Tony Mastroianni Review Collection

Theater Reviews

A

  • Hans Conried Superb in Carroll Play
    "The Absence of a Cello" played for two performances at John Carroll University yesterday. In the cast were Hans Conried, Ruth McDevitt, Michaele Myers, Florida Friebus, Donald Buka, Eldon Quick an d Nancy Priddy. Capsule comment: A witty attack on the organization man splendidly played.
  • Zindel's "Miss Reardon" jabs a lot
    [And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little] NEW YORK -- Paul Zindel, whose play "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" went from the Cleveland Play house to off-Broadway success, has another play -- this one on Broadway.
  • "Any Wednesday" Given New Twist
    "Any Wednesday" opened last night at the Play House Euclid-77th Theater. In the cast are Susan Sullivan, William Paterson, Susan Sadler, David Snell. Directed by -Raphael Kelly. Final curtain: 10:40 p.m.

B

  • "Baker Street" Has the Holmes Touch  NEW YORK -- The Sherlock Holmes buff is bound to approach "Baker Street," a musical comedy about the great detective, with some trepidation. I did. But I remained to be captivated by what goes on on the stage of the Broadway Theater where the show is now playing.
  • "Barefoot" Draws Laughs at Drury
    "Barefoot In the Park" opened last night at the Play House Drury Theater. In the cast are Dorothy Paxton, William Howey, Richard Oberlin, Sandra Kane, Vaughn McBride and L.Bramer Carlson. Final curtain: 10:45 p.m.
  • Beatles? Yeah, yeah, yeah!
    [The Beatlemania] The Beatles are gone but the myth lives on. Their music is everywhere but the nearest you will get to the myth, to a very small taste of the very large excitement that pervaded an era of entertainment, is visiting "Beatlemania," a show that opened at the Palace last night.
  • Lakewood Players Superb in "Becket"
    "Becket" opened at Lakewood Little Theater last night. Among those in the cast are Paul Orgill, Griff Davies, Earl Keyes and Ned Eckhardt. Capsule judgment: Best production of the season, and perhaps many seasons, for Lakewood Little Theater.
  • Porter tunes at Palace are easy to love
    [Ben Bagley's Decline and Fall of the Entire World as seen Through the Eyes of Cole Porter] The show is zippy, effervescent, campy, novel and it bears the gosh-awful title of 'Ben Bagley's Decline and Fall of the Entire World as seen Through the Eyes of Cole Porter." It opened at the 51-year~old Palace Theater last night and it just could keep that theater aglow through the holidays and beyond.
  • "Black Comedy" Brightens Hanna
    "Black Comedy," a wildly slapstick affair imported from England, opened at the Hanna last night and proved to be as much an assault on the ear drums as it was an appeal to laughter.
  • Margaret Hamilton Sparks "Spirit"
    [Blithe Spirit] Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit" opened last night at the Play House Euclid-77th Theater. In the cast are Margaret Hamilton, Richard Halverson, Judith Adams, Jeanne Vanderbilt, Mary Shelley. Final curtain is at 11:10 p.m.
  • Baldwin's "Mister Charlie" Is Smothered in Protest
    "Blues for Mister Charlie" opened last night in Karamu's Proscenium Theater. Among those in the cast are Horace Rickerson, Ed Dean, Herbert Kerr Jr., Nick Brodella, Ciril Robbins, Gloria Parker and Nolan Bell. Directed by Dorothy Silver. Capsule comment: a protest play that is more protest than play; a production more theatrical than its material.
  • Karamu Revives Rodgers-Hart Opus
    [The Boys From Syracuse] Of the more than two dozen Rodgers and Hart shows that filled the American musical theater in the period between two world wars there is hardly one that did not contribute one or more enduring songs.


