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.
KNOW cast shines when telling sordid tale of ‘Killer Joe’
Reviewed by Katherine Karlson Imagine the cursed fate of the House of Atreus unfolds in a dismal Texas trailer park, and you have some inkling of the murder, mayhem and vicious stupidity on offer in the riveting production of Killer Joe that opened Feb. 14 at Binghamton's KNOW Theatre. [...]
Phelps Mansion’s ‘Hamlet’ cooks up potent stew of murder and revenge
EDITOR's NOTE: All of this weekend's performances of William Shakespeare's Hamlet were sold out when this review was filed following the final dress rehearsal on Wednesday (Jan. 29), but late cancellations could make some tickets available. Contact information is listed at the bottom. By George Basler Revenge, murder, madness [...]
S.R.O’s ‘Matilda: The Musical’ brightens up winter at Schorr Family Firehouse Stage
Reviewed by Katherine Karlson The proliferation of Disney-themed musical plays that have become Broadway staples over the past decades may lull parents into thinking Matilda: The Musical is yet another in that diabetes-inducing parade. Instead, be prepared for a darkly funny and well-performed fable that will appeal to adults [...]
New club brings laughs to Binghamton
By George Basler The Boho Comedy Club opened four months ago at the DoubleTree Hotel in Binghamton with the laudable goal of bringing community residents some laughs. Since then, it’s established a niche in the community, hosting four stand-up comedy shows a month, often to sold-out audiences, and endeavoring [...]
Celebration of Life to be held Jan. 4 for HOTA recipient Bill Nurse
The Broome County Arts Council and Broome Arts Mirror extend sincere condolences to the family and friends of William T. Nurse Jr., who died Dec. 29, 2019. The 2007 Heart of the Arts Lifetime Achievement honoree was 75. A celebration of Bill’s life will be held from 2 to [...]
BPO finds its jazzy groove
Reviewed by Barb Van Atta Saturday night (Nov. 9), the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra turned The Forum in Binghamton into the world’s largest supper club as, with its “Simone, Ellington & Parks” concert, it seamlessly moved between the worlds of jazz and traditional classical music. And, as Maestro Daniel Hege [...]
SRO’s ‘Falsettos’ is fine production of compelling musical
Reviewed by George Basler Here is a piece of advice: If you go to see S.R.O. Productions III’s presentation of Falsettos, be sure to bring some Kleenex tissues. The musical, which opened a two-weekend run Nov. 1 at the Schorr Family Firehouse Stage in Johnson City, begins as a [...]
Strong cast highlights STAP fundraiser of ‘The Normal Heart’
Reviewed by Katherine Karlson Larry Kramer’s drama, The Normal Heart, tracks both the personal and political dramas of the emerging AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s. Based on Kramer’s own experiences as a founder of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis Center, the play is an [...]
Vienna Boys Choir delights Forum audience
Reviewed by Tony Villecco When I was 11 years old and a boy soprano, my teacher, Harold Mason, a tenor with Tri-Cities Opera, wanted me to join the Vienna Boys Choir. My mom did not want her little boy going away that far, and this dream was never realized. [...]
TCO’s ‘Tosca’ is full palette of operatic color
Reviewed by Sherri Strichman A large and appreciative audience was at The Forum Sunday afternoon (Oct. 20) when Tri-Cities Opera opened its 2019-2020 season with a single performance of Puccini’s Tosca. When the lights dimmed, the well-known Scarpia motif rang out, the curtain went up, and off we went. [...]
BU’s ‘The Wolves’ gives realistic portrayal of youthful angst
Reviewed by George Basler In writing The Wolves, Sarah DeLappe said she “wanted to see a portrait of teenage girls as human beings -- as complicated, nuanced, very idiosyncratic people who aren’t just girlfriends or sex objects or manic pixie dream girls, but who are athletes and daughters and [...]
Talented cast highlights Ti-Ahwaga’s engaging ‘Bright Star’
Reviewed by George Basler Filled with catchy up-tempo songs and heartfelt ballads, Bright Star is a musical that proudly wears its heart on its sleeve. That emotion is on full display in a splendid production that opened this past weekend (Oct. 4-6) at the Ti-Ahwaga Performing Arts Center in [...]
Masterful performances highlight ‘The Sea Horse’ at CRT
Reviewed by Katherine Karlson Chenango River Theatre finishes up its 2019 season with a soul-searing yet satisfying two-person drama that speaks to the redemptive power of love and trust, Edward J. Moore's The Sea Horse. At first glance, the play, directed by Bill Lelbach, appears to be a maritime [...]
BPO, Beethoven shine in season opener
Reviewed by Tony Villecco The Binghamton Philharmonic launched its more-than-year-long Beethoven Project Saturday (Sept. 28) to a very welcoming audience at The Forum, 236 Washington St., Binghamton. Skillfully navigated by its musical director, Daniel Hege, this fine orchestra offered crisp and vigorous playing of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, op.21 [...]
‘Mockingbird’ earns standing ovation at EPAC
Reviewed by Nancy Oliveri “Miss Jean Louise. Stand up. You’re father’s passing.” This is one of the most powerful and memorable lines from Christopher Sergel’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s classic American novel To Kill a Mockingbird, and it never fails to elicit an emotional response. It happened again at [...]
