News

BY Bob Fischbach
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

When the cast of "Ain't Misbehavin'" sings "This Joint Is Jumpin'" at the end of act one, well, that ain't jive, honey. It's jumpin'.

The John Beasley Theater's production of this Fats Waller revue, which won the best-musical Tony in 1978, is a slightly naughty, slightly bawdy, whole-lot-entertaining evening of script-free song and dance.

...continue reading

By Bob Fischbach
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Sit back and let “Gem of the Ocean ” wash over you like a powerful wave.

The pain of oppression, the ecstasy of release, the power of ancient ritual, the balm of human connection — they’re all there in the John Beasley Theater’s production of August Wilson’s soaring 1904 drama, which opened Friday.

...continue reading

March-April 2008

John performed in 'Fences', 'Joe Turner Come and Gone', and 'Jitney' at the August Wilson 20th Century Cycle readings.

...continue reading

By Bob Fischbach
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Published Thursday
March 1, 2007

It's almost a religious experience. The John Beasley Theater's production of the musical "Crowns," by Regina Taylor, features so much beautifully sung blues, gospel and old-timey church hymns, with just a little bit of preaching and a lot of high-stepping thrown into the mix, you'll feel like you've been to a revival meeting. But rest assured it's some of the most lively and entertaining church you'll ever experience, thanks to this cast of seven exceptionally talented singer-actors.

...continue reading

By Bob Fischbach
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Published Saturday
September 30, 2006

When you hear the play is about mentally handicapped adults, you wonder whether it will wallow in stereotypes and make fun of its subjects, or if the acting will be over the top.

You can set those fears aside.

For consistency, character acting and a quality cast, top to bottom, "The Boys Next Door" ranks as one of the most solid shows this reviewer has seen at the John Beasley Theater.

...continue reading

By Sarah Wengert
TheReader

Nothing much ever really seems to change for the inhabitants of Tom Griffin's play The Boys Next Door. The four men who share an assisted living apartment and their caretaker, Jack, soldier on day after day, going through the same motions and, more often than not, repeating the very same sentences. Over and over.

...continue reading

By Bob Fischbach
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Published Thursday
May 18, 2006

Patience sometimes is rewarded.

That's doubly true of the John Beasley Theater's wistful production of "Seven Guitars," which opened last weekend after several postponements.

August Wilson's play about Floyd Barton, a jazz-blues guitarist on the verge of recording stardom, is set in 1948 Pittsburgh. The white-owned record company failed to pay Barton and his musician pals Red and Canewell what it owed them on a first record.

...continue reading

by Steve Eskew

Welcome once again to the landscapes of Willy Loman's tormented mind.
The John Beasley Theater presents Arthur Miller's mesmerizing contemporary classic, Death of a Salesman. Originally titled The Inside of His Head, its half-century longevity can be attributed chiefly to audiences' loving, loathing, pitying, fearing and embracing Willy.

...continue reading

By Bob Fischbach
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Published Thursday
June 9, 2005

Given a week since opening, the cast and crew of the Beasley Theater's "Death of a Salesman" may have a stellar production on their hands by now. It was not so on opening night Friday.

The theater's namesake, John Beasley, stars as Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's classic 1949 Pulitzer winner, and his talented son, Tyrone, both directs and stars as Willy's son, Happy.

...continue reading

By John Keenan
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Published Saturday
February 12, 2005

"The Piano Lesson," August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, gets a rousing production at the John Beasley Theater.

The work, part of Wilson's 10-play cycle, revolves around an ornately carved upright piano. Boy Willie (Kelcey Watson) has come up north to persuade his sister to sell it, hoping to use the proceeds to buy land. Bernice (TammyRa Jackson) refuses to do so.

The question of heritage, and what to make of it, looms large. The piano provides a concrete example.

...continue reading