C-D

  • "Carnival" Stirs Musicarnival Fans
    "Carnival" opened the 10th season of Musicarnivai last night. Among those in the cast are Marcia King, Robert Brooks, Joan Kibrig, Richard Tone and Jerry Rice. Capsule judgment: Staging "Carnival" in that big tent couldn't be more appropriate. It is as though the show had been written for Musicarnival.
  • Catch Me If You Can
    "Catch Me If You Can" is the opening attraction at the Canal Fulton Summer Arena. In the cast are Dennis Weaver, Charles Hudson, Pamela Grey, Dan Hogan, Don Fenwick. Capsule comment: Comedy-murder mystery; a little thin but with a bangup ending.
  • "Coco"-Hepburn is unforgettable
    "Coco" which opened last night at the Music Hall, is a Katharine Hepburn special. It pretends to be a musical, but we know better, we fans of the great Miss Hepburn....January 12, 1971
  • Wooing 'Cyrano' Wows Lakewood
    [Cyrano de Bergerac] The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival abandoned the Bard last night to present Edmond Rostand's ever durable, ever romantic "Cyrano de Bergerac." The production undoubtedly will be the box office hit of the season.
  • "Deadly Game" Is Unique Mystery
    "The Deadly Game" opened at Lakewood Little Theater last night. Among those in the cast are Joe Judson, Earl Keyes, Cliff Donley, William Snider, Cleve Dunn. Guest director is Griff Davies. Capsule judgment: A mystery melodrama that strains credulity but is engaging none the less.
  • Show's Title at Karamu Is Biggest Laugh
    "The Death and Life of Sneaky Fitch" opened last night at Karamu's Arena Theater. In the cast are Nolan Bell, Harold Taylor, Ed Dean, Harry Spencer, Alan Fodor, Jack Crail and Mary Holt. Capsule comment: Nolan Bell proves again that he can milk laughs from just about anything.
  • "Detective Story" Is a Drag
    "Detective Story" opened last night in the Karamu Proscenium Theater. In the cast are J. Herbert Kerr Jr., Paul M. Fredrix, Bob Washnitzer, David L. Coleman, Jim Wilcher, Gloria Parker. Guest directed by Don Bianchi. Capsule comment: Strong melodrama loses some of Its strength through a too slow production.
  • "Devil's Disciple" makes a funny, pleasant evening
    'The Devil's Disciple" has been revived at the Play House Euclid-77th Theater, and while the revival is not all it should be, it is nonetheless an extremely pleasant evening's entertainment. Indeed, it is a great deal of fun and the audience response is one of much glee and laughter.
  • 'Waltz' Is Merry in KenIey Version
    [Do I Hear A Waltz] Richard Rodgers' musical "Do I Hear A Waltz?" is being performed in Warren by the Kenley Players in a brash and noisy manner that pleases the audience even though it is not in keeping with the rueful quality of the story nor the quiet, rather ordinary music by the composer.
  • Play House Cast Dissects Doctors
    [The Doctor's Dilemma] George Bernard Shaw's "The Doctor's Dilemma" began a four-week run at the Play House Drury Theater last night. Among those in the cast are William Paterson, Robert Allman, Margaret Victor and Charles Keating. Capsule judgment: Dr. Ben Casey wouldn't like it, but just about everyone else will.
  • Play House's "Dylan" Is Spotty
    "Dylan" opened last night at the Play House Drury Theater. Among those in the cast are Richard Oberlin, Patricia Elliott, Larry Tarrant, Robert Allman and Judith Adams. Capsule comment: A dramatic but often episodic account of the last days of the poet Dylan Thomas.

 

