★★★★★ The magical land of Oz has been a vital part of my life since I was in diapers. My mom used to sing me to sleep as a newborn with smooth croonings of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” When I was old enough to watch, The Wizard of Oz was on a permanent loop in … Continue reading Film Review: Wicked: For Good
Theater Review: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
When you have five Glee cast alumni on the theatre stages of New York City at the same time, decisions must be made. As an avid obsessive of that show—we’re talking Gleek of the century here—spotting Kevin McHale amongst the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was more than enough to warrant … Continue reading Theater Review: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Film Review: Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 4: Dawn of the Vampires
★★★★ Back in 2018, a little Disney Channel Original Movie debuted featuring adorkable zombie Zed swept up in a forbidden romance with not-so-human Addison. Who would have thought seven years later, we would be looking at one of the longest-running DCOM franchises to maintain the original leads in Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly. The biggest … Continue reading Film Review: Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 4: Dawn of the Vampires
Film Review: Juliet & Romeo
★ William Shakespeare is rolling over in his grave. Losing count over how many versions of this exact same story Hollywood can cook up, audiences may end up entirely baffled with this "fresh take" on a classic. For Juliet & Romeo, the well-worn story of two star-crossed lovers has been updated with modern dialogue, cheesy … Continue reading Film Review: Juliet & Romeo
Theater Review: Floyd Collins
Jeremy Jordan can do no wrong when it comes to the Broadway stage. Most recently in The Great Gatsby, Jordan’s rich vocals and dominating stage presence helped to refresh a familiar tale. From new musical to random revival, Floyd Collins has quite an intriguing hook. Jordan plays the titular character, an American cave explorer who … Continue reading Theater Review: Floyd Collins
Theater Review: Old Friends
(Written by Intern, Alecia Wilk) With minimal prior knowledge about Stephen Sondheim’s career, a seat in the audience for Old Friends came with a sense of imposter syndrome. This montage of greatest hits celebrating the life of the legendary lyricist and composer is clearly meant for musical aficionados. The production, which carries on without so … Continue reading Theater Review: Old Friends
Theater Review: Smash
2020’s seemingly neverending pandemic left a lot of free time to revisit and reflect. One of the shows that brought me comfort—and a saucy, endlessly entertaining first-time binge watch—was NBC’s Smash. An immaculate deconstruction of Broadway devoted to intimate character moments and elaborate choreography, Smash may have only lasted two seasons, but it remains a … Continue reading Theater Review: Smash
SXSW 2025: O’Dessa
★★ A post-apocalyptic rock opera led by Stranger Things breakout Sadie Sink? What could possibly go wrong? Certainly writer/director Jeremy Gasper brings a unique visual style to the bright extravaganza of muchness that is O'Dessa. Unfortunately, almost none of it works, save for maybe the silky-smooth vocals of Sink. In the strange other-world of this … Continue reading SXSW 2025: O’Dessa
Film Review: Wicked
★★★★★ After becoming a smash hit—and playing on Broadway now for over two decades—it would have been easy to make a rushed, condensed version of Wicked that failed to live up to the Tony-winning hype of its show counterpart. I still remember hearing about the concept for the first time when I was in high … Continue reading Film Review: Wicked
Theater Review: Maybe Happy Ending
Back in 2015, nearly a decade ago at this point, Glee's Darren Criss replaced Neil Patrick Harris in Broadway's Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Belasco Theater. My mom surprised me with some wonderfully close orchestra tickets, and the rest, as they say, is history. Being a big fan of the movie and its … Continue reading Theater Review: Maybe Happy Ending