They call themselves the Sangita Sisters. Six women who met “divinely” to perform Kirtan. What’s Kirtan, you ask? “It’s a form of devotional music,” says Sarah Loomis, one of the six Sisters. “It’s the music of yoga.” On Saturday, March 22, the Sisters will be performing in a fundraising event at Raffa Life Yoga Studio […]
Frank O'Donnell
Frank O’Donnell has worn many different hats. As an actor, he’s performed in three professional theatrical productions and countless community theater productions. He’s written, produced and directed four holiday-themed shows and once helmed the Notfanuttin’ Players, specializing in audience-participation dinner shows. He’s been performing as a stand-up comedian since 1982 and has been inducted into the RI Comedy Hall of Fame. He’s written comedy for other performers, like Bob Hope, Jay Leno and Joe Piscopo. He’s opened for performers as diverse as the Judds, Michael Bolton, Chicago, David Brenner, Gilbert Gottfried and more. He’s been writing reviews and features about theater in Rhode Island for better than two decades. His work to help save the monarch butterfly has been chronicled on NBC Nightly News and he is president of the Keri Anne O’Donnell Memorial Fund. A native of Providence and long-time resident of North Providence, Frank now calls Jamestown home. He and his wife Karen – who he met when both were students at Classical High School – have four children, and recently became grandparents.
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‘Blind Date Interrupted’ brings comedy to Newport’s dating scene
“Blind Date Interrupted.” Sounds like a Hallmark rom-com, doesn’t it? It’s actually the name of a brand-new experiment in “outrageous comedy” debuting at Top of Pelham in Newport on Thursday, February 13. “It’s a concept we developed,” says DJ O’Hara of the Newport Comedy Series. The production team wanted to focus on theme shows. They’ve […]
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Lil Rhody Laugh Riot to feature mix of national headliners and local talent
The email’s subject line caught my attention: “New Comedy Festival Set to Launch in Providence in March.” The Lil Rhody Laugh Riot covers four days in late March, spread out over two major venues, the Vets and PPAC, and a couple of smaller ones, like the Hide Speakeasy downstairs at The George and Alchemy. The […]
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Theatre Review: ‘Mamma Mia!’ continues to delight audiences with standout performances and energetic dance numbers
“Mamma Mia!” is back at the Providence Performing Arts Center. This is the fifth time here for the show, and enthusiasm for it has not waned. In case you’re unaware, “Mamma Mia!” is a jukebox musical built around the music of Abba. The story that weaves the songs together focuses on Sophie, a young about-to-be […]
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‘Shucked’ brings ‘corny’ comedy to Providence Performing Arts Center
The question folks have been asking: What is “Shucked” about? Glad you asked. The answer is corn. If you’re going to see “Shucked” at the Providence Performing Arts Center – and you should – be prepared to laugh. In cases, laugh hard. The emphasis is on comedy in this musical comedy, which launches its first […]
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Miss Rhode Island Teen 2023 takes on a new role in ‘The Sound of Music’
Mia Daley is spending her summer days going to the beach. Well, close to the beach. Daley will be spending a good chunk of her summer at Theatre by the Sea, appearing as Louisa in “The Sound of Music.” So far, says the East Greenwich actor, “it truly has been such a wonderful experience.” Daley, […]
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Providence Fringe Festival returns for 11th year with 50 shows
Brien Lang has been with the Providence Fringe Festival “pretty much since the beginning.” Actually, Lang has been part of the festival since its second year, and it’s now in its 11th year. Lang is the Director of New Works at the Wilbury Theatre Group. Since his first year with the festival, it has “grown […]
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‘Arcadia’ ready to shine at Jamestown Community Theatre
Four years after it was supposed to be produced, Jamestown Community Theater presents “Arcadia” by Tom Stoppard. The play “was initially planned to be part of JCT’s 30th anniversary season,” said Ricky Martin, JCT’s artistic director, “in summer 2020, when the world shut down.” Stoppard’s play is hard to explain. It’s a modern-day exploration of […]
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Review: ‘Tootsie’ at Theatre By The Sea is a terrific way to kick off your summer
You’re a decent New York actor but your constant head-butting with directors makes you unemployable. What do you do? Slap on a wig, a dress, some pearls and a pair of pumps, and audition as a woman, of course. Welcome to “Tootsie,” the newest offering at Theatre by the Sea. The musical is based on […]
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Review: Ben Platt pulls out all the stops at PPAC
Until yesterday, I thought Ben Platt was a Broadway performer. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I knew him as the performer who originated the lead role in “Dear Evan Hansen” which earned him a Tony Award. I knew he’d recently played the lead in “Parade” on Broadway, and that he’d just wrapped up […]
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Theatre Review: ‘Doubt: A Parable’ is a powerful tale
John Patrick Shanley’s “Doubt: A Parable” opens with a sermon about doubt. Father Flynn (Benjamin Grills) asks, “What do you do if you’re not sure?” The homily sets the tone for the show, and quickly lets us know the timeframe, referencing President Kennedy’s assassination a year earlier. So, 1964. Flynn’s sermon wraps up with, “Doubt […]
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Theatre Review: ‘Company’ at PPAC is worth seeing