E-G

  • "End of Road" too verbose
    [End of the Road] Dobama Theater this week began its presentation of "End of the Road," a new play by Daniel Morris adapted from the novel by John Barth. ...April 3, 1971
  • "Enter Laughing" Has Lakewood Amused
    "Enter Laughing" opened last night at Lakewood Little Theater. Among those in the cast are David Stewart, Ton Hoty, James Anderson, Barbara-Anne Swearingen, Jan Bruggeman, Daniel Ensel and James Wilcox. Capsule judgment: Engaging and mirthful, just right for the advent of warm weather.
  • Talented Troupe Scores at Hanna
    "From the Second City" opened last night at the Hanna. Comic revue with Bill Alton, Robert Beneditti, Severn Darden, Judy Graubart, Sally Hart and David Steinberg. Capsule judgment: Talented and hard working company in an often funny but uneven entertainment.
  • "Front Page" is still a merry scoop
    [The Front Page] Get over to the Play House Euclid-77th theater and take a look at the sort of farce-melodrama the late. Iate show can only suggest but never deliver.
  • Hanna's "Funny Girl" Is Big, Bright and Brassy
    "Funny Girl" opened at the Hanna last night for a three-week run. In the cast are Marilyn Michaels, Anthony George, Danny Carroll and Lillian Roth. CapsuIe comment: Big, bright, brassy and entertaining -- a production that is better than its material.
  • "Kenley Helps "Funny Girl' by Adding Song, 'My Man'
    [Funny Girl] For those who wondered -- and there were many -- how an honest-to-gosh Fanny Brice song would sound in "Funny Girl," the musical pseudo-biography of the Ziegfield star, the answer is that it sounds good enough to make the rest of the Jule Styne score pretty pallid.
  • Old, New Clash in "Generation"
    "Generation" opened last night at the Hanna. In the cast are Don Porter, Jerome Cowan, Charlotte Glenn and John Luce. Final curtain: 10:50 p. m.
  • Vintage Camp? Not "Gentlemen"
    "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is playing at Western Reserve University's Eldred Theater through Saturday night. In the cast are Roberta Hingson, Nancy Smith, Don Ilko and James Badal. Capsule comment: An interesting and sometimes funny example at what people laughed at 40 years ago.
  • Kenley Offers Uneven "Gigi"
    "Gigi" is being presented by the Kenley Players in Warren's Packard Music Hall. In the cast are Imelda De Martin, Anna Russell, George Hamilton and Jan McArt. Capsule review: The Anita Loos play has been turned into a diverting but uneven pseudo-musical by taking bits and pieces of operatic melodies and inserting them here and there with Iyrics.
  • "Godspell" wins critic's blessing......"Godspell" full of parables, joy  
    [Godspell] Blessed are the joyous en.tertainers for they shall have fun, profit and applause. Blessed is "Godspell" for it will fill Lakewood Civic Hall to over flowing. Blessed is John Michael Tebelak for making the gospel according to St. Matthew as catchy as it must have been almost 2000 years ago....August 12, 1971
  • "Guys, Dolls" isn't well-rounded
    "Guys and Dolls" is one of the best musical comedies of all time. It is so good it even survives scaled-down indifferently directed productions. It is one of these that opened last night at the Front Row Theater. And yet I enjoyed it. You can't help enjoying Frank Loesser's words and music, Abe Burrows' play based on a couple of Damon Runyan stories and all those Runyan characters.
  • Dailey and Kenley Players Tops in "Guys and Dolls"
    [Guys and Dolls] The Kenley Players' production of "Guys and Dolls" opened last night at Warren's Packard Music Hall. In the cast are Dan Dailey, Sherry O'Neil, Sid Stone, Carolyn Maye and Jack DeLon. Capsule judgment: Big, brash musical comedy by an all-round perfect company.

H

  • "Hair" at Hanna -- a four letter show
    "Hair" - the most overrated and over-amplified show in the history of musicals-opened at the Hanna last night. Nothing I say here will have any affect, the show also being oversold well before its opening.
  • New "Hamlet" is a puzzle
    [Hamlet ] Charles Marowitz' version Of "Hamlet" opened at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival last night and it is a game of who said what and when and what happened next....August 10 1972.
  • Hello, Dolly! -- Old Favorite Is Better This Time at the Hanna
    [Hello Dolly] You keep telling yourself that there is no logical reason why "Hello, Dolly!" should be the major hit that it is; that there are better musicals enjoying far less success.
  • Carol Is Given Standing Ovation
    [Hello Dolly] Carol Channing received a standing ovation after her performance of "Hello Dolly!" at Music hall last night. It was the real thing, too, not a matter of half the audience pausing briefly before making a run for the parking lot, which is what most standing ovations are.
  • Lakewood's Henry VI Just Right
    "Henry Vl" opened last night at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival. Adapted, edited and directed by Mario Siletti. Among those in the cast are Siletti, Emery Battis, Larry Linville, Gregory Abels, Clarence Felder, Ruby Holbrook and Ann Gee Byrd. Capsule review: Shakespearean historical drama for people who don't like Shakespearean historical drama.
  • Pinter's "Homecoming" Is Frankly Just Pinter
    [The Homecoming] The playwright who is very much "in" right now is Harold Pinter. Admiration for him verges on cultism. It is a cult to which I do not belong. Be that as it may, Pinter's most famous work, "The Homecoming," opened at the Hanna last night and the theatrically adventurous have a week in which to sample two hours of Pinterisms.
  • Play House Has a Brawl in "Hostage"
    "The Hostage" opened last night at the Play House Drury Theater. Off-beat comedy in three acts. Among those in the cast are Robert Allman, June Gibbons, Edith Owen, Bob Moak, Susan McArthur, Robert Snook, Vaughn McBride. Final curtain 11:15 p.m.

