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!
*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!
Here’s my review of a cool, woke new holiday show, People of Color Christmas, by local playwright Christine Hoang!
Life continues to come at me pretty fast these days, but I’ve been continuing to write reviews and articles, even if I haven’t been updating them here. So it’s time for another round-up!
I wrote another piece for Jeanne Claire van Ryzin’s fabulous online magazine, Sightlines. This one combines my comics studies background with my current political obsessions and a lot of soul-searching, which I’m really proud of. Please check it out!
Wonder Women and Malignant Men
Here’s a bevy of weekly blog posts for Time Out Austin blog:
A nationwide premiere is coming to Austin’s tiniest stage tomorrow
Broadway in Austin returns with a series of larger-than-life musicals
How a discount furniture store became Austin’s latest performance space
Austin’s top actresses shine in three upcoming plays
Ballet Austin’s principal dancer is ending his career with a bang—and a bow (this last one’s actually a full feature, not just a blog post!)
And last but not least, some good old fashioned theater reviews:
In the mood for a rom-com? ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ still charms
Jane Austen meets charming Christmas comedy in latest from Austin Playhouse (according to the comments, this one has the most boring sentence one reader has ever read in his life, so be on the lookout for it!)
‘A Miracle on 34th Street Classic Radiocast’ is charming, if old-fashioned, Christmas treat
In Street Corner Arts’ latest play, when you’re here, you’re family
Catch you all next time with (let’s be honest) probably another scrambling catch-up post!
Oof, where does the time go, eh? It’s been a busy few months since the last time I updated. Things have been in a rush in both my professional and personal life, so I haven’t really had the bandwidth to attend to this blog, but the time is finally upon us!
First, I should say that I’m writing a ton of stuff for my day job at Software Advice, much of which you can find on the company’s resource hub. However, since I write specialty pieces about customer relationship management (CRM), marketing, and other software niches, I figure it won’t be of much interest to people who follow this blog for my critical, cultural, and creative writing, so I won’t be posting that work here unless I write something particularly noteworthy.
However, you can now find my writing in a variety of cool new venues! Let’s run things down one at a time.
The brilliant Jeanne Claire van Ryzin has started a new Austin-based “online magazine of arts, culture and ideas” called Sightlines, and it’s something pretty special. While outlets for traditional long-form journalism and criticism are shrinking in Austin, this magazine is providing an outlet for in-depth looks at topics of importance to both Austin audiences and readers everywhere.
She has kindly asked me to contribute from time to time, including in the first issue. I was excited to do so, and wrote a somewhat personal post about my sense of personal identity, some now-questionable assertions I made in my book, Retcon Game: Retroactive Continuity and the Hyperlinking of America, and the nature of critiquing the arts in a post-Trump world. Check it out here:
Bursting the bubble: Art and audience in the age of Trump
For the better part of 2016 I’ve been contributing to Time Out Austin‘s quarterly print edition, writing features about theatre/dance and also providing listings of upcoming productions. Now, I’ll be working for Time Out on a more regular basis, providing theatre/dance-related weekly blog posts. You can check out the first one here, and stay tuned to the Time Out Austin blog for weekly posts:
Four holiday theater performances to catch this winter (that aren’t The Nutcracker)
My friends Morgan and Mic host their own podcast, called Beauty and the Bitch, that would be of interest to readers of my work. They cover lots of topics about geeky pop culture, genre fiction, movies, and whatever else it is they’re geeking out over at any given moment.
With the upcoming Justice League movie hitting theaters this month, they kindly invited me to come on their show and share some of my thoughts about the DCEU (DC Comics’ movie universe) and about the Justice League in general. Normally I hate how I sound in interviews, but I actually think I come off OK in this one!
Here’s the episode I appear in, but you should go back and listen to all of their shows:
And finally, I’m still hard at work writing freelance reviews (and a few features) for the Austin American-Statesman/Austin360. Although almost all of these shows are long gone at the time of writing this, I wanted to post their links for posterity:
Summer Stock Austin’s ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ brings young stars to stage
Elvis, Johnny Cash and more come to life in Zach’s ‘Million Dollar Quartet’
Science fiction tale delivers powerful real-life messages about race
Forget story — TexArts’ ‘Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ is all about musical fun
‘Building the Wall’ a riveting warning about political extremes
Monologue, memoir and stand-up comedy: One-man show tackles loss and language
‘Storm Still’ explores family dynamics through one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies
Austin Shakespeare finds timely political message in classic play
Broadway hit ‘Rent’ still speaks to the misfit in us all
Austin Playhouse’s ‘This Random World’ reveals the hidden ties that bind us
Glam rock meets the Bard in Hidden Room’s ‘Henry IV’
Girl power puts ‘The Wolves’ ahead of the pack
Young actor gives star turn as troubled, tempestuous ‘Prodigal Son’
Texas State’s ‘A Chorus Line’ is a singular sensation
Secrets, lies and revelations in new theater company’s first production
Trouble Puppet Theater ties history to today’s politics
The Vortex’s bloody ‘Vampyress’ is an adults-only Halloween treat
Zach Theatre’s ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ has snazzy special effects but somewhat soggy story
‘Woman in Black’ offers classic scares for Halloween
See another powerful work from ‘Moonlight’ writer on stage in ‘The Brothers Size’
‘Dry Land’ is a gripping first production from a new Austin theater company
Young cast shines in somewhat updated, still problematic ‘Crucible’
And that’s just about that for this mega-update! Sorry for the very long lapse, and hopefully it won’t happen again.
Here’s a preview of the National Tour of Fun Home that I wrote for the Austin American-Statesman, featuring an interview with the incredibly smart and erudite playwright/lyricist Lisa Kron.
