Category: Musicals
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A Flop? Nowhere to be Found at LTVB’s “The Producers”
Photo courtesy of J. Stubbs Photography (https://jstubbsphotographyvb.com/) Is there a story that Americans like more than one in which a chained-to-his-desk worker chases big dreams by committing a white collar crime, finds friendship (and maybe even love) along the way, and then faces the consequences of his actions? Throw a couple big musical numbers in…
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The 2024-25 HRACT Awards Nominees
We can’t believe that the second season of the HRACT Awards has already come to a close. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the shows this year, and really struggled to narrow down the list of deserving nominees to the requisite number for each category. The winners will be announced at our awards ceremony on October…
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Cats Fit on the Windowsill, Children Fit in the Snow, and Williamsburg Players Fit on the Stage in “Pippin”
“Pippin” is one of my top five favorite shows, so I was very excited when Williamsburg Players announced that it would be closing out their (and coincidentally, the HRACT Award’s) 2024-2025 season. For some reason, the plotline really hits home for me, with Pippin seeking out the extraordinary, fighting his inner demons (including a lack…
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Turn Your Radio to W-LTN, Right in the Middle of the Dial, for “Memphis: The Musical”
Photo courtesy of J. Stubbs Photography (https://jstubbsphotographyvb.com/) Sometimes the English language doesn’t quite have the right word to describe something. For some, that might lead to a long paragraph to explain it. Others might just stagnate and keep the thought to themselves. The visionaries, however, don’t let a lack of creativity from prior generations get…
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Dance to that Americana Beat as You Head to Smithfield Little Theatre for “Ragtime the Musical”
It might make for a worse image for our traditional Instagram pre-show pic, but I do love it when you walk into a theater and the curtain is closed. There is something about the element of mystery that heightens your senses as the music starts and the curtain is drawn, bringing you more fully into…
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Extraordinary Performances Create “Something Simple, Familiar, and Full of Feeling” in Generic Theater’s “Ordinary Days”
Photo courtesy of J. Stubbs Photography (https://jstubbsphotographyvb.com/) We walked into Generic Theater with sky-high expectations for “Ordinary Days”. Not only was this the closing show for Generic’s very successful season (the same final show slot that HRACT Award Best Play winner “Indecent” was in last year), we knew it was being fronted by four absolute…
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Teamwork Brings “Working” to Life at Peninsula Community Theatre
The first thing I noticed as we walked into “Working” at Peninsula Community Theatre on Friday night was a teddy bear hanging tight to the impressively large set of scaffolding on stage. The second thing I noticed was the hand saw, intimidatingly directly next to the teddy bear. Don’t worry, I thought to myself –…
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Red and Yellow and Green and Brown: Downing-Gross Brings to Life the Colorful “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
What is your definitive ranking of Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals that you have seen? That was the topic of conversation in our car as we drove through the southeast community of Newport News and pulled into the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, where this year’s show is “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. This was also…
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Learn to Climb the Corporate Ladder (and Love It) at LTVB’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
Photo courtesy of J. Stubbs Photography (https://jstubbsphotographyvb.com/) The Little Theatre of Virginia Beach was bustling once again on Saturday night, with yet another sold-out performance. This time, that performance was the acclaimed “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”, and the crowd was not to be disappointed, as this show is a highly entertaining…
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Williamsburg Players’ 67th Season Races Along with “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”
We here at the HRACT Awards love a good Sherman Brothers’ musical, so we were excited when Williamsburg Players announced their season included the old classic, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” We also knew that “Chitty” was going to be quite a challenge to bring to life – it is a big cast (half of which…
HRACT Awards 