Email Author Jim Tommaney

2011 Stories by Jim Tommaney

• Unexpected Moments in Houston Theatre 2011

  published Dec 27, 2011

  There are moments in theater when your heart seems to stop and you dare not breathe, lest you miss the power on stage. There are moments when you want to collapse in the aisle with uproarious laughter... More >>

• Houston Theater: Xmas Stockings & Xmas Sockings

  published Dec 23, 2011

  Dear Theater Santa: Candy canes and full stockings to the many Houston theaters which do such brilliant work. Here's a small sampling from a cornucopia of talent, in no particular order (followed by,... More >>

• Top Five "Old Plays" I'd Like to See in Houston

  published Dec 15, 2011

  We're never grateful for things that don't happen, like NOT getting a flat tire. And we usually don't ruminate on things we love that are absent (unless he or she is especially hot), but nonetheless I... More >>

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  The Santaland Diaries at the Alley Theatre: No Christmas Is Complete Without It

  published Dec 04, 2011

  The set-up: The Joe Mantello adaptation of David Sedaris's recounting of his stint as Crumpet the Elf, a holiday job at Macy's in New York City, returns to amuse us with the underside of the Christma... More >>

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  Winter Wonderettes at Stages: Not Much Plot, But Plenty Nostalgia

  published Nov 29, 2011

  The setup: The all-girl singing group The Wonderettes, featured in the popular, long-running The Marvelous Wonderettes at Stages in 2010, returns for a 2011 holiday event in another jukebox musical. ... More >>

• Five Gifted Actors Play 43 Roles in It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at Texas Rep

  published Nov 29, 2011

  The setup: The perennially popular movie featuring Jimmy Stewart is recast, this time as a highly original radio play. The execution: The production is much more than audio, as we are at the art de... More >>

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  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever from AD Players: Rebellious Kids Put on a Show

  published Nov 28, 2011

  The setup: A substitute pageant director has (gasp!) to cast six unruly children to tell the story of The Manger. The execution: The Herdsman family is financially challenged, and its six childre... More >>

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  A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas from the Alley: A Splendid Production

  published Nov 28, 2011

  Jeffrey Bean as Ebenezer Scrooge and James Belcher as Spirit of Christmas Present. The setup: The Alley Theatre adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol returns in all its theatrical splen... More >>

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  Theater LaB's A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage @ 1959 Features Lots of Bad Advice, Plenty of Fun

  published Nov 22, 2011

  The setup: A satire of marital advice from a clueless "expert" tracks two very different 1959 Iowa marriages and chronicles their outcomes in this production from Theater LaB Houston. The execution:... More >>

• A Fun-Filled Cinderella at Ensemble Theatre

  published Nov 21, 2011

  The setup: The Ensemble Theatre's take on Cinderella sheds the gossamer fragility of the fairy tale for broad humor and a lively, rollicking treatment. The execution: There are two moments of poign... More >>

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  Dear Santa: Christmas Comes Early to Theatre Suburbia

  published Nov 14, 2011

  The set-up: Christmas comes early to Theatre Suburbia, as we are treated to the Houston premiere of a comedy set in Santa's North Pole workshop, as elves cope amusingly with a number of production pr... More >>

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  When the Day Met the Night (a moosehunt experience) from Big Head Productions: Gripping, Vivid

  published Nov 14, 2011

  The setup: The world premiere of a new, experimental play explores five friends using recreational drugs 20 years ago, then leaps into the present to see them as they are today. The execution: The ... More >>

• Once on this Island at Applause Theatre Well-Acted by a Young Cast

  published Nov 07, 2011

  The set-up: Young children and early teenagers re-tell a Caribbean story of class warfare, with enticing results. The execution: Applause Theatre is one of Houston's several theatrical gems tucked ... More >>

• A Midsummer Night's Dream at Family Arts Center Shows Flashes of Brilliance

  published Oct 31, 2011

  The set-up: William Shakespeare's most-popular play is re-set in The Roaring Twenties and is tackled by a teenage cast. The execution: There is ample plot, its essence being that the young lovers ... More >>

• Zombie Prom at UH: Funny and Perfect for Halloween

  published Oct 31, 2011

  The set-up: Relationships are tested when a rejected teenage swain turns to nuclear suicide, but returns as a radioactive toxic avenger to reclaim his true love. The execution: Romance blossoms bet... More >>

• Evil Dead: the Musical from Stage Door, Inc. Is Laugh-Out-Loud Funny

  published Oct 26, 2011

  The setup: Sam Raimi's 1983 cult film The Evil Dead and its two sequels were reincarnated as a stage musical off-Broadway in 2006, and Stage Door, Inc. presents it in all its bloody gore and rich, ta... More >>

• Snoopy!!! The Musical Hits the Boards at St. Thomas

  published Oct 21, 2011

  The set-up: The characters from Charles M. Schulz's much-loved comic strip "Peanuts" turn out not only to be three-dimensional, but to sing and dance as well. The execution: A blackboard (cleverly co... More >>

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  String of Pearls Links Together Stories on Stage

  published Oct 18, 2011

  The setup: A string of pearls links together vignettes that bridge generational gaps with poignant humor and adroit storytelling. The execution: The evening opens as a 74-year-old grandmother, played... More >>

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  The Gifted Susan O. Koozin Displays Her Versatility in Stages Repertory Theatre's The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead

  published Oct 11, 2011

  The setup: This theater curiosity running at Stages Repertory Theatre is a hybrid -- part point-of-view drama, part acting exercise -- recording the aftermath of a husband walking out, with seven cha... More >>

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  Romeo and Juliet from UpStage Theatre Ambitious But Flawed

  published Oct 10, 2011

  The setup: To open its 12th season, UpStage Theatre makes its first foray into the thicket of Shakespeare, with an ambitious production of Romeo and Juliet. The execution: Anna Yost as Juliet loo... More >>

• Guys and Dolls from TUTS: a Brilliant Revival

  published Sep 30, 2011

  The setup: Damon Runyon's sharply etched portrait of clandestine gamblers is brought to vivid stage life in Guys and Dolls, the Tony Award-winning, long-running B'way hit of 1950, and the current revi... More >>

• Something for Everyone in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change

  published Sep 26, 2011

  The setup: A series of musical vignettes about relationships springs into comic life as polished material is mined for laughs by talented actors, who find the laughs and deliver them -- in spades. Th... More >>

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  That's Love, Y'all: Low-Key Texas Romance Filled with Humor and Character

  published Sep 26, 2011

  The set-up: A youngish widow is courted by a shy younger man, to her older sister's disapproval, in a sweet romance set in a small Texas town. The execution: The world of rural Texas is created ons... More >>

• Delightful By Design: Rob Urbinati's Vivid Murder Mystery Death By Design at HFAC

  published Sep 22, 2011

  The setup: A rare event -- the world premiere of a comedy commissioned by a local theater -- merges wit, sophistication and even pratfalls into a medley of humor and fun. The execution: Playwright Ro... More >>

• Power Struggle: Brutal, Bare Republic Day at Obsidian Art Space

  published Sep 16, 2011

  The setup: Playwright Tom Stell directs the world premiere of his own play about just how savage class warfare can really be, using cinematic techniques and a largely talented young cast to create viv... More >>