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.
Friends behaving badly: Chenango River Theatre staging comedy about art and friendship
By George BaslerChenango River Theatre is continuing its season with the Tony Award-winning play Art, which raises a series of questions about the worth of modern art and the fragile nature of friendship. The production, which open Friday (Aug. 26) and runs through Sept. 18, features Zach Curtis, CRT’s [...]
EPAC’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ to make magic this weekend
By Katherine Karlson The young thespians of Endicott Performing Arts Center want their audience to compare them, not to a summer’s day, but instead to the magical, mischievous midsummer night in the eponymous play by William Shakespeare that they will present this weekend (Aug. 18-21) at George W. Johnson [...]
‘Wayside Motor Inn’ leaves the light on for playgoers at the Phelps
By Nancy Oliveri Southern Tier Actors Read (S.T.A.R.) is in rehearsal this month for a reading of A.R. Gurney's 1977 two-act play Wayside Motor Inn. S.T.A.R. cofounder Judy McMahon, the play's director, allowed me to sit in on the initial table read this past Sunday (Aug. 5) at her [...]
SPARE Productions to present flashy ‘Pippin’ on short notice
By George Basler The cast and crew of SPARE Productions know they are taking on a daunting challenge in staging the musical Pippin Aug. 12-14 at Binghamton High School’s Helen Foley Theatre. Not only does the show require the 10 cast members to do a large amount of synchronized [...]
CRT’s ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’ is off-beat, amiable and well-acted
By George BaslerI Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change has an impressive pedigree. The musical premiered Off-Broadway in 1996 and didn’t close until 2008, making it the second longest running show in Off-Broadway history. Based on a terrific production that opened July 15 at the Chenango River Theatre in [...]
Postponed ‘Fugitive Songs’ is theme music for life on the run
EDITOR's NOTE: These performances were originally scheduled for June 24-26. Due to a positive COVID test in the cast, the run was postponed to July 21, and this preview has been updated to reflect that change. By Katherine Karlson On July 21, SPARE Productions opens a brief run of [...]
‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’ takes lighthearted musical tour of amour at Chenango River Theatre
By Katherine Karlson A musical revue that “confronts any of the preconceived notions you’ve ever had about dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives, and in-laws, but were afraid to admit” is the second offering of Chenango River Theatre’s all-too-short summer season. I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is [...]
Savoyards’ ‘Pinafore’ takes audience on lyrical and fun-filled summer cruise
Reviewed by Katherine Karlson It is most appropriate that in 2022, Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, this year’s Summer Savoyards production is the rousingly patriotic H.M.S. Pinafore. Considered one of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “big three” operettas, Pinafore hinges on their usual tropes of topsy-turvy identities, thwarted love matches and digs [...]
Philharmonic’s take on summer fun: Readings with music
By George BaslerAs part of its efforts to reach out to the community and expose children to classical music, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra this summer is presenting a series of live readings, with music, of the children’s book Quaver Has a Feeling.The book, written and illustrated by local children’s [...]
Summer Savoyards return with timeless romp
By George BaslerH.M.S. Pinafore was a smash hit when it opened back in 1878, running for 571 performances and becoming an international sensation. And the comic operetta continues to please audiences close to 150 years later because of a catchy score by Arthur Sullivan and satirically humorous libretto by [...]
‘How I Learned to Drive’ actors at KNOW shine in difficult roles
Reviewed by Katherine Karlson The staging of a play about a disturbing topic — the ongoing sexual abuse of a child — requires not only a well-crafted script, but sensitive and honest portrayals by the actors. KNOW Theatre’s season finale, How I Learned to Drive, delivers this and more. [...]
Cider Mill Stage presents a breezy romp
By George BaslerOne of the best things about Once Upon a Mattress is that it doesn’t aspire to be anything more than it is. The musical isn’t out to make a big statement or provide a grandiose spectacle. Instead, it seeks to provide a pleasant, upbeat, laugh-filled diversion. And [...]
Join ‘Men on Boats’ for a ride of a lifetime at Chenango River Theatre
Reviewed by Katherine Karlson The churn of deadly whitewater against rocks, the loss of provisions and the fear of not knowing exactly where they are on a huge river provide the dramatic backdrop for a story of survival, friendship and triumph in the Chenango River Theatre’s 2022 season opener, [...]
Ti-Ahwaga Players take audience to heaven with ‘Sister Act’
Reviewed by Katherine Karlson There are many lame jokes one could make about the Ti-Ahwaga Community Players’ current musical offering, Sister Act, such as “It’s so good, it’s sinful” or “Devilishly funny!”, but even those trite praises are worth repeating to reinforce what a rollicking, entertaining production this is. [...]
Cider Mill Stage to end season with frothy musical chestnut
By George Basler The new producers at the Cider Mill Stage started this season at the Endicott playhouse with a clear plan. They tried to find shows that were fun and gave audiences “something to laugh at,” said Artistic Director Rob Egan. So, it’s fitting that their season is [...]
