John O’Hara’s Stories of Strippers & Hustlers Spring to Life by Lynne Stevens “Pal Joey” opens with an enthusiastic overture from a live band of syncopated seniors. We all breathe a collective swoon when the band plays the familiar juke box numbers “I Could Write a Book” and “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered.” These lush,…
Michael Gene Sullivan Thrills with Betty Reid Soskin at 102 by Mary Lou Herlihy & Barry David Horwitz You will find much to enjoy in the richly conceived, cleverly staged, deftly written, and beautifully performed “Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin.” Michael Gene Sullivan’s musical conjures four Betty…
Gayle Romasanta Brings Love to Farm Worker Legend by Vince Mediaa —first published at VmediArts “You must believe that our truth is in our heart.” —Larry Itliong Larry Itliong, father of the West Coast labor movement, joined with Cesar Chavez to start the Farm Workers Movement. In “Larry The Musical,” he emerges as a…
Finn & Lapine’s Revolutionary Musical Still Charms by Lynne Stevens The Jewish American tradition is rich with humor, melodrama, and heart. “Falsettos,” the enduring musical by William Finn and James Lapine bursts with energy and tells the truth about a 1980s New York Jewish family at the cusp of changing times. This peppy non-stop…