A View from the Cliff continues to be a frequent, upbeat visit to live, family entertainment in Queens. My reviews began close to 20 years ago. This blog is a chance for readers to praise or pan our local performers. It’s also a venue for uncovering hidden talent in our borough.
Generation gap? Not at Theatre By The Bay, where Lawrence F. Bloom’s musical production of “Annie,” based on Harold Gray’s comic strip “Little Orphan Annie,” runs weekends through Sunday, March 27th. Coined in the1960s, the phrase “generation gap” describes a lack of communication and a lack of understanding between children, teens, adults, and seniors. But [...]
Widespread unemployment triggers presidential initiatives. Social services are threatened by huge economic downturn. Are these sound bytes from today’s news? No way! It’s the 1930s Depression Era scenario in which “Little Orphan Annie,” originally conceived as a comic strip by Harold Gray, musically triumphs onstage. Producer/Director/Founder Lawrence F. Bloom has selected more than a baker’s [...]
‘Independence’ playing at DCT
The DCT players are presenting playwright Lee Blessing’s drama, “Independence” for one last weekend in Douglaston. The production, originally presented in the 1980s, touches on some taboos which were disconcerting back then but are now much more visible. You can probably guess what’s on that short list. Director Teresa Zugger is known for her operatic [...]
Unfortunately, community theatre groups are all too often the butt of jokes. They are depicted as woulda-coulda-shoulda also-rans who never get past church basements and community all-purpose rooms. Mediocre talents with inflated egos are common portraits. But playwright Tom Griffin’s “Amateurs,” currently running at 103-15 Union Turnpike at the Grace Lutheran Church, turns the stereotype [...]
Despite a whirling snowstorm and below freezing temperatures, a large crowd attended the Brighton Ballet Theater (BBT) performance of “The Nutcracker” at Colden Auditorium in the Kupferberg Center. Dozens of performers, many of them talented children, danced with confidence and grace. They were dressed as everything from mice to snowmen, music box dolls to soldiers, [...]
Most people have a soft spot for whatever they consider to be “classic.” There are classic paintings by “old masters;” classic plays—the obvious being anything by Shakespeare; classic novels; even classic television programs. But what makes a classic? Look no further than “The Nutcracker.” A holiday favorite, this ballet has been staged in at least [...]
When local troupes need to drum up ticket sales, some cynics say “Just give ‘em a Neil Simon comedy!” After all, he’s a born and raised New Yorker with a long list of successful and very, very funny scripts with a New York edge. In fact, some Queens troupes embrace this philosophy while others refuse [...]
The close knit members of the Rockaway Theatre Company are not afraid to stay with the tried and true. Neil Simon’s comedies always delight the audience. They are more than clever and offer an unmistakable New York City sensibility. On Friday night, the stage was aglow with the perpetually sloppy world of Oscar Madison, his [...]
A wave of nostalgia is breaking onstage at Sandy Shores, aka Queens Theatre in the Park (QTIP). While surfboards, beach towels and Hawaiian shirts distract the eye, four lovely singers named “The Bikinis” refocus the audience. The musical is a tribute to the carefree surfing summers of the sixties. Determined to provide a feel-good evening, [...]
