Kathryn is at it again.  She has another great theatre review on Better Than Broadway about another great performance at Dallas Children’s Theatre.

There isn’t much I can say about this play, other than this is one of the most professional, well written, well performed, well staged plays I have seen in a long time. Certainly not what one expects at local community theater. The ensemble has been touring for six months, in fifty-eight cities, and they performed as fresh as if it were opening night.

The slavery theme can cause one to run the other direction when touched upon in art and theater; but James DaVita has penned a moving and educational script. The musical selection and arrangements by Josh Schmidt and Sheri Panell are the meat of the entire show. The slave spirituals are just stunning and “holy” revealing in themselves. The vocals talents of the Ensemble were so fine tuned I just held my breathe in awe. The lead actors, Rhianna Mack, Octavia Thomas, Cedric Neal, and Rick Spivey, not only portrayed fully developed characters, but their vocals during the musical interludes will stop you in your tracks. Amazing!

I highly recommend this play for all High School and College History Classes and students in general, wanting to learn more about the Underground Railroad. The play gives an honest and real picture of slavery, during a difficult and shameful time in our country. I asked Ms. Mack (Lida) how she prepared herself for this role; she told me they spent some time at the underground rail historical site in Tennessee, she said that was a very moving experience for her.

Ms. Mack is a native Louisianan, and being southern, I am sure she was brought up with the terrible lack of information most of our youth get about the slavery issues in America. But, she handled her role as Lida, with power and truth. This play is about Lida a young slave girl, who has to flee her master for fear of her life, and how she makes her way to the beloved idea of freedom. Freedom is taken for granted so much these days by all of us, this is a fantastic reminder of how beautiful it is and how we can lose it if not protected or doled out equally.

Thank you for an excellent night at the theater.

Kathryn Wisdom

Dallas Children’s Theater
5938 Skillman
Dallas, TX 75231
(214) 978-0110

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Watch the web for the latest performances near you!

May 15, 2007 (Dallas, TX) There’s more great theatre in your community than you ever knew, but how do you find it when the newspaper just lists the shows at major performance halls and community magazines just list venues in that little town? Calendee, LLC is proud to announce the launch of their newest consumer web site, Better Than Broadway.

Updated continuously with all of the performance information for over 90 different live theatre venues in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the information is presented on the Internet in an easy to use, day-timer format. Better Than Broadway makes it simple to find a show at a moment’s notice or to plan an evening of theatre several weeks in advance. Users can choose to see all the shows for a particular metro area (such as Dallas or Fort Worth) or select just those shows available in their own community (such as Plano, Hurst, or Rockwall).

“The amount of live theatre performances in the DFW area is truly surprising,” said Justin Noel, owner of Calendee, LLC and the creator of the Better Than Broadway website. “With more than 90 venues and as many as 1500 performances scheduled, our users could watch a different play each week,” he continued, “and we have plans to expand to other major cities in the very near future. Before Better Than Broadway, there was no single source of information for all the shows being produced in our communities.”

Better Than Broadway is a free service to both users and the theatre community who lists performances and advertising space is available on the web site for those businesses who try to reach the local theatre audience. Billed as “the best local theatre calendar,” the launch of this site will make finding theatre information easier and more fun.

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Calendee, LLC was formed in April of 2006 as a privately owned company. Calendee’s goal has been to use the Internet to inform the public about the vast number of entertainment opportunities available locally. Calendee is striving to make Better Than Broadway the number one theatre information source for the Dallas/ Fort Worth area. Better Than Broadway keeps track of all current and upcoming theatre productions for the entire Dallas/Fort Worth area. Maintaining a database of every venue that offers live theatre show, Better Than Broadway is your one-stop source for all the shows in town. www.betterthanbroadway.com

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Better Than Broadway loves to get theatre reviews from the local community. Our veteran reviewer, Kathryn, has written another one for us. She recently attended the Dallas Children’s Theatre’s production of “The Secret Life of Girls“.

Drop all preconceived notions you might have about children’s theatre; especially if you are from out of town. The Dallas area is holding to a high standard for quality children’s theatre, these days. But, I was still hesitant to be going to the Dallas Children’s Theater to see “the Secret Life of Girls”; the idea of perky girls, and giggling is not my idea of art. Then I read the disclaimer about it being for mature audiences and that a discussion would follow. Now, they had my attention.

Sunday’s first matinée was a packed house, and it was hot, literally. The air conditioning system did not seem to be in working order. I am sure two thirds of the audience didn’t notice; young girls do not suffer from the same heat issues as do many of us more mature females. I was worried that between the roar of small voices and the temperature I was about to have less than memorable experience. Then the revelation: the uncomfortable air and the uncomfortable seats were preparing me to unlock an uncomfortable secret that numerous girls, ladies, and women allover the world share, the sisterhood of the wounded.

This shocking and boldly written play is short and to the point. Patiently sit through the first fifteen minutes of the above mentioned perky girl, giggly opening, it gets better, much better. The barren set design and the instant use of technology is a splendid back-drop for this play and declares the atmosphere immediately. As a matter of fact, the screen shots are like having an aside without an actor present. The video game generation will feel right at home on this set.

This is a dual cast; so I cannot say anything about the ones I did not experience for myself. The young ladies performing at the early matinée Sunday know their business and announce vividly that this is their residence. They carry a mature confidence for such young ladies, very admirable. Bravo! Brilliant job ladies.

Enjoy this production for what it is. Remember, reality is right behind you in life and in art. Take every female you know to see this play, then go somewhere and talk. It is a candid, stark, and artistically brutal look at bullying, peer pressure, self-abuse, and finding ones own value. Overall, this is a respectable, deliberate and quality production. Thank you Dallas Children’s Theater and the Rosewood Center for Family Arts for a fine and informative event.

Kathryn

Dallas Children’s Theater
5938 Skillman
Dallas, TX 75231
(214) 978-0110

If you’ve attended a fine arts production lately, we’d be happy to post your review. Please contact us at Better Than Broadway - Contact.