“Company” opens with Bobbie coming into her tiny apartment dragging a mylar balloon showing the number 35 and carrying a brown-paper-bagged bottle of bourbon. She pours a drink and listens to her voice mail, one of which is from a friend who lets it slip that Bobbie’s friends have a surprise party planned for her. […]
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Theatre Review: ‘Twelfth Night’ at The Gamm Theatre is fun and funny
Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” begins with a shipwreck. Twins Viola and Sebastian are tossed into the sea. Viola is saved. Sebastian is feared lost. Brought to Illyria by her rescuers, Viola takes on the appearance of a boy, working as Cesario, a page to Illyria’s Duke Orsino. Now hold onto your hat, it gets a little […]
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Theatre Review: ‘Frozen’ at PPAC is a fun and satisfying show
I’ll admit it. I’ve never watched Disney’s animated “Frozen” from start to finish. I’ve seen parts but never the whole thing. And, of course, I’ve heard the soundtrack over and over again. So, I looked forward to seeing the live version of “Frozen” at the Providence Performing Arts Center. And I was not disappointed. The […]
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Theatre Review: ‘Moulin Rouge: The Musical’ at PPAC
“Moulin Rouge: The Musical” starts before the first big song medley begins. Scantily clad women and men interact in slow motion on a fully lit stage behind a hanging neon-lettered “Moulin Rouge.” The set is done up in red – heavy on the “rouge” – with ever-smaller heart-shaped arches. The performers exit slowly, and the […]
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Theatre Review: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical at PPAC
Let’s start with this: the kids seemed to like it. Well, most of them. Some were flat-out scared. I saw one youngster drag her parents out shortly after the show started. We’re talking about “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical,” now on stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center. The half-hour cartoon […]
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What’s Up Interview: Gamm Theatre Artistic Director Tony Estrella on ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
This holiday season, the Gamm Theatre presents It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play for the fifth time. “It’s our fourth time live,” said the Gamm’s Artistic Director, Tony Estrella. “One year – our canceled season – we did the show on NPR.” So are the folks at the Gamm trying to turn this […]
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Theatre Review: ‘The Book of Mormon’ at PPAC is outrageously funny and so very irreverent
The Tony Award-winning “The Book of Mormon” is back in Providence. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s what you need to know. The show was created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the team behind “South Park.” With that in mind, the watch word is “irreverent.” Soooo irreverent, and sooooo funny. I was grinning […]
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Review: “Mrs. Doubtfire” at PPAC is worth your time
When I heard that “Mrs. Doubtfire,” the 1993 film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field, was being made into a Broadway musical, I had my – pardon the pun – doubts. So many attempts to turn hit movies into musicals fall flat. “Pretty Woman” and “An Officer & A Gentleman” are recent examples. So, walking […]
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Theatre by the Sea to mark 90th Anniversary with a ‘Big Barn Bash’
This year, Theatre by the Sea marks its 90th anniversary. “That’s a long time for an old building like that to survive,” said Bill Hanney, TBTS’s owner and producer. To celebrate, Hanney and company are presenting a Big Barn Bash. “I wanted it to be a gala,” said Hanney, “but our general manager (Karen Gail […]
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Theater Review: ‘Jersey Boys’ a ‘must-see’ at Theatre By the Sea
If the Beatles were the music world’s British invasion, then the Four Seasons were the American Revolution. That’s paraphrasing from Jersey Boys, the musical now on stage at Theatre by the Sea. Jersey Boys is the origin story of the Four Seasons, who took pop music by storm in the 60s and early 70s. The […]
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Theater Review: The Bodyguard: The Musical is excellent at Theater-By-The-Sea
I’ll admit it. When I first heard they were making a musical out of 1992’s “The Bodyguard,” the thriller starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, I was skeptical. This was back in 2012 or so when the musical first hit Broadway and then headed out on tour. It sort of made sense, since the movie […]
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ILL – Abilities ‘No Excuses, No Limits’ show headed to PPAC Saturday, May 13
Luca Patuelli is known as Lazylegz. He’s had a muscular condition called arthrogryposis since birth. “It can affect any part of the body,” said Patuelli in our recent interview. “This [hit] my legs,” so he gets around with the help of braces and crutches. So, when I tell you that Patuelli manages and performs in […]
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What’s Up in Local Theater: We review ‘The Children’ at the Gamm
The play opens to the sounds of an angry wave-crashing sea. We’re in a seaside cottage. Kitchen, dining area, living area all in one small space. An old-fashioned stove sits unused, except as a shelf. The timeframe is unclear. Is it now, or 40 years ago? Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. This is the setting for […]
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Theater Review: Beetlejuice as good as it gets at PPAC
Who’s the most loveable demon around? You’ve got to say his name three times. It must be spoken, unbroken. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice! “Beetlejuice,” the last Broadway show of PPAC’s 2022/2023 season, is as good as the best shows PPAC presented this year – and that includes “Tina” and “Six.” “Beetlejuice” is arguably better, as it’s […]