Andrew J. Friedenthal

I’ve only gone a couple weeks without updating this time, but there’s been a few juicy releases since then!

First and foremost, I have the following piece for the online Sightlines journal, which is probably the most personal (non-fiction) thing I’ve ever written. Dare I say it, I’m actually proud of this piece of writing and happy with how it turned out (which is a rare occurrence for me).

If you’re just going to read one thing I’ve written, this one is it!

Memories like a Bomb, like a Bullet: Why the Nostalgia Industry Is Here to Stay

Next up, I’ve had a few new Time Out Austin blog posts go up, including one that takes a pretty serious look at a new production of a play about the Holocaust and immigration, and its all-too-topical contemporary relevance.

A new Trinity Street Players production links echoes of the past to present issues

Four new theater productions to check out this spring

Rude Mechs embarks on its final performances of the season. Or does it?

And, finally, I’ve had a few new reviews for the Austin America-Statesman/Austin360 (one of which, for Kindertransport, even has a negative comment; a true badge of honor!):

‘I and You’ puts a thoughtful and poetic spin on life as a teen

Free play an emotional and timely look at the immigrant experience

‘Grounded,’ a one-woman show about a military pilot, soars

Texas State’s ‘Ragtime’ shows why musical is so timely today

I should have a few larger pieces going up in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

Last week was a busy one, full of reviews and other odds and ends going live. Here’s the run-down.

First, and most interesting, was a unique article about a unique piece of art, the VORTEX Theatre’s immersive Performance Park experience. Here’s a link to my combined feature/review for the Austin American-Statesman:

Immersive, interactive ‘Performance Park’ is unlike anything else in Austin theater

Next, I had three traditional reviews for the Statesman/Austin360 also go up:

Conspiracy and paranoia take center stage in 9/11-themed ‘Yankee Tavern’

Strong all-female cast delivers timely and clever satire about gun control debate

If you loved ‘Shakespeare in Love,’ the movie, you’ll probably like ‘Shakespeare in Love’ on stage

More to come soon, including a return to blogging for Time Out Austin!

Yup, it happened again. I went awhile without posting an update, which is frustrating to me but also a positive sign that I’ve got a lot going on, so there’s that.

Here, once again, is a big old update of all the things I’ve had published in the past month.

Sightlines

Here’s another piece I wrote for the fabulous online magazine Sightlines as their resident pop culture columnist, this time about the most significant piece of pop culture to come out in the past month:

Black Panther, White Critic

Time Out Austin

Next up, here’s my recent blog posts for Time Out Austin:

Five SXSW 2018 events for theater lovers

‘White Rabbit Red Rabbit’ defies conventional theater—including rehearsals

How three production companies are trying to change the lack of diversity in Austin theater

Theatre en Bloc’s ‘The Secretary’ is a tragically timely comedic premiere

Austin American-Statesman/Austin360

Finally, here’s the most updates, my work for the Austin-American Statesman and Austin360, beginning with a feature/preview I wrote about the national tour of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder:

One actor tackles multiple roles in ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder’

And then a big old list of various and sundry reviews:

Sex and sardines: City Theatre’s ‘Noises Off’ is an energetic farce

UT production of ‘Enron’ takes on toxic masculinity of American corporate culture

Hyde Park Theatre’s latest offers message on life, death and what gives us meaning

Rude Mechs modernizes another Shakespeare play, with dynamic results

Ground Floor Theatre’s ‘White Rabbit Red Rabbit’ weds script, spontaneity and sassiness

In this comic musical, the bad guys always win

City Theatre’s ‘Bad Jews’ questions tradition and incites debate

So, there you have it, another mega-update! I can’t even remotely promise that I’ll be able to keep up with new posts going forward, so probably expect another omnibus like this in another month or so.

Here’s another new review, this time of TexARTS’ production of Smokey Joe’s Cafe, a fun, if insubstantial, show.

And one more new review this week, of The Filigree Theatre’s A Delicate Ship.

Here’s another new review, this one of a heartbreaking production of Florian Zeller’s The Father by Jarrott Productions.

Here’s a couple of pieces that have gone live since my massive update the other day.

Here’s a new post for Time Out Austin:

UT’s newest theater production tackles modern issues through past scandals

And here are two new reviews for the Statesman:

Talented kids of ‘School of Rock’ make an otherwise lackluster production sing

Austin Shakespeare takes on a different type of classic: a moody story of art and love from Chekhov

Thanks for reading!

Well, it’s happened again. I’ve fallen woefully behind on my updates. The good news, though, is that I’ve fallen behind because I’ve been doing so much, including becoming a regular pop culture columnist for the fabulous Sightlines magazine!

*To begin with here’s the two pieces I wrote for Sightlines most recently, about comic books and toys. I’m living every pre-teen boy’s dream!

The Comics of 2017

The Toys That Played Us

*Here’s a slew of my weekly blog posts for Time Out Austin:

Look forward to spring with four upcoming school theater productions

Austin Playhouse resurrects an old play with a modern message

One of Austin’s most experimental theaters celebrates its 30th anniversary

What to watch for at this year’s off-the-wall FronteraFest

Two new theater companies are making a splash in Austin

“The Seagull” takes flight at Austin Shakespeare

*Next, a dollop of reviews from the Austin American-Statesman:

Austin gets to know classic musical ‘The King and I’

Austin Playhouse brings back timely, moving story of immigrant to small-town Texas

Play about Juarez murders – and how we react to such stories – challenges audiences at the Vortex

Family-friendly ‘Finding Neverland’ charms but never quite soars

Bilingual play offers inclusive message for Austin children

Strong performances, dynamic visuals boost Zach Theatre’s ‘Curious Incident’

*Finally, a feature that I also wrote for the Statesman about Austin Arts Hall of Famer Zel Miller III:

Austin poet/performer talks race, fatherhood and arts in Austin

Yet another Time Out blog post, this time looking at the year to come in Austin theater!

Enjoy my latest Time Out blog post, looking ahead towards some upcoming musicals in town!