Author Archives
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Feature: Summer Duckling Olivia Elease Hardy is Going Places
Between finishing up an online calculus class and playing a young Donna Summer, heaven knows Olivia Elease Hardy is working hard and learning about life on the road. That’s because Hardy, a rising senior at the University of Michigan, is playing Duckling Donna in SUMMER: THE DONNA SUMMER MUSICAL. Read what Hardy had to say to RDU on Stage about life on the road.
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Theater Review: Entertaining and Enlightening ‘Kinky Boots’ is the Happy Pill You Didn’t Know You Needed
The interesting is, while many angst-filled teens (and their parents) won’t hesitate to flock to the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) to see Tina Fey’s MEAN GIRLS, the less obvious yet perhaps more sensible choice for a morality play is the North Carolina Theatre production of KINKY BOOTS. Read Lauren Van Hemert’s review of KINKY BOOTS.
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Theater Review: ‘Mean Girls’ Underwhelms
When the national touring production of MEAN GIRLS opened at DPAC earlier this week, the lobby was buzzing about the fact that Raleigh native English Bernhardt would be covering the role of Janis Sarkisian. Bernhardt can belt, but what did RDU on Stage’s Lauren Van Hemert have to say about the rest of the show?
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Theater Review: Cape Fear’s High-Spirited ‘Shrek’ is Simply Irresistible
Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. And the Cape Fear Regional Theatre production of SHREK has enough multifaceted layers to make it surprisingly entertaining. Read what Lauren Van Hemert has to say about the show.
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Q & A: Director Natasha A. Jackson Talks About the Significance of ‘Bourbon at the Border’
Hear what Natasha A. Jackson has to say about making her directorial debut and the personal significance of the North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre production of Pearl Cleage’s play Bourbon at the Border.
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Theater Review: A Lackluster ‘Into the Woods’ Disappoints
The McGregor Hall production of INTO THE WOODS has all the makings of a great production, including a strong cast, full orchestra, and some impressive creative elements. And yet, somehow it falls flat. Read what Lauren Van Hemert has to say about the production.
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Theater Review: Emotionally Charged ‘Bourbon at the Border’ Interrogates the Retelling and Rewriting of History
From organizing sit-ins, Freedom Rides, marches, and massive voter registration drives, like the one in Mississippi in 1964, champions of civil rights were often beaten, arrested, and left for dead. So, what was the psychological toll of the Civil Rights Movement on the Emmett Till Generation? That is the central question of Pearl Cleage’s play BOURBON AT THE BORDER, now playing at North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre (NRACT). Read what Lauren Van Hemert has to say about the timely significance of the production.
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Theater Review: Burning Coal’s Production of ‘Talley’s Folly’ Masterfully Ebbs and Flows
It is hard to know if Lanford Wilson was aware of the concept of beshert when he wrote his Pulitzer Prize-winning play TALLEY’S FOLLY, or if the team at Burning Coal Theatre understood its cultural significance prior to mounting its current production, but there is something about this particular “no-holds barred” love story that is so enchanting, it’s almost spiritual. Read what Lauren Van Hemert has to say about the Burning Coal Theatre production of this Pulitzer Prize-winning play.
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Feature: RENT’S Aiyana Smash is Living La Vie Bohéme
In 1996, Jonathan Larson’s rock musical RENT opened on Broadway and became a phenomenon. This week, the national tour returns to the Durham Performing Arts Center, opening the hearts and minds of a new generation of theatergoers and performers, including 20-year-old Aiyana Smash who plays Mimi. Read what she has to say about the show and experience.