Marie Gordon News

Doing Shaw isn't for the timid, especially for modern audiences which have become expectant of a happy ending. There's a reason why "Pygmalion" remains Shaw's most popular play which has been turned into a movie, a stage musical, and a film musical. It's a classic Cinderella story, complete with slippers… in this case, though; they're thrown rather than worn. There's even a ball - well, a couple of parties, actually. The problem is…there's no Prince Charming. This fairy tale has no happy ending.

After months of thought, debate and conversation, the staff and writers of Austin Entertainment Weekly with much assistance from Broadway World Austin's Editor Jeff Davis, have announced a new award system for the Central Texas Theatre Community.

I have no doubt that selecting a theatrical season must be an incredibly challenging task. Making a last minute change to your season must be even worse. Different Stages, one of Austin's most consistently impressive theater companies, was posed with such a problem this year when they were forced to forgo one of their initially announced production, Child's Play.

Shrewd Productions presents the World Premiere of GLASSHEART by Reina Hardy, August 30th through September 14th, Thursdays - Sundays at 8pm at Salvage Vanguard Theatre: 2803 Manor Rd.., Austin, TX 78722. Tickets are $15-25 on a sliding scale.

There's certainly a reason why the works of Gilbert and Sullivan have remained a fixture in popular culture for nearly 150 years. Their operas are fun, frivolous, and tinted with social and political satire. Though Princess Ida, their eighth operatic collaboration, may not be as well-known as some of their other works such as The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinifore, or The Mikado, it is just as silly, entertaining, and smart, as the current production by The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Austin wonderfully illustrates.

We all have secrets. We all have ways of coping with disappointment or pain. Some of those coping methods do more harm than good. None of these ideas are necessarily original, and they've all been dramatized before. However, the story of an elderly couple who secretly copes by using crystal meth is an unexpected one that has yet to be told. That's one of many reasons that makes Qualities of Starlight, the new play by Gabriel Jason Dean now playing at Vortex Rep, such a riveting and effective drama.

While this week's tragic Boston Marathon Bombing definitely changes the effect the story and characters have on the audience, the cast and crew at Different Stages make no apologies for doing a play about Boston at such a critical time in the city's history. Instead, they celebrate the city and the people in it, turning Good People into an unashamedly honest celebration of the Bostonian spirit.

I hoped to enjoy the World Premiere of Elizabeth: Heart of a King, now playing Austin's Vortex Theatre as it had many elements I generally gravitate towards. However, though Queen Elizabeth may be one of the most successful monarchs in history, Elizabeth: Heart of a King does not fare so well.

Oscar Wilde once said, "A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament." Indeed, it is the "unique temperament" of the Marquis de Sade which is on display in Different Stages' outstanding production of Quills, written by Doug Wright. With its hysterical text, its magnificent cast, and its wonderful creative team, Quills is a fantastic start to Austin's 2013 theater scene. This is one show that knows how to shock and delight audiences. I doubt the Marquis is smiling upon Different Stages from heaven, but if you look a bit further south you may find him smirking...

I know I read You Can't Take it With You back in college, and I must offer my apologies to my fantastic professor, Gary Gardner, because I did not remember anything about this play until seeing the current production by Different Stages. This production of the classic American comedy by George Kaufman and Moss Hart sparkles with charm, wit, and humor and is sure to be a highlight of Austin theatre's holiday season.

VORTEX Repertory Company presents LEAR, adapted and directed by Rudy Ramirez, May 20 through June 18, Thursday through Sunday at 8 p.m.

VORTEX Repertory Company presents LEAR, adapted and directed by Rudy Ramirez, May 20 through June 18, Thursday through Sunday at 8 p.m.