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.
Get ready to laugh: EPAC’s ‘Something Rotten’ is a solid smash
Reviewed by George Basler Shakespeare is universally recognized as the greatest playwright in the English language. But did you know he was also an Elizabethan rock star complete with screaming groupies, flashy dance numbers and an over-inflated ego? That’s just one piece of zaniness on display in the musical [...]
BAMirror writer shares memories of the late Jake Gardner
Baritone Jake Gardner, tenor Tony Villecco (1998) EDITOR'S NOTE: TCO baritone Jake Gardner passed away Nov. 2. Please scroll down through BAMirror for an obituary article. By Tony Villecco Starting out When I was a sophomore in high school, I started voice lessons with Jake Gardner. This [...]
Deck the halls: Arts groups return with holiday favorites
By George Basler Last year was a blue Christmas for arts organizations in Broome and Tioga counties as COVID-19 forced the cancellation of their traditional holiday performances. Not so this year. Organizations are planning a full schedule of holiday favorites that are coming back after a year’s absence. The [...]
Charismatic TCO star Jake Gardner mourned by fans and colleagues
EDITOR'S NOTE: Here is link to Gardner's obituary, which ran in the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal: https://tinyurl.com/4s2y39nx. By Barb Van Atta Tri-Cities Opera favorite Jake Gardner died Tuesday evening (Nov. 2) at his home in Kennerville, N.C., at the age of 73. The bass-baritone suffered a heart attack after a [...]
BPO brings Hogwarts to Binghamton through magical music
Reviewed by Katherine Karlson Magic as well as melody was in the air last Saturday (Oct. 30) as the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra opened its pop season with the music of Harry Potter. Even before the orchestra members took up their instruments at The Forum in Binghamton, attendees could spy [...]
Cider Mill Stage’s ‘Deathtrap’ provides gasps and laughs
Reviewed by George Basler Take five reprehensible -- or eccentric -- characters, mix with some humor and a dose of malice, stir well, and you have Deathtrap, which opened this past weekend (Oct. 29-30) at the Cider Mill Stage in Endicott. While it’s a bit dated, the comic thriller [...]
Lighting wizard John Vestal dead at 77
Broome Arts Mirror offers its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of master lighting designer John Eloy Vestal of Vestal, who passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday (Oct. 27) at the age of 77. In 1973, Vestal joined the faculty of the then-SUNY Binghamton (now Binghamton University) Department of [...]
BU’s ‘Triptych’ offers three visions of coping in times of challenge and crisis
Reviewed by Katherine Karlson The Binghamton University Theatre Department launched its 2021-2022 season Thursday (Oct. 21) with a thought-provoking collection of one-act plays titled Triptych: An Experience in Three Acts. Director Elizabeth Mozer has carefully connected works by Bertolt Brecht, August Strindberg and contemporary playwright Kristin Idaszak through their [...]
Theater community mourns local favorite Claus Evans
By Nancy Oliveri News of actor Claus Evans’ death Monday (Oct. 18) impacted the Southern Tier theater community almost like a “pause for effect” in a dramatic reading. The script is open in front of the performers, but they’ve momentarily lost their place, and their composure, with a marked [...]
Calling all ‘Twilight Zone’ fans: Historical Society hosting lecture on Binghamton’s own Rod Serling
By George Basler Fans of Rod Serling and his classic television program, The Twilight Zone, can learn more about his life and career Wednesday, Oct. 20, in a presentation sponsored by the Broome County Historical Society. Lawrence “Larry” Kassan, coordinator of special events and theatre for the Binghamton City [...]
Binghamton Community Orchestra returns with a full season
By George Basler After being shut down by COVID-19 last season, the Binghamton Community Orchestra is returning with three concerts planned for 2021-22. The orchestra, formed to allow community musicians to perform great orchestral works, will be under the direction of its new music director, Evan Meccarello. The season [...]
Strong actors make the most of provocative play at KNOW
Reviewed by George Basler The title Gidion’s Knot refers to the legendary Gordian knot, a knot so intricate and tightly entangled that it is virtually impossible to untie. Such impossible entanglements are at the center of Johnna Adams' play, which opened this past weekend (Oct. 8-10) at the KNOW [...]
Masterful stagecraft of word and action defines ‘The Craftsman’ at CRT
Reviewed by Katherine Karlson Billed as recounting “the greatest con job of the 20th century,” The Craftsman is the concluding offering of Chenango River Theatre’s abbreviated 2021 season. It provides a penetrating look into the dark reaches of the human psyche set against one of the most extraordinary incidents [...]
Carol Lanois
Carol Lanois will be showing at the Endicott Visitors Center (Site 18) for the 2021 Broome Art Trail. You can follow her on Instagram: @Intuitive_artheals4all
Cider Mill Stage actors spot-on in funny, but uneven, McNally play
Reviewed by George Basler Near the end of It’s Only a Play a character cracks the witticism that “God punishes people who do plays on Broadway.” The one-liner pretty much sums up the theme of Terrence McNally’s play that is either a love letter or a poison pen note [...]
