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.
Acting exceptional in KNOW's 'Sight Unseen'
Reviewed by Nancy Oliveri Why there should ever be an empty seat at the KNOW Theater in Binghamton is beyond me. It doesn’t happen too often, but even one empty seat represents one fewer person whose life might be enriched by an amazing theatrical experience. One fewer ticket sold [...]
'Urinetown:' Forget the name; enjoy the show
Reviewed by Nancy Oliveri Can you predict the success of a musical production based on the comments heard in the crowded ladies’ room at intermission? If the show is Urinetown, and is produced by the Cider Mill Playhouse (CMP) in Endicott, then the answer is a resounding “yes!” […]
Flecktones thrill with their virtuosity
EDITOR’S NOTE: Let’s hear it for social media serendipity. When well-known local writer and musician Mary Pat Hyland mentioned on Facebook that she planned to attend the Béla Fleck concert, I naturally asked, “Do you want to write about it?” … and she did! Reviewed by Mary Pat Hyland [...]
Ti-Ahwaga's 'How to Succeed' is a frothy delight
Reviewed by George Basler Watching the onstage antics of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is like looking at an artifact from the Mesozoic Era when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The dinosaurs in this case are the male employees of the World Wide Wicket Company Inc., who [...]
What did you do in the arts this week?
I was busy rehearsing and then performing in the Binghamton Downtown Singers' annual spring concert Saturday (June 4). How have you been art-full lately? -- Barb Van Atta
Strong performances help SRO's 'Evita' makes its mark
Reviewed by George Basler Evita raises a basic question: Can a strong musical score and first-rate staging overcome cardboard characters and a muddled plot? In the case of SRO Production III’s production, which opened this past weekend (June 3-4) at the Schorr Family Firehouse Stage, the answer is yes. [...]
Local artist's inspiring works featured at two venues
By Matthew Pitcher The Binghamton art scene has been flourishing recently thanks to local artists trying to make a name for themselves. Adam Schultz is doing just that this month with exhibits at both the Whole in the Wall restaurant, 43 S. Washington St., and the recently opened café Strange Brew, 137 [...]
Top-notch ‘Hamlet’ at BU deserves a wider audience
Editor's note: A BAMirror reviewer was unable to attend Hamlet. Fortunately, BCAC Executive Director Laura Knochen-Davis was in the audience during opening weekend (April 29-May 1). By Laura Knochen-Davis “To thine own self be true” is one of many familiar lines from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, being performed through Sunday [...]
What did you do in the arts this week?
It's such a busy time right now with so many arts organizations winding up their seasons. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to revive our readers' query: "What did you do in the arts this week?". On Friday, I heard a lovely concert by the combined vocal [...]
TCO singers bring their best to Sondheim's 'Sweeney'
Reviewed by Sherri Strichman Tri-Cities Opera's Sweeney Todd opened last night (April 29) at The Forum to the enthusiastic reception of the audience. This dark musical thriller by Stephen Sondheim (book by Hugh Wheeler) is a departure from TCO's standard operatic fare, yet it seemed to be the largest house [...]
Chorister grateful to participate in Novo's BPO farewell
Editor’s note: BAMirror’s Lee Shepherd usually reviews Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra concerts. Last weekend, however, she was a participant in a BPO performance. Here are her reflections: By Lee Shepherd Joy and brotherhood -- that's what Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is all about, and that's what we experienced singing the massive choral [...]
Cider Mill's 'Red' is thought-provoking and well-acted
Reviewed by George Basler As the play Red opens, Mark Rothko is an aging artistic lion at the height of his powers and renown. But he’s not a happy man. “We’re a smirking nation under the tyranny of the fine,” he sneers at one point before adding, “We are [...]
Well-written characters draw you into KNOW's writing 'Seminar'
Reviewed by Nancy Oliveri It’s not what you know; it’s who you know. This is what we tend to tell people who are trying to break into anything that will make them famous or successful, however they define it. And it’s one of the themes in Theresa Rebeck’s dialogue-rich [...]
Half Light Theatre delivers high-quality 'Man of La Mancha'
Reviewed by George Basler Man of La Mancha, which is being presented by Half Light Theatre, is an old-fashioned musical in the best sense of the word. The show trumpets idealism and hope in the face of inhumanity and degradation. That’s a welcome relief in an era that can [...]
High school artists highly praise-worthy
Reviewed by Matthew Pitcher There was no fooling around on April 1 at the Broome County Art Council when a panel of prestigious judges (Emily and Tina Corbin, Yvonne Lucia, Orazio Salati, Alisha Sickler-Brunelli and County Legislator Karl Bernhardsen) carefully evaluated 73 submissions to this year's Broome High School Emerging Artists [...]
