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Raise the roof
UM's Fiddler balances change with tradition by Erika Fredrickson Part of the fun of Fiddler on the Roofor any popular musical, reallyis re-experiencing the familiar. It's that satisfaction of being...
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Beyond Belief
Cajune refashions Native stories on stage by Brooks Johnson Julie Cajune wants to know if you can name 10 famous American Indian women. Sound too difficult?…[ Read more ][ Subscribe to the comments on...
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Get physical
Crime in a Madhouse amps up the horror by Erika Fredrickson At Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol in Paris, it was not uncommon for audience members to faint or vomit during performances, or to scream so...
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Radio on the stage
It's a Wonderful Life stays evergreen by Erika Fredrickson It's a Wonderful Life is pretty sentimentala critique that, despite its grip of Academy Award nominations, has plagued the Frank Capra film...
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True blue
Montana Rep's Biloxi Blues sticks to Simon's vision by Erika Fredrickson Biloxi Blues got well-deserved exposure when it was released as a film in 1988 starring Matthew Broderick–freshly celebrated...
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Good feeling
Jeff Medley channels Mister Rogers in Won't You Be My Neighbor by Erika Fredrickson When I walk through the door of musician Josh Farmer's house, actor Jeff Medley is in the middle of singing the...
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Creating spectacle
Synthetic Spring unveils the real Jack Metcalf by Erika Fredrickson The French Situationist and philosopher Guy Debord warned in the 1960s that life had become a spectacle in which people related more...
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Beach party
Comedy of Errors packs psychedelic punch by Josh Wagner A few years ago, I took a trip to Memphis to visit Beale Street and see the birthplace of the blues. I found a Beale that's depressingly kitschy...
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Zombie love
Fleshed Out musical delights in gore by Kate Whittle Zombies, like many other creatures in supernatural lore, began as a scary folktale. Haitian voodoo culture, and some South African communities,...
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Die another day
How playwright Kate Morris fakes her own death by Erika Fredrickson A few months ago, while standing in her kitchen, Kate Morris decided to duct tape herself to a chair. She sat down, unrolled the...
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Happy endings?
How a former lobbyist decided to tackle a story about a Butte madam by Erika Fredrickson It takes a few minutes for Carrie Ann Mallino to open the door to her Missoula house. When she does, she...
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Puppet masters
UM's Avenue Q takes "Sesame Street" on a ride by Josh Wagner Now that my friends are all having babies, I get to watch "Sesame Street" a lot more than usual. Avenue Q is similar to this TV classic in...
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Stay tuned
UM's Distracted keeps its comedic focus by Erika Fredrickson In American culture we lament—and often laugh at—how perpetually distracted we are. It's not enough that our attentions are spread thin by...
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Not dead yet
Spamalot rants from a Monty Python die-hard by Josh Wagner As I sit stone-faced in this hysterical crowd, watching the knights of Camelot cavort with corpses, grovel before an exasperated Jehovah and...
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Eye opener
Montana Rep's Miracle Worker grips the senses by Josh Wagner You know you've made an impact on the world when there's an entire category of jokes about you. According to the internet, Helen Keller...
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Real world
Circle Mirror reflects awkward truths by Josh Wagner A few years ago I tried out for—and got—a role in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, as the character Sebastian. I was just starting to write and produce...
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Rural revival
UM's Days puts a spin on an outdated script by Josh Wagner Some theater exists purely for entertainment, while some aims for big messages. An example of the latter, Landford Wilson's Book of Days,...
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Earnest times
Oscar Wilde classic strikes an important balance by Erika Fredrickson The last time I recall a Missoula production of The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People was in the...
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Gut punch
Prison Boxing brings the inside out by Erika Fredrickson One rule Leah Joki learned while working in prisons is that no one gets stabbed during a pie sale. You might knife someone or brawl any other...
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Dream weavers
UM's Midsummer delights in asses and imps by Erika Fredrickson The most fun part of watching new versions of A Midsummer Night's Dream is seeing how an actor portrays Puck. In 2010, the Montana...
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