I-K

  • Lovely Jane Powell Please in "I Do" at Musicarnival
    "I Do! I Do!" which opened at Musicarnival last night, is an ode to married love that is a mixture of almost equal parts of laughs and songs. It is diminutive Jane Powell, for the moment pregnant, waddling across the stage to John Ericson as her husband who is suffering in bed with labor pains.
  • Acting Saves "Impossible Years"
    [The Impossible Years] A series of brief jokes punctuated by the expressive eyebrows of Sam Levene, opened at the Hanna last night. The jokes have been strung together into something called "The Impossible Years." It passes for a play but more closely resembles a television situation comedy minus the commercials.
  • "In White America" Is Vital, Moving
    "In White America" opened last night at Karamu Arena Theater. In the cast are Jamie Green, Lois McGuire, Done Saine, Harold Taylor, Tedd Burr, Rhoda Payne, Horace Rickerson and Isaiah D. Ruffin. Capsule comment: Documentary drama put on by a powerful acting group.
  • Gogol Play Misinterpreted
    [The Inspector General] The Play House Season opened last night with Gogol's "The Inspector General." The play is a superb satire but unfortunately it is being done like a comic opera.
  • A straw hat and a merry chase
    "An Italian Straw Hat" by Eugene Labiche may be an outstanding example of 19th Century French farce, but it is hardly a play to be approached with reverence.
  • Characters star in O'Casey play
    [Juno and the Paycock] The title characters in Sean O'Casey's "Juno and the Paycock" are by now, immortal roles. And in the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival production of the play which opened last night they get the kind of performances that immortal roles deserve.
  • Lewis, audience love each other
    [Jerry Lewis at Musicarnival] Last night at a sauna bath otherwise known as Musicarnival Jerry Lewis and Helen O'Connel perspired for the people. Lewis, moving around as though he were committed to setting some kind of track record, couldn't have had more moisture streaming off of his face if he had been caught in a cloudburst.
  • Joel Grey came back and they're glad he did
    [Joel Grey - Cleveland Play House Benefit] So identified is he with the satanic master of ceremonies in "Cabaret" and the strutting hero of "George M" that some persons may have forgotten the real Joel Grey who brought life to those roles.
  • Modern Caesar Rocks Lakewood
    [Julius Caesar] Helmeted cops move the crowd along and the sound of rock music seeps across the stage. Julius Caesar wears a business suit and Mark Antony, fresh from running a race, looks like the jogger next door in his sweatsuit.

