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.
BU’s ‘Thebes’ is capable production but falls short of emotional payoff
Reviewed by George Basler Down through the ages, folly, pride and arrogance have led to disaster for a long parade of leaders. The Greeks knew all about this in the fifth century BC when Sophocles wrote his great tragedy Antigone. Unfortunately, it’s a lesson that people never seem to [...]
KNOW Theatre’s ‘Blackbird’ is well-crafted, well-acted and … disturbing
Reviewed by George Basler The setting for David Harrower’s Blackbird is a soulless, trash-filled break room in an equally soulless company. The room is lit only by glaring fluorescent lights. In other words, the setting is a modern version of hell. That’s only fitting because the play’s two main [...]
There’s still time to see intriguing exhibit by BU art faculty
Reviewed by Chris Bahr Attending the opening reception of the Binghamton University Department of Art & Design’s faculty exhibition was a very interesting and eclectic experience. Located in the Fine Arts Building’s Elsie B. Rosefsky Memorial Art Gallery (Room 259), this cross-section of work is a good introduction to [...]
Fab Arts’ ‘Mullingar’ is a lyrical heartstrings’ tugger
Reviewed by George Basler Mix two lonely people with the beautiful, but remote, Irish countryside and you have the main elements of Outside Mullingar, a modest but endearing play that opened this past weekend (March 29-31) and will run through April 14 at the Cider Mill Stage in Endicott. [...]
Savoyard cast charming while playing ‘Earnest’
Reviewed by George Basler Let’s face it: Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy The Importance of Being Earnest isn’t known for its plot, clever though it may be. What makes the play stand out is the playwright’s biting and witty dialogue, still sparkling 124 years after the work was first performed. [...]
Gardners, BPO shine in whirlwind Wagner concert
Reviewed by Barb Van Atta In past seasons, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra has given full concert treatments to music, much by John Williams, from film sagas such as Star Wars and Harry Potter. Last night (March 23) at The Forum in Binghamton, the BPO, under the sure guidance of [...]
BCAC awards $227,969 in UCF grants
At a press conference today (March 21), Broome County Executive Jason T. Garnar and Broome County Arts Council Executive Director Nancy Barno Reynolds announced that the BCAC this year is awarding $227,969 in United Cultural Funds (UCF) grants to 23 local arts organizations, community non-profits and individual artists. The [...]
TCO anniversary season features world premiere
By Barb Van Atta Tri-Cities Opera’s 70th season will feature a repertoire classic, a world premiere and a genre-crossing musical. Casts are still being finalized but will feature both current and former TCO Resident Artists including nationally acclaimed soprano Jill Gardner in the titular role of the opening production, [...]
BU students passionately stage drama about race
Reviewed by George Basler The need to break through the reluctance to discuss racial issues and honestly hear others’ stories is a main theme of Baltimore, a provocative new play by Kirsten Greenidge that opened March 1 in the Watters Theater of Binghamton University's Fine Arts Building. The play, [...]
Remembering the accomplishments of Peyton Hibbitt
Last week, we reported the passing of Peyton M. Hibbitt, 93, who died March 1 of natural causes at his home in Binghamton following several years of declining health. For many in our arts community, Hibbitt’s is a familiar name, but for those who don’t know his impact on [...]
Ti-Ahwaga Players’ ‘Plaza Suite’ goes down smoothly although play is dated
Reviewed by George Basler Mention playwright Neil Simon, and most casual theater goers are likely to think of light comedies and one-liners. But beyond wisecracks, a sense of melancholy hangs over parts of Plaza Suite- a production that opened this past weekend (March 1-3) at Ti-Ahwaga Community Theater in [...]
End of an era at TCO
FUNERAL INFORMATION UPDATED Surviving Tri-Cities Opera co-founder Peyton Molyneaux Hibbitt passed away early this afternoon (March 1) at his home in Binghamton. The 2008 BCAC Heart of the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award winner was 93. Hibbitt and the late Carmen Savoca started TCO in 1949. The community opera group [...]
TCO’s ‘Three Decembers’ deserves your attention
Review by Sherri Strichman It was a very satisfying evening Friday (Feb. 22) as Tri-Cities Opera opened its production of Three Decembers. The libretto by Gene Scheer is based on an unpublished drama by Terrence McNally and, like Baby Bear’s porridge, the ratio of dark to light moments is [...]
HOTA recipient Pesce loved sharing art with the community
BAMirror and the Broome County Arts Council offer their condolences to the family of Heart of the Arts recipient William "Bill" Pesce, who passed away Feb. 18. Pesce, 83, and his wife, Johanne, shared a 2009 HOTA award for their work developing the Windsor Whip Works Art Center and [...]
KNOW Theatre does powerful job with classic O’Neill play
Reviewed by George Basler The ancient Greeks believed tragedy should evoke a catharsis of pity and terror. That’s certainly the case with a powerful production of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night that opened this past weekend(Feb. 8-10) at KNOW Theatre in downtown Binghamton. The magnificent play focuses [...]
