The Stagecfafters: By the Way Meet Vera Stark

Review by Neal Newman June 19, 2022 The great black artist, Hattie McDaniel, when asked by a not too bright reporter why she only played maids, once quipped, “Honey, I can get $500 a week playing one, or $50 a week being one.”  There were no choices for Black actors in Depression-era Hollywood. Performers withContinue reading “The Stagecfafters: By the Way Meet Vera Stark”

Quintessence Theatre Group: Flyin’ Blind

Review by Neal Newman June 16, 2022 American History is filled with little-known details that, when discovered can fascinate. Did you know that after the Civil War, formerly enslaved people migrated to the Midwest to claim land grants due to the Homestead Act?  Two enlightened men founded the town of Nicodemus, in northern Kansas, intendingContinue reading “Quintessence Theatre Group: Flyin’ Blind”

Camille Review

June 8, 2022 By Neal Newman If you are, like me, a theatre fan who enjoys seeing lost classics from the historical past (think EAST LYNN or FRANCESCA DA RIMINI), hurry down to the Quintessence Theater Group to catch the 1852 Dumas blockbuster CAMILLE. The production isn’t perfect, but bravura performances from the two leadsContinue reading “Camille Review”