L-M

  • Play House Cast Romps in "Father"
    "Life With Father" opened last night at the Play House Drury Theater. Among those in the cast are William Paterson, Mary Hopkins, David Heppard, Catherine Heiser and Dorothy, Martin, Douglas and Richard Quinn Jr. Capsule comment: A rollicking good play that recalls the days when the father ruled his family with an iron hand. Now there, sir,was a man!
  • Angry Osborne play still hits hard today
    [Look Back in Anger] John Osborne's "Look Back in Anger" opened at the Play House Drury Theater last night and although the program is filled with references to remind you that this is a 1956 play there is nothing terribly dated about it....December 22, 1973
  • "Luv" Leaves 'Em Laughing
    "Luv," Murray Schisgal's antic farce in which he holds an amusement park mirror up to life, opened at the Play House Drury Theater last night and the Play House in this, its second production, may have a show that will satisfy its customers.
  • Eerie "Marat" at the Hanna Deeply Moving Experience
    "Marat/Sade" opened last night at the Hanna. Among those in the cast are William Roerick, Robert Fields, Mary Nettum, Igors Gavon. Final curtain: 10:55 p. m.
  • Non-Shakespeare Plays at Festival Really Spirited
    [The Marriage Proposal] Chekhov's "The Marriage Proposal" and Moliere's "The School for Wives" were presented last night by the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival. In "Proposal" are Arthur Lithgow, Ralph Drischell. Anne Gee Byrd. "School" features Mario Siletti, Charlotte Glenn, James Tripp and Kate Geer. Capsule review: Two comedies about the battle of the sexes are done with exhausting energy all of the time and with style most of the time. The Chekhov is presented as low comedy, the Moliere as broad farce.
  • "Mary, Mary" Is Very, Very Merry
    "Mary, Mary" opened last night at the Play House Euclid-77th Theater. In the cast are Judith Adams, Robert Allman, Richard Oberlin, Suzanne Sullivan and George Vafiadis. Capsule judgment: The modern theater's most popular comedy is deftly done by this Play House cast.
  • Rock Musical tells of big city ghetto
    "The Me Nobody Knows" was an off Broadway musical. It is a year old and is now on Broadway. It is a rock musical about big city ghetto life, notably among the blacks and Puerto G Ricans.
  • Festival Offers Full "Measure"
    [Measure for Measure] The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival presented "Measure for Measure" last night at the Lakewood Civic Auditorium. Among those in the cast are Donald Moffat, Anne Murray, Edward Grover, Edward Zang, Emery Battis and David Ford. Capsule judgment: Staging and acting make you almost forget the creaking machinery in this play.
  • Cast enhances rock musical "Merry Wives"
    "The Merry Wives"opened at the Berea Summer Theater last night. This is a folk-rock musical version of Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor." ...August 18, 1972
  • "Merry Wives" Steal the Show  STRATFORD, Ont.
    "The Merry Wives of Windsor" may be Falstaff's play as written, but actress Zoe Caldwell as one of the wives took possession of it last night as the Stratford Festival opened its third work of the season.
  • Lakewood Cast Great in Shaw Play
    [Misalliance] The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival played George Bernard Shaw last night. The audience won. The play is Shaw's "Misalliance," more dialog than plot, more debate than play. But such dialog! This is wit and sophistication at its best, thoughtful phrases sugar-coated with fun. And between moments of erudition, Shaw tossed off enough one-line gags to keep a comic in business for an entire season.
  • Miss Gaynor gains again -- brings fans to feet
    The Mitzi Gaynor show opened at Musicarnival last night and the lovely, enchanting Miss Gaynor wore 13 different costumes. That's what I counted -- 13.
  • "Morgan Yard" registers a success as one-woman show
    "The Morgan Yard" has a cast of six but it is the nearest thing to a one-woman show the Play House has offered. The one woman is Evie McElroy and the play could have been written as a vehicle just for her.
  • Play House Cast Proves Old Comedy Revives Well
    [Morning's At Seven] Aware that there is an audience over 25 as well as under, the Play House last night revived Paul Osborne's "Morning's At Seven," a warm and touching comedy about that other generation, the older one.
  • Lakewood "Mouse" Amuses
    "The Mouse That Roared" opened last night at Lakewood Little Theater. Among those in the cast are Cleve Dunn, Richard Overmyer, Angela Kochera, Tom Slowey, James Anderson and Art Tupa. Capsule judgment: The story of the tiny country that declared war on the U.S., and won it with bows and arrows, is still amusing but is ill-suited to little theater production.
  • Cast Is Superb in "My Fair Lady"
    "My Fair Lady" opened last night at Musicarnival. In the cast are Ronald Drake, Naomi Collier, Leonard Elliott, Lloyd Battista, Harry Theyard and Cynthia Latham. Capsule judgment: This first-class musical brings out the best in everybody.
  • "...a play in which just about everyone is murdered and which improves in direct proportion to the number of victims."
    "Mystery Play," which opened last night at Dobama Theater, is by Jean Claude van Italie who wrote "America, Hurrah!" Both are absurdist drama but beyond that have little in common.

