: Slice of Life Fantasy, Roald Dahl, and Matilda

More contemporary fantasy styles can use one thing slightly out of the ordinary to explore dark and complex issues in a way that still feels magical. Roald Dahl was a master at this, and Matilda tackled a slew of important social issues with a little girl that could literally fight back with her bra

Theater

Spookier Times Episode 10: The Horror Musical in NYC

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCIB2MnTkGM&w=854&h=480]

Film

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Review (Film, 2020)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is one of the greatest stage to screen adaptations of all time, brought to life with impeccable tone and style by George C. Wolfe.

Books/Print

Unconventional Christmas Stories

Sometimes it’s nice to celebrate Christmas with a less traditional story. There’s always a place for a traditional special, story, or film. I like to shake things up and celebrate all facets of the holiday season.

Film

Cadaver (Kadaver) Review (Film, 2020)  

It is the end of the world after a nuclear disaster. The survivors are struggling, digging through abandoned buildings for what little supplies remain. Leo, Jacob, and their daughter Alice are invited to attend a play at a luxury hotel that includes a free meal. It is pure spectacle, a bright spot i

Books/Print

Spookier Times Episode 4: Gothic versus Ghost Stories, the Gothic Epistolary, and The Turn of the Screw

In this episode of Spookier Times, we take a deep dive into Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. We look at its genre, its modern adaptations, the use of epistolary structure in Gothic Literature, and some of the best adaptations of James' classic Gothic/ghost story.

News

A Reflection on the 74th Annual Tony Award Nominations

On 15 October, the Tony Award nominations for the truncated 2019-2020 season finally came out. We all knew that it was going to be a different kind of list since so few shows opened between May 2019 and March 2020, but I don’t think anyone anticipated some of the more unusual results.

Film

What the Constitution Means to Me Review (Film, 2020)

What the Constitution Means to Me is a proshot of the Broadway play What the Constitution Means to Me. Heidi Schreck is the writer and star of the play. She recounts her experience competing in public speaking competitions about the United States Constitution. She steps back in time to recreate one

Announcements

Announcing Tick: A Short Musical

Introducing Tick: A Short Musical. This is an original short horror musical inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” It’s actually part of a longer anthology horror musical called The Sublime Method that I am trying to make available as soon as I can.

Film

Spookier Times Episode 3: Halloween 2020: Roger Corman's Poe Films, Murder (The Look in Your Eyes), and Decoding the Beauty of Terror with Edgar Allan Poe

In the Halloween special of Spookier Times, we take a look at the father of American horror Edgar Allan Poe. His work is captured to near perfection in Roger Corman's collaborations with Vincent Price and screenwriter Richard Matheson. From there, we get a sample of the upcoming short musical "Tick,

Announcements

Announcing: Spookier Times

Introducing Spookier Times. This is a new biweekly podcast about everything horror, Gothic, and weird fiction across media. I’m incredibly proud of the project and the opportunities it affords in media criticism.

Event

The 75th Annual Tony Awards: What You Need to Know

The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing announced that the 75th Annual Tony Awards will happen at some point. We don’t know when. We don’t know how. But they will happen.

Film

Hamilton Review (Film, 2020)

For the uninitiated, Hamilton is the 2015 Broadway musical by writer/composer/star Lin Manuel Miranda about Alexander Hamilton. Act I deals with the Revolutionary War; Act II deals with the foundation of the US government and the succession of the presidency. Told with an iconic hip-hop score and ca

Theater

73rd Annual Tony Awards

The 73rd Annual Tony Awards happened last night. This is my favorite awards show because it is a celebration of the art form I grew up in and have worked in for most of my life. The Tonys offer a glimpse into one of the creative work for one of the best cities for theater. Is NYC the end all, be all

Film

Zombie Musicals and You: A Guide to What You Never Knew You Needed More Of

Anything can be turned into a musical. That’s not a signifier of quality. It’s an invitation to try.

Reviews

Two Show Day: The Hairy Ape & The Glass Menagerie

Last Wednesday, I went into NYC to see two productions of older plays. One of them, The Hairy Ape by Eugene O'Neill, is rarely performed; the other, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, is performed rather frequently. Both productions are radical reimaginings of what the authors had in

Music

Mary Warren Knows Things Now (Concept Scoring for The Crucible)

This was perhaps my favorite demo from the original pass at scoring for The Crucible. Mary Warren's Theme was pulled straight from the Tituba Theme that didn't sit quite right with me. A nice low drone combined with those chiming bells would stay, but not nearly

News

On Being Cast in Songs for a New World

Last week, I auditioned for a local production of Songs for a New World. Last Tuesday, I received an offer to perform in an expanded cast production of the show. I accepted what will be one of my most challenging roles for the opportunity to interact with material that has

Theater

Mattress Diary: 3 Weeks Out

I should really say 2 weeks, 1 day out. Our first performance (a free preview for senior citizens) is Wednesday, April 27. That gives us two weeks and one day of potential rehearsals before we receive our first audience. And even that's not true. We have 13 rehearsals

Music

Hamilton Will Perform at the Grammy Awards

Suddenly, I'm willing to actually watch the Grammy Awards again. I'm not against the Grammy Awards like some. I believe they are legitimate and relevant to how the music industry works. The combination of nominees in open categories, such as Best New Artist or Song of

Theater

Theater Work: Once Upon a Mattress

I have a few things going on with theater right now. I'm doing a trio of benefit concerts for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America at the Hackensack Cultural Arts Center next Thursday through Saturday, February 11 through 13. Tickets are available online or at