A native of Miami, Florida, Lauren’s love of musicals started at the age of six when her dad took her to Radio City Music Hall to see a revival of the movie THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Prior to graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington, she hosted her own weekly talk show on Public Radio WDNA Miami and worked as a production intern for ‘As The World Turns.’ As the former Contributing Editor for Broadway World Raleigh, she covered over 50 shows in the Triangle. In January, she launched the RDU on Stage website to expand coverage of the Triangle theater community. She also hosts the weekly RDU on Stage podcast. Lauren is a proud member of the American Theatre Critics Association. She lives in Cary with her supportive husband and two children.
It’s hard to reconcile the Temple Theatre/RhinoLeap production of Jason Robert Brown’s THE LAST 5 YEARS. On the one hand, the performances are quite good and well worth seeing. On the other hand, the haphazardness of the show, from its structure to some of the creative choices, is puzzling. Read Lauren Van Hemert’s RDU on Stage review of the Temple Theatre/RhinoLeap production of Jason Robert Brown’s THE LAST 5 YEARS.
Read Lauren Van Hemert’s RDU on Stage Triangle theater review of the Theatre in the Park production of THE SANTALAND DIARIES.
There is something so smile-worthy about The Justice Theatre Project’s Black Nativity, it’s divine. Read Lauren Van Hemert’s review of The Justice Theater Project’s production of Langston Hughes’ BLACK NATIVITY.
The touring production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is akin to a cup of hot cocoa on a blustery winter day. It’s theatrical comfort food that stirs up memories of a seemingly simpler time and leaves its audience feeling all warm and cozy inside. Read Lauren Van Hemert’s review of the show.
There are only a few musicals I would classify as a masterpiece: Rent, Caroline or Change, and perhaps even Les Miserables. After processing the PlayMakers’ production of Ragtime, and there is a lot to process, I might guardedly add this… Read More ›
It was 75 years ago that the film Meet Me in St. Louis premiered starring Judy Garland. The movie musical introduced the world to such standards as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “The Trolley Song,” and the title song…. Read More ›
When Company first came out in 1971, it was billed as Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking, concept musical. The show has been revived twice on Broadway and is scheduled for a third revival next year coinciding with Sondheim’s 90th birthday. If the… Read More ›
A big city foodie reaches inside a 2000-pound animal and pulls out something surprising, a sense of self. That pretty much sums up what Heidi Armbruster’s new play Dairyland is about. The play is making its world premiere at PlayMakers… Read More ›
Sometimes a less is more approach in theater can be more effective than a lavish production. Such is the case with North Carolina Theatre’s production of West Side Story. West Side Story opened on Broadway in 1957 and was nominated… Read More ›