Katherine Waddell - Page 2

Why Do Fools Fall In Love had a short run this past weekend and was produced by Pickapart Theatre in association with The Acting Ensemble. The musical, created and written by Roger Bean, tells the story of Millie and friends at an impromptu bachelorette party where they sing their way through 1960's songs trying to understand love and all its struggles. This version was directed by Dave Kempher and had the main actresses double as part of the production team.

Legally Blonde, which is based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the renowned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture, opened this past Friday at the South Bend Civic Theatre to much buzz and anticipation. As I sat in the audience on Saturday night waiting for the musical to begin, all around me I was hearing that this is "the best musical at SBCT in a while."

The Shakespeare Festival at Notre Dame will soon be wrapping up, but you still have the chance to watch The Tempest which plays through August 28th. Let me say that if you have ever had any doubts about whether or not you would enjoy Shakespeare's work, or have not enjoyed it in the past (as I have not), make no mistake that this production of The Tempest is like no other.

There couldn't be a greater choice for Acting Ensemble to close out their 2015-2016 season than with the politically charged comedy November by David Mamet. With an election in our own world just around the corner, watching November allows for a relaxing, hilarious break from the seriousness of our own presidential election.

If you're looking for a hilarious comedy that makes you feel borderline guilty for laughing, look no further than The Cripple of Inishmaan, which opened this weekend at the South Bend Civic Theatre.

Lo Abdelmalek is a special guest blogger who is an actor in the Young Company which is performing at Notre Dame's Shakespeare Festival. Lo plays Thaisa in Pericles, Prince of Tyre and is pursuing her MFA at the University of Louisville.

Summer is already in full swing! Check out BWW's top picks for what you should see this summer in the surrounding South Bend area.

Anyone who has ever cared deeply for someone and subsequently feared for the worst, when it comes to their well-being, will have all of those intense emotions called forth when seeing Sharr White's The Other Place at the South Bend Civic Theatre. The Other Place, which opened May 13th, will utterly devastate you not only with White's deeply emotional script, but with the astonishing production put on by SBCT and director Aaron Nichols.

If you've ever dozed off in history class during the topic of the Declaration of Independence, prepare to be taught the same lesson in a much more interesting way. This past weekend at The South Bend Civic Theatre, 1776 opened. There were no limitations on how they dramatized the creation of the most influential document in the history of the United States of America.

When I first heard that a Catholic college, Saint Mary's College to be exact, was putting on the musical Chicago, I was skeptical. Knowing that Chicago is quite the risque musical with all types of salacious subject matter, I wasn't quite sure how they were going to pull it off. Well, let me be blunt, Saint Mary's did not look very Catholic this past Saturday night when I saw the second showing of the musical.

This past weekend, Bethel College put on a fantastic rendition of the classic musical, Mary Poppins. The music and lyrics are written by the Sherman Brothers while the script is written by Julian Fellowes. The show is based on children's books by P. L. Travers and the consequent famous Disney film. The degree to which Bethel College went above and beyond to make such a monumental show come to life speaks volumes to their abilities as a theatre department.

It's hard not to be totally blown away by the Elkhart Civic Theatre's current show, Guys on Ice. The musical opened on March 4th, and will continue until this weekend, and I can almost guarantee that it is probably sold out.

This past weekend at the South Bend Civic Theatre, Aladdin Jr. opened with two different young casts: the Abu cast and the Iago cast. I had the privilege of seeing the Iago cast, which is the older of the set. While I won't go into great detail about the plot because there is still a final weekend of performances left, Aladdin Jr. is a musical adaptation of the animated Disney film Aladdin.

This past weekend, the Clay High School Fine Arts Department opened and closed the show The Curious Savage with two different casts of students and two different interpretations by two different directors. I saw the first cast which was comprised of two seniors, five juniors, and four freshman and directed by Kathryn Hein.

The Music Man opened Friday the 29th of January at The South Bend Civic Theatre with no detail spared on trying to make the classic musical come to life. The musical, whose book, music, and lyrics are by Meredith Willson with the story by both Willson and Franklin Lacey, became an instant hit in 1957 when it opened on Broadway. It won five Tony Awards, including 'Best Musical', and ran for more than 1,300 performances. It also inspired revivals, a film adaptation, a television remake, and won the first 'Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album'.

This past weekend at South Bend's Clay High School, the musical Working by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, based on the best-selling book of interviews with America's work force by Studs Terkel, took to the stage for three performances and absolutely earned their standing ovations! Comprised of dozens of students (and some teachers!) this high school's performance set an impressive tone for not only their student's abilities, but anybody who was involved with such an incredible show.

When you hear the title A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, it is hard to not instantly recall the timeless story of Ebenezer Scrooge and the Christmas Spirits that visit him to try and turn him from his wretched ways. However, sitting in the audience of the sold out opening show for South Bend Civic Theatre's A Christmas Carol, I realized that I would not be watching that classic Christmas story with a 'South Bend adaptation' that was touted to patrons. Rather, don't expect the original story to take place in South Bend, but instead become a story within a story about… South Bend? Confusing, right? I know I was confused for the better portion of the show because while I'm sure there were good intentions, the pieces just did not come together to make a cohesive and understandable performance.

After thinking a while about what funny pun with plant terminology I could use to describe exactly how I felt about the musical Little Shop of Horrors, now playing at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at Notre Dame for the weekend, I realized the only appropriate words are found in the title above.

The Addams Family, currently playing at the Elkhart Civic Theatre, has been doing so well in terms of audience feedback and attendance that they already have a sold-out-run. They've even had to add extra performance dates!

All of these small things can be frustrating for any patron but I'll tell you this: once I sat down and saw the sheer excitement shared by both children and parents alike (albeit, the parents were undoubtedly a little overwhelmed!), I was ready to enjoy myself just as much as they were. The ambiance of a theater is just as reliant on the crowd as it is on the actors putting on the production.