N-P

  • Godfrey & Co. Wow 'em at Warren
    [Never Too Late] The Kenley Players' presentation this week is "Never Too Late," which opened last week at Warren's Packard Music Hall. In the cast are Maureen O'Sullivan, Arthur Godfrey, Richard Mulligan and Bette Lieb. Capsule review: Hilarious treatment of the popular play about a middle-aged couple about to become parents again.
  • Ruby and company make "Nanette" a gem
    "No, No, Nanette" is a yes-yes. Even in a good musical comedy season,which this is not, this show would deserve to be a success. The revival of the 1925 musical has been done with elegance, style and an abundance of talent.
  • Gig Young Excellent in "Albatross"
    "Nobody Loves an Albatross," which opened last night as a Kenley Players' presentation in Warren stars Gig Young as a lovable rat. The play is about a television writer and producer who hasn't written anything in years. He just puts his name on scripts written by underpaid hacks whom he convinces he is honoring by doing so.
  • "Oliver" Given Snappy Performance at Musicarnival
    "Oliver" opened at Musicarnival last night Among those in the cast are John Astin, Darel Glaser, Yin Sun, Danny Sewell, George Priolo and Clifford Steere. Capsule comment: A snappy, sparkling production of this musical comedy version of the Dickens' classic.
  • Trimmed "Oliver" Is Fair Musical
    "Oliver" opened last night in Warren, a presentation of the Kenley Players. Among those in the cast are Walter Slezak, Elizabeth Allen, Michel Thom, Douglas Norwick. Capsule Comment: A few good songs stand out in this trimmed down production of a fair musical and a good family show.
  • John Raitt and Marcia Rodd Join to Brighten "Day"
    [On a Clear Day You Can See Forever] What a difference a good baritone and an actress with a grasp of her role can make. The baritone is the excellent John Raitt and the actress, who can sing beautifully as well, is Marcia Rodd and both do wonders for "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" which opened at Musicarnival last night.
  • Cuckoo's Nest has thrills, laughs, sobs
    [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest] "You gotta laugh," says the man, "especially when things ain't funny." The speaker is the protagonist in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," the play which opened at the Play House Euclid - 77th Theater last night, As a bit of simple philosophy it is either something you instinctively understand or you feel no explanation is possible.
  • "110 in the Shade," but Very Pleasant
    "110 in the Shade" opened last night in Karamu Proscenium Theater. In the cast are Providence Hollander, Bill Bourguin, William Engel, Harry Caldwell, Sonny Thompson and Sharon Lee. Capsule comment: Good play, fair music, pleasant evening.
  • Shakespeare opening borders on comedy
    "Othello" opened the 10th season of the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival last night in a production that offered great acting acting moments but which more often smacked of melodrama than tragedy.
  • "Othello" with no holes, Bard
    [Othello] The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival has saved the best until last with its production of "Othello," the finest staging of the play in this area that I can recall.
  • "Philadelphia" a Play of Filial Devotion
    "Philadelphia, Here I Come" opened last night at the Hanna. Comedy-drama. Among those in the cast are Donal Donnelly, Patrick Bedford, Mairin D. O'Sullivan and Eamon Kelly. Final curtain: 11:10 p.m.
  • The Physicists 
    "The Physicists" by Friedrich Durrenmatt opened last night at the Play House Drury Theater. In the cast are Robert Snook, William Paterson, Bob Moak, Edith Owen and Patricia Elliott. Capsule judgment: An intellectually .adventurous play that is entertaining as well as stimulating.
  • "Pickwick" Pleases Like the Dickens
    "Pickwick" opened last night at the Hanna, will play through Aug. 7. In the cast are Harry Secombe, David Jones, Charlotte Rae, Anton Rodgers, Julian Orchard, John Call and Oscar Quitak. Capsule review: Musical comedy version of the Dickens work is visually opulent, well performed and pleasantly tuneful.
  • Namath's no picnic in role, but Kenley crowd didn't care
    [Picnic] Joe Namath made his stage debut with the Kenley Players in Akron last night in "Picnic." The former first string football player is strictly second string as an actor. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't good either. On the strength of this performance, Broadway Joe isn't likely to male it to Broadway.
  • Puppetry at Hanna Is Great
    "Pinocchio," a musical fantasy with puppets, opened last night at the Hanna. Conceived and directed by Bobby Clark and featuring 102 marionettes. Capsule comment: Loaded with enchantment. If puppetry is a lost art this should bring it back.
  • "Plaza Suite" is loaded with laughs
    [Plaza Suite] The Play House will be closing its season on a happy and presumably successful note this year. The reason is "Plaza Suite," a piece of sure-fire entertainment that opened in the Euclid 77th Theater last night.
  • "Prisoner" finds humor in life
    [The Prisoner of Second Avenue] Neil Simon's "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" opened last night at the Hanna and it is another in Simon's growing number of comedies based on serious situations.

