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.
Ti-Ahwaga's 'Gin Game' gives a bleak picture of old age
Reviewed by George Basler Old age is on display in the Ti-Ahwaga Community Players production of The Gin Game, and it’s not pretty. The production, which opened this past weekend, is a portrait of two lonely people who try to connect but ultimately fail because of character flaws that become [...]
Unsaintly behavior permeates Cider Mill’s 'Angel Street'
Reviewed by Nancy Oliveri If you love Victorian melodrama, pay a visit to the inhabitants of Angel Street. The 1938 play by Patrick Hamilton is running weekends through March at the Cider Mill Playhouse in Endicott. In Angel Street, which became the 1944 Ingrid Bergman film Gaslight, a woman is driven to the [...]
BCAC awards 2015 United Cultural Fund grants
The Broome County Arts Council (BCAC), has awarded $239,575 in United Cultural Fund (UCF) grants this year to 21 local arts organizations, community non-profits, and individual artists. BCAC announced the funding at a March 12th news conference at its 5th floor gallery space at 81 State Street in downtown [...]
'Stupid F##king Bird' is smart, well-acted theater
Reviewed by Lory Martinez Last weekend (March 6-8), audiences piled into Binghamton University’s Watters Theater for the opening of Anne Brady’s production of Aaron Posner’s Stupid F##king Bird, loosely based on the Anton Chekov play The Seagull. The show, which addresses the nature of theater in a changing world, leaves one [...]
More beauty than tragedy in Sunday's Philharmonic concert
Reviewed by Lee Shepherd There was far more beauty than tragedy in the Binghamton Philharmonic concert Sunday (Feb. 22) dubbed “Tragic Beauty”by Maestro Jose-Luis-Novo. In a concert that juxtaposed three 20th century composers with one from the18th century, beauty emanated from the virtuosic abilities displayed by every section of the [...]
'Rewrite' coming to the Art
As BAMirror writer Lory Martinez recently pointed out, Broome County residents would especially enjoy Hugh Grant's The Rewrite, set at Binghamton University, if they watched it in a theater (as opposed to the current video-on-demand option). Part of the fun is the communal experience every time Grant and his fellow castmates make a comment [...]
BPO brass players brighten winter day
Reviewed by Lee Shepherd Though it was blustery and bitterly cold outside last Sunday (Feb. 15), the “Brilliant Brass” concert by the Binghamton Philharmonic Brass Quintet warmed the hearts of everyone in downtown Binghamton’s United Presbyterian Church. The program ranged from hot jazz to heraldic Renaissance fanfares fit for [...]
Well-acted 'Pillowman' could give you nightmares
Reviewed by Nancy Oliveri Know Theatre’s latest offering might just keep you up at night. When director Bernie Sheredy took on The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh, he knew he was going to face some challenges. It takes a brave company, and director, to present a play with the level of difficulty this [...]
'Rewrite' is cinematic love letter to Binghamton
By Lory Martinez This past Sunday (Feb. 8), Binghamton University hosted the official U.S. premiere of The Rewrite, a film written and directed by BU graduate Marc Lawrence. The lighthearted romantic comedy, starring Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei, is set in Binghamton, not the ever-popular New York City, thus putting our college town on the [...]
High school musical season heating up
BAMirror sends a big shout-out and thank you to Rich Ives of Owego, who annually compiles a nifty graphic about upcoming musicals at local high schools and makes it available to us: […]
TCO 'Italian Girl' showcases talented young cast
Reviewed by Sherri Strichman Disclosure: I love Rossini opera. So why did it take so long Friday night (Feb. 6) for me to warm up to Tri-Cities Opera’s new production of The Italian Girl in Algiers? The singing was very good. Director Dorothy Danner gave her young and energetic [...]
Cider Mill's 'Tenor' hits all the right notes
Reviewed by George Basler With slamming doors galore, a slew of double entendres and a plot that joyfully defies logic, Lend Me a Tenor has all the elements of a classic farce. And these elements get a good going over in a spirited and engaging production that opened this [...]
SRO III’s 'Spelling Bee' spells f-u-n at Firehouse Stage
UPDATE: Additional performances have been scheduled for 8 p.m. Feb. 6 and 7. Seating is general admission. Reviewed by Nancy Oliveri The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, words and music by William Finn and book by Rachel Sheinkin, pokes fun at the very solemn business of competitive spelling. The [...]
'Golden Days' revels in nostalgia but still needs a lot of work
Reviewed by George Basler For the past several years, Daniel Kermidas has been working to turn his grandmother’s stories of growing up in Endicott into a musical, Golden Days. A year ago, an unfinished version of the show had a workshop production at the Endicott Performing Arts Center (BAMirror [...]
Have the arts been part of your holiday preparations?
When you weren't cookie baking or latke frying, card writing or gift shopping, did you take time out to enjoy the holiday arts in and around Broome County? If so, please share your experiences with your fellow BAMirror readers.
