Rick Lyon has worked on Sesame Street and on television and film projects for Columbia Pictures, New Line Cinema, ABC, CBS, The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, VH1, and Fox. In addition to performing, Lyon also designs and builds custom puppets, including the puppets for the Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q on Broadway, where he was also a member of the original cast.
Read my interview with him here at Charlotte ViewPoint.
Read my preview here in Carolina Mountain Life.
Long before Snooki or ‘the Situation,’ Another type of youthful cool swept the Jersey shore. Read my preview of Jersey Boys here in Charlotte Viewpoint.
She stands by her man.. even though he has a split personality. Here at Charlotte Viewpoint.
“The lesson in the story is so much more than just to follow your dream; it’s really to work to change the world around you.” I interview Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall and discusses Radio Theatre, the autobiographical elements of Billy Elliot, and Hall’s thoughts on working with Sir Elton John. Here at Charlotte ViewPoint.
Read my review of this gripping one man show here in Charlotte ViewPoint.
Read my interview with Bryan Fenkart, the lead in the national touring performance of Memphis, the Musical. Here at CLT Blog.
Few conversations in Charlotte envision the theater as community. Charlotte is not a string of suburbs in search of a city like many American burghs of comparable size. We are a grouping of eclectic and diverse neighborhoods from NoDa, to Chantilly, First and Fourth Wards, Elizabeth, and beyond. Performance art that represents the diverse cultures and fabric of the growing region isn’t often found in touring Broadway productions or at Uptown’s larger venues.
I explore Machine Theater, a small experimental company here.
There is perhaps no other American song in history that has played a more iconic role in modern popular culture than “White Christmas.” Penned by a Russian/Jewish immigrant Irving Berlin, “White Christmas” had a starring role in at least three celebrated Hollywood films. Making its debut in Holiday Inn, the tune also received airtime in Blue Skies as well as in the Technicolor film White Christmas, which was released nearly twelve years after the creation of the wildly successful song.
Read my preview of White Christmas, The Musical which includes a chat with veteran stage actress Ruth Williamson here.
Dreamgirls is nothing if not a spectacle on a very grand scale. It is rare to see a Broadway performance rely so heavily on lighting and special effects provided by thousands of overworked high definition pixels framing and defining every scene. The ceiling to stage panels dazzle at every turn, initially creating the smoky and soft glow of New York’s Apollo and carrying the performance through brilliantly vibrant multi-colored backdrops.
Read the entire review here.
Charlotte Actor’s Theatre delivers fun syrupy pop with a few missteps in this performance of The Marvelous Wonderettes. My review at Charlotte Viewpoint here.
Read my preview of the North American touring show of CATS. Here at Charlotte ViewPoint.
Theater for very young targets tots from six months to three years. There is plenty for the kid in all of us As I recently discovered at PlayPlay! Charlotte’s answer to the European Baby Theater craze. My piece at Charlotte ViewPoint is here.
Charlotte theater guru Matt Cosper lays out the world according to him, here in my piece at the Charlotte Observer.
Since its opening in 1933, the annual Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular has become the gold-standard in holiday entertainment and a quintessential New York City Christmastime experience. With over 200 performances during its eight-week run from November through December, and as many as six performances per day, the show is seen by more than one million people – more than all other Broadway shows combined for the entire year.
Read my review of this fabulous show here.
A great father and son story hear featuring a dad who has overcome his hearing impairment right up onto the stage. Here in the Charlotte Observer.
I catch up with Waxhaw-based playwright Judy Simpson Cook here at the Charlotte Observer.
Read my review of the zany, wacky Blue Man Group. Here at CLT Blog.
Thursday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway there were more thrills, high speed turns and tension than is typically found at the Coca-Cola 600. It all took place under the Grande chapiteau where close to 2200 attendees were spellbound for nearly three hours with Totem, the latest performing arts feast from Cirque Du Soleil.
Read my review @ CLT Blog here.
With ThomThom, Machine Theater celebrates their one year anniversary and fourth production in Charlotte, no small feat in a town that seems loathe to support small, regional theater. Coming off their dark comedy Mum’s the Word earlier this year, Machine has jumped headlong into a realm that requires its audience to suspend their beliefs at the door and allow this performance to rush over them in waves.
Read my full review here.
From the opening Chim Chim Cher-ee to the closing Supercalifragilisticexpiaidocious encore medley, the brilliantly constructed ensemble cast maintained an energy level that was just slightly below uncontrollable frenzy.
My review of the national touring production is featured here.