R-S

  • Sex-linked violence batters emotions of Play House goers
    [The Removalists] A man is handcuffed to the doorknob of his own apartment. Systematically an oafish policeman drives a fist into his stomach, gives him a kidney punch, smashes a knee into his groin.
  • Festival presents a new "Richard III"
    [Richard III] What has been billed as a different interpretation o f Shakespeare's "Richard III" opened last night at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival. It was to be different in that Richard was to be less a deformed, crippled monster and more of an exciting, fascinating man...July 27, 1972
  • Stirring Lincoln-Douglas Debates Brought to Life by Play House Trio
     "The Rivalry" by Norman Corwin opened last night at the Play House Brooks Theater. In the cast are Beth Oaks, Robert Snook and George Vafiadis. Capsule judgment: Acting that carefully delineates characters makes this non-play an enjoyable, often stirring evening of theater.
  • "Greasepaint" Has Dab for Everyone
    "The Roar of the Greasepaint -- The Smell of the Crowd" opened at the Hanna last night for a one week run. In the cast are Anthony Newley, Cyril Ritchard, Sally Smith, Gilbert Price and Joyce Jillson. Capsule judgment: A musical for everyone -- the high brows, the low brows and the folks who just like to hum a good tune.
  • "Romeo and Juliet" Young and Zesty
    "Romeo and Juliet," the second Production in the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, opened last night at Lakewood Civic Auditorium. Among those in the cast are DeVeren Bookwalter, Brita Brown, Edward Grover, David Ford, Ruby Holbrook, Emery Battis and Anne Murray. Capsule judgment: This is a "Romeo and Juliet" that is youthful in its spirit and tumultuous -- though sometimes overly so.
  • "1776" captures colonial capers
    "1776" is a wonderful show; a pleasant, satisfying and superb production that leaves you sorry it is over. The musical play opened at the Hanna last night where it will remain for three weeks. I wonder if the cast realized how unusual it is to take a curtain call with most of the Hanna audience still seated. Maybe others also shared the feel-successful as the show has ended because they stayed on and applauded rather than rushing for the exits.
  • Cruise a Bit Long for "Show Boat"
    "Show Boat" opened last night at Musicarnival. Among those in the cast are Mace Barrett, Judith McCauley, Alfred Dennis, Lynn Osborne, Dick Latessa, William C. Smith and Cynthia Latham. Capsule judgment: Like ole' man river, this hardy musical rolls right along. The cruise, a lengthy one at the tent theater, is helped along by an excellent cast.
  • Best of Sondheim, end to end
    [Side By Side By Sondheim] I've seen "Side By Side By Sondheim" twice before, but never in a livelier staging than it received last night at the Play House Euclid-77th Theater. It's a good show to begin with, almost foolproof. The added touch that imaginative staging gives it makes it excellent.
  • Excellent Cast Gives Superb Play in Stunning New Dobama Setting  
    [The Sign in Sydney Brustein's Window] Dobama Theater opened last night after more than four years of darkness. It is in its new home in Cleveland Heights, a new arena theater that is solid and functional and handsome.
  • Meditative play earn praise
    [Silent Night, Lonely Night] Robert Anderson's "Silent Night, Lonely Night" opened last night at Dobama, thus getting its Cleveland premiere almost 20 years to the day after its opening night (Dec. 3, 1959) on Broadway.
  • "Sleuth": Enjoy. But don't talk about it
    "Sleuth" is a humdinger, a perfect melodrama, a suspense play that keeps you guessing right up to the end. There is a dearth of good mystery plays, and to have one at all is cause for cheering, but to have one as good as this is beyond belief.
  • "Gold Cadillac" shines again 
    [Solid Gold Cadillac] "This is not business," the government official says. I've discovered something in Washington. It's honesty. "Those are lines out of "Solid Gold Cadillac," the 1963 play that is being revived at Caine Park's Alma Theater and which opened last night.
  • Dobama triple header is first class theater
    [Stop, You're Killing Me] Dobama Theater is Cleveland's off-Broadway theater in the best sense of the term. The group proved it again last night by doing what a dedicated and skillful theater group is expected to do-to try something new, inject into its own personality and do it all with skill...January, 15, 1971
  • Play House Receives an "A" for "Strong Are Lonely"
    "The Strong Are Lonely" opened last night at the Play House Euclid-77th Theater and the unfamiliar play proves to be a sturdy one with both emotional and intellectual appeal.
  • Chita Gives Generously of Talent in 'Sweet Charity'
    [Sweet Charity] There are approximately four dozen very talented people occupying the stage of Musicarnival this week and next, but for all practical purposes the production that opened last night is a one-woman show.

