Nyderah Williams

FrenetiCore Dance enthralls audiences with its energetic Spring Production of DANCING WITH THE MACHINE. As a full two act performance complete with narration, it pits technological advancement and awareness against a world known in eras past without either as distractions. Written by Adam Castaneda, the story transports the audience to a dystopian post-apocalyptic world. It is in this world where the governing entity desires to stamp out the last known freedoms and choice in society. There is one that can save them. A young women journeys across the lands in search for something that is lost to her. Along the way she encounters the key elements of tenacity, joy, endurance and love that will aid in her plight to save mankind's freedom.

Obsidian Art Space's WHAT EVERY GIRL SHOULD KNOW by Monica Byrne is a theatrical drama incorporating elements of dance and fantasy into a story about young women slowly discovering their empowerment of self during a time when society would keep them ignorant and powerless. Set in 1914, the play uses the plight of 4 teenagers to give us a look at the tragic effects of denying women control of their own bodies. The story is gripping and made even more fascinating with its swift direction from Tom Stell and its able cast of four.

Bayou City Theatrics' starts off its spring season in good humor with its production of the comedy. The lyrics of the opening song promise 'Something appealing, something appalling, something for everyone...tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight,' and this production certainly does not disappoint. The farcical depiction of ancient Rome is ripe with smart, comical moments, boundless energy, endless laughs and impeccable choreography.

Standing Room Only Productions' RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL serves up heavy doses of wit and hilarity. Created by Marvin Laird and Joel Paley and named best off-Broadway musical in 1992, RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL is a silly theatrical parody of what it's like to be in show business.

Cirque du Soleil returns to Houston with a new offering, AMALUNA. Taking a change in direction from its Cirque predessessors, AMALUNA offers a fluid storyline in the midst of showcasing incredible acrobats and artistic talents. In addition to a more linear storyline, cirque Fans will see that AMALUNA lends itself to a 70% female cast and an entirely female band, which is a first in Cirque du Soleil history.

Mozart's infrequently performed LA CLEMENZA DI TITO is well-done by Opera in the Heights. From start to finish, their LA CLEMENZA DI TITO is a marvelous work, filled with beautiful, emotive singing, accompanied by an orchestral performance that is sumptuous and dynamic, all working together to bring forth every possible nuance in Mozart's music. The entire performance including intermission is 2 hours and 35 minutes long. It is well-worth every second of it.

I had a chance to get the scoop on Standing Room Only Productions' upcoming RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL from Director Christine Weems.

Black Lab Theatre's Houston premiere of Kim Rosenstock's TIGERS BE STILL is incredibly funny as it deals with the not so funny theme of depression. We've all had those days. You know which days. The dark days. The days where it seems impossible to get anything done much less get out of bed. Sometimes those days can last for weeks. Even if you do manage to overcome getting out of bed, dysfunction can still follow you around.

METAMORPHOSES, by Mary Zimmerman, is based on the classical Greek myths of Ovid. The play unfolds in a series of vignettes instead of a long story with a linear plot. Multiple narrators are used to tell and comment on the story. Each vignette is poignant and captivating in its own way.

DIRTY DANCING made its way to Houston this week. Billed as DIRTY DANCING: The Classic Story On Stage, it is no surprise that it joins the ranks of popular films turned into musicals. Based on the 1987 film that became a cult sensation, DIRTY DANCING is the story of a coming of age.

There are many plays out there that focus on different aspects of the Dracula myth, but the Alley Theatre's production is based on the original 1927 stage adaptation by John L. Balderston and Hamilton Dean.

EVIL DEAD is a large campy affair. After all, the musical borrows its story, characters and general demeanor from a B-film franchise. Intentionally cheesy and over-the-top funny, it relies heavily on self-referential humor and pop culture references.

ANYTHING GOES premiered in 1934, and the story takes place around the same year. The cruise liner the SS American journeys across the pond to London. The passengers are comprised of the luxurious upper class, sailors, gangsters, gamblers, entertainers, and a stowaway stock broker. Essentially, ANYTHING GOES is chock-full of shipboard romance between young and old, rich and poor. This leads to a quirky love story that is plentiful with comedic twists and turns.

It's the month of October and as Halloween grows nearer, many theatres are gearing up for their Halloween shows. Currently Stage Door Inc. is getting ready for its biennial cult musical EVIL DEAD. I was lucky enough to chat with EVIL DEAD directors Angela Case and Marc Anthony Glover to find out more info on Stage Door's seasonal treat.

The story focuses on two All-American and clean cut high school sweethearts Jimmy (Sean McGee) and Mary Lane (Taylor Beyer). They want to grow up together, have babies, lots of friends and end up happily ever after like their favorite couple “Romeo and Juliet” (a story in which they don't know the horrible ending). Well much like their favorite couple, they are pulled apart and struggle against the odds of being together. Jimmy, under the pretense that he's getting some jazz dance lessons, gets sucked into the lair of a reefer den and after one puff of what they have to offer; he becomes hooked and quickly abandons everything he knows. His fall from grace into a world of debauchery and sexual promiscuity brings on the mayhem as he struggles to choose between the hypnotizing Mary Jane, and his sweetheart Mary Lane.

JUST A FEW FEET AWAY is one of those stories that reminds people just how interconnecting our lives really are. Through a series of monologues, it examines the interlocking stories of 12 very different characters who lives are unknowingly intertwined. There's cheating, scandals and mystery galore and at the center of it all is a renowned geoscientist who is the first man on Earth possessing the ability and knowledge to successfully journey to the center of the Earth's core.

Following a group of kids growing up in a pious community in late-19th-century Germany, SPRING AWAKENING explores the lust and confusion of the adolescents discovering their budding sexuality while being repressed by their parents and teachers. Wendla's mother is too inhibited to give her daughter an ounce of sex education. Moritz (Miguel Guzman) believes the erotic dreams that plague him are a sure sign of insanity. Melchior (Colton Wright), having learned about sex through books, tries to inform his friends about what they feel and is convinced that the suppression of desire is a conspiracy among the adults to keep the teens unhappy and complacent.

It's intimate, poignant and raw. There's only one weekend left to see Bayou City Theatrics' limited engagement of THE LAST 5 YEARS. Created by Jason Robert Brown, with some inspiration from his personal life story, the 2 character musical chronicles the beginning and ending of a young couple's relationship. The characters are not given a chance to be really likeable, but they certainly are understandable.

THE FOREIGNER takes places in a cozy fishing lodge in rural Tilghman County, Georgia. There we meet two Englishmen Froggy and Charlie. Staff Sergeant Froggy has come to do some official military business near the area and forced his friend Charlie to join for a change of scenery. Plagued by marital problems back home across the pond, Charlie is insistent that he cannot provide good company to the other guests of the lodge and will be seen as rude when all he craves is some peace and quiet instead of social interaction. The problem is solved when Froggy concocts the idea of telling everyone that Charlie is an exotic foreigner who doesn't understand English. Comedic madness ensues as the 'foreigner' Charlie becomes privy to the deepest secrets and scandals of everyone as they begin to speak freely in front of him.

Stage Door Inc.'s production of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE does complete justice to Tennessee Williams' classic American masterpiece about fantasy versus reality. Created in 1947 during a time where, it was deemed downright scandalous, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE grew into America's heart.