Returning to McCarter Theatre after 15 years, Regina Taylor’s musical Crowns has been revisited. This adapted production from Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry’s book of the same title allows us to witness “hat queens” and their obsession through the eyes of a high school teenaged girl. Hats are part of a treasured custom for African American women […]
Stones in His Pockets at McCarter Theatre
County Kerry, Ireland is known for its picturesque rolling hills, luscious grassy landscape, and cows. So it’s no surprise when Hollywood filmmakers choose this corner of the world to film. Marie Jones’ Olivier Award-winning Stones in His Pockets directed by Lindsay Posner, is a comedy playing at McCarter Theatre telling the story of how filming a […]
A Christmas Carol at McCarter Theatre Makes Princeton Magical
It’s been a year since McCarter Theatre debuted its reimagined production of David Thompson’s adaption of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. It cleaned the slate and gave us a new set, new actors, and a new experience. This year, director Adam Immerwahr tweaked it to further enhance the staging. Ebenezer Scrooge (Greg Wood) believes Christmas is a day for employees to […]
Joplin Sings the Blues at McCarter
Currently, McCarter Theatre is like Woodstock meets The Cotton Club thanks to A Night With Janis Joplin written and directed by Randy Johnson. This Tony-nominated Broadway musical has opened in Princeton to the delight of many baby boomers, but there’s something for all generations to appreciate. First of all, towards the beginning of the musical, we hear a teaser of […]
The Princeton Festival Baroque Orchestra Gave Us a Throwback
The Princeton Festival Baroque Orchestra debuted in 2015. They play music written before and during the 18th century on instruments of that time. Most of the musicians have a common link of having studied at the Jacob School of Music of Indiana University in Bloomington or playing with the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra. This is apparent by how […]
The Princeton Festival Marches Fidelio Into Town
U.S. protests have increased this year, making Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio very relevant in 2017 since it begins with a protest against injustice. Ultimately, it’s a story of love, freedom, hope, and justice. This opera goes beyond amusement. It makes a statement. Fidelio was part of a trend in the early 1800s to pen operas about women […]
The Princeton Festival is Not Just Dreaming of Man of La Mancha
To dream the impossible dream, the first line in the main song of Man of La Mancha is something in which many of us are guilty. When we reach too high for the stars, we set ourselves up for disappointment. It’s inspiring and devastating. The Princeton Festival brings Man of La Mancha to the Lewis […]
Intimate Apparel Reveals Itself at McCarter Theatre
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage shares a story influenced by her great-grandmother in her latest play Intimate Apparel to close the McCarter‘ 2016-2017 Theater Series. Nottage weaves a tale of the unchronicled history of African-Americans in the early 1900s that is rarely told. Jade King Carroll, director of last year’s The Piano, brings Nottage’s story to life on […]
A Christmas Carol at McCarter Theatre Gets a Makeover
McCarter Theatre‘s A Christmas Carol has been a Princeton area holiday tradition for decades. It’s a wonderful form of family entertainment, and for some kids, it’s their introduction to the theater. This year, McCarter offers us a reimagined production. Adam Immerwahr is at the helm as the new director and he worked with a clean […]
Disgraced at McCarter
In 1883, Emma Lazarus wrote The New Colossus, which is engraved on a tablet within the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” Yet, after the world has been invited to join our “melting pot”, it is apparent that the invitation isn’t, equally sincere to all […]