Broome Arts Mirror – Local Theatre Reviews
The Broome Arts Mirror is a group of volunteers affiliated with the Broome County Arts Council who write previews and reviews about local performances and arts shows. For inquiries, including having someone review your local production, please contact us at bamirror@broomearts.org.
BLAST’s ‘Making God Laugh’ entertains both as comedy and drama
Reviewed by George Basler One of life’s certainties is that it can throw you some curve balls. Circumstances change. You change. Plans you make at age 20 morph into something different when you reach 40. That’s the premise of Making God Laugh, a heartfelt “dramedy” by Sean Grennan that opened [...]
KNOW Theatre’s annual Playwrights & Artists Festival opens this weekend
By George Basler Rehearsing six plays over a period of some three weeks is a lot of work, says Tim Gleason, artistic director of Binghamton’s KNOW Theatre. So why does he do it? “It’s fascinating what happens,” he said. “Giving birth to something new is exciting.” What Gleason [...]
Holiday season provides a rich menu of local performances
By George Basler and Barb Van Atta As much a part of the holiday season as Santa Claus, long shopping lines and family get-togethers are popular annual productions by local arts organizations. From pop and classical music to holiday-themed plays and dance performances, the schedule is a full one [...]
BLAST to present warm play about changing family dynamics
By George Basler The play Making God Laugh takes its theme from a quote attributed to comedian/director Woody Allen: “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” The comedy/drama by Sean Grennan follows a typical American family (mother, father and three grown children) over a span of [...]
Philharmonic symphonic series continues Nov. 16
The second concert in the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra’s M&T Bank Symphonic Series, “Thresholds,” is being billed as “an evening of three remarkable works from across two centuries.” Featured on Nov. 16 will be Hilary Purrington’s 2020 piece Threshold, an atmospheric soundscape of driving rhythms that explores the boundaries between motion and stillness; Felix Mendelssohn’s evocative Hebrides [...]
TCO to present poignant opera about World War I
By George Basler World War I was a slaughterhouse that led to an estimated 15-22 million military and civilian deaths. But amid the carnage, there was a moment of light and hope when soldiers from both sides spontaneously laid down their arms and left their trenches to mingle, [...]
Rising ballet stars to perform at BU
The American Ballet Theatre Studio Company will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 9) at Binghamton University's Anderson Center for the Performing Arts. The ABT Studio Company, the junior company of American Ballet Theatre, is made up of 12-18 rising stars of the ballet world between the ages [...]
EPAC heading down Yellow Brick Road with ‘Wizard of Oz’
By George Basler Eighty-five years have passed since Dorothy Gale, Toto and their three companions traveled down the Yellow Brick Road to Oz in the 1939 MGM movie classic. But The Wizard of Oz remains as timeless as ever, according to Pat Foti, artistic director at the Endicott Performing [...]
Opening BCO concerts features student competition winner
By Lee Shepherd Follow your career path or indulge your passion? Can you do both? Of course you can, said Evan Meccarello, music director of the Binghamton Community Orchestra. Performers in the BCO – the area’s pre-eminent amateur orchestra -- “excel in their chosen careers while continuing to perform [...]
Philharmonic hosts return of Dolphins String Quartet
This Sunday (Nov. 3), the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra will host the Broome County return of the Juilliard-based Dolphins String Quartet. The concert is part of the Philharmonic's Garufi Law P.C. Phelps Mansion Museum Series. The quartet enchanted Binghamton audiences last year when, in a breakout performance, it filled [...]
Face It! Theatre presenting provocative play about propaganda
By George Basler J. Vaclav Michalec was looking to present plays that deal with hard issues in the realm of social justice when he formed Face It! Theatre nine years ago. He wants to get people talking about these topics, conversations he believes are desperately needed at the present [...]
Soul Rebels bring funk/soul blend to BU
The Anderson Center for the Performing Arts will welcome The Soul Rebels to Binghamton University at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 for what promises to be a lively evening of music. The Soul Rebels started with an idea to expand upon the pop music the members loved on the [...]
Madrigal Choir concert is tribute to late conductor Borton
By Lee Shepherd The Madrigal Choir of Binghamton, under the baton of guest director Theresa Lee-Whiting, opens its 46th season on Sunday, Oct. 27, with a concert titled “Love Never Ends.” At this special event, the choir carries on the indelible legacy of beloved conductor Dr. Bruce E. Borton, [...]
Sing along to ABBA songs at Philharmonic concert
In the 1970s and early 1980s, the Swedish pop music group ABBA achieved worldwide success with catchy tunes and stage outfits that featured glittering hot pants, sequined jumpsuits and platform heels. Their iconic sound, if not the clothes, will come to Binghamton on Saturday, Oct. 26, for a 7:30 [...]
Southern Tier Singers’ Collective features world premiere at concert of Mediterranean music
By George Basler Of course, Aimee Backus hopes the Southern Tier Singers’ Collective (STSC) will please the ears of audience members in a concert, “Memories from the Mediterranean,” Sunday (Oct. 20) at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Johnson City. But she hopes for more as well. The composer [...]