T-V

  • Hanna Company Great in O'Neill's 'Touch of Poet'
    [A Touch of the Poet] Having had fun by romping through a 17th Century French farce Monday night, the National Repertory Theater last night displayed the extent of its capabilities by presenting Eugene O'Neill's "A Touch of the Poet" at the Hanna.
  • Lakewood's "Yum Yum Tree" Leaves Audience Laughing
    "Under the Yum Yum Tree" opened last night at Lakewood Little Theater. In the cast are Paul Singer, Valerie London, Kaey MacMurdo and Tom Slowey. Capsule judgment: Not a terribly good play to begin with, "Yum Yum Tree" is even less good in a little theater production in spite of the best efforts of a hardworking cast.
  • "Volpone" Done Well by Chagrin Cast
    "Volpone" opened last night at Chagrin Valley Little Theater. Among those in the cast are John Price, Pauline IIomi, Nat Kaufman, Anne Temple, Rollin BeVere, Jim Albrecht. Capsule comment: Generally entertaining presentation of Ben Jonson's mocking comedy presented in a mixture of styles.

W-Z

  • Hanna's "Dark" on Chilling Side
    "Wait Until Dark" opened last night at the Hanna for a one-week run. Mystery-melodrama in two acts. Among those in the cast are Shirley Jones, Jack Cassidy, Harris Yulin, Val Bisoglio. Curtain down at 10:55 p. m.
  • Stirring "Wall" at Jewish Center
    "The Wall" is being presented at the Jewish Community Center. It will receive six more performances during the next two weekends. Among those in the cast are Arnold Palmer, Phyllis Ross, Chaim Rosenberg and Catherine Popovic. Capsule judgment: an ambitious and successful production of a stirring drama.
  • Play House Romps Through "Toreadors"
    "The Waltz of the Toreadors" by Jean Anouilh opened last night at the Play House Drury Theater. In the cast are William Paterson, Sally Noble, Rhoda Koret, Frank T. Wells, Larry Tarrant. Capsule judgment: A romp for the Play House company, a personal triumph for William Paterson.
  • Feiffer play is collection of short sketches
    [The White House Murder Case] If you like your humor offbeat, satirical and a trifle black, then "The White House Murder Case," which opened at the Play House Drury Theater last night, is perfect for your taste.
  • "Virginia Woolf" at Karamu is a powerful production
    [Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?] Edward Albee's 1962 play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" has been revived at Karamu's Arena Theater. The language that shocked theater goers then is common place now. Therefore what power the play has can be observed in a new light, and the fact remains that the work is as lacerating as ever.
  • "Virginia Woolf" Projects Horrors of Empty Lives
    "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" opened last night at the Play House Drury Theater. In the cast are Jo Ann Finnell, William Paterson, Larry Tarrant and Catherine Heiser. Capsule Comment: A disturbing and terrifying portrait of people bent on self-destruction.
  • "Wildcat" Gushes Fun at Big Tent
    "Wildcat" opened at Musicarnival last night. Among those in the cast are Mark Dawson, Norma Doggett, Maryann Hillyer, Bill Galarno and Robert Miragliotta. Capsule judgment: Weak play, fair music, pleasant show.
  • Heroine in "Wings" soars above illness
    [Wings] Emily Stilson (June Gibbons) sits in a chair reading. A clock tick loudly. A light shines on the clock. The clock misses a beat and she looks startled for a moment, then turns back to her book. The sound again is altered. The light goes out, there is stillness and the book falls from hands.
  • Light Side Shows Best in "Tale"
    "The Winter's Tale" opened last night at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival. Among those in the cast are Hugh Alexander, Emery Battis, Norma Joseph, Susan Willis, Mario Siletti, Margret O'Neill. Capsule comment: Emphasis is on the comedy in a production that almost keeps the viewer from too close an examination of a romantic melodrama that just will not stand examination.
  • Cast Mops Up Soggy Spots in "Water"
    [You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running] What "You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running" is all about is sex, that's what it's all about. And a lesser playwright than Robert Anderson and a lesser company than the one that opened at the Hanna last night would have turned it into a nightmare.
  • Shaw play is flimsy -- but fun
    [You Never Can Tell] The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival moved from Shakespeare to Shaw last night and from serious matters to high comedy. The season's second production is "You Never Can Tell," George Bernard Shaw's comedy about love.
  • "You Never Can Tell" Is Fun and Well Done
    "You Never Can Tell," by George Bernard Shaw, opened last night in the Play House Drury Theater. Among those in the cast are Robert Allman, Charles Keating, Edith Owen, Michael Horgan, Margaret Victor, Susan Stirling and Peter Bartlett. Capsule comment: Bright and witty; an evening of pure fun.