Better Than Broadway

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.

Kathryn has been to see another theatre show recently for “Better Than Broadway”. Well, not so recently actually. We apologize for the delay in getting this posted. We’ve been a bit busy around here recently with the new site launch!

This was my first experience at the Labyrinth Theatre; and what a nice little theatre it is. If only more religious organizations felt so drawn to the arts, and more churches so culturally minded, worship could take on a whole new meaning. Hats off to the Arapaho UMC. The auditorium itself was created in a dome shaped building that was probably once the sanctuary - nice acoustics.

The Last Five Years is a well written script about a couples whose marriage is ending after five years; told forward by one party and backwards by the other. My friend who came with me hated this aspect; but I liked it very much. It isn’t the same old “we dated, got married, messed up, now its over” thing. The direction was basic. Each character was stage left or right and only meet in the middle once. The set was terrible, it left for little movement and it drew the audience’s eye to the third character in the two character play: the orchestra. Especially the bass player/guitar player became part of the show every time she changed instruments. We all watched her with bated breathe when picking that big boy up. She also let us know every time the stage crew was coming out on stage. She watched them at all times. The orchestra was also so loud it was almost impossible to hear Ms. Whalen (Kimberly Whalen, Catherine) sing.

Speaking of Ms. Whalen, she is cute and likable, when one could hear her, but not quit compatible with Mr. Wischhusen (Theo Wischhusen, Jamie). Jamie and Catherine are the couple; they are cute and ready for a wonderful life, but the real world sneaks into their fairy tale. Mr. Wischhusen is a remarkable singer; go see this play just to hear him. He is so comfortable on stage and with the role of Jamie. Jamie isn’t supposed to be all that likable, but with his voice and his presence one cannot help but be charmed by him. We all know it takes two to tango, and cute Catherine (Cathy) gets so gloomy and dispirited, you start rooting for the cad.

The script is performed almost entirely by song, some are outstanding, especially when Jamie sings. “Shiksa Goddess” and “The Schmuel Song” are very catchy and memorable. Catherine sings a melancholy ballad called “Still Hurting”, that seems almost haunting, but the orchestra kept drowning out her voice. What a pity.

Go see this play, it is interesting and different, just ignore the third character that is on stage. Theo Wischhusen, Jamie, is worth
the ticket. There are only two performances left: Saturday March 10 at the matinee and evening. It is one to have coffee afterwards to discuss with your spouse or friend. It is one to talk about.

Kathryn

The Labyrinth Theare

1400 W. Arapaho Rd.

Richardson, TX 75080

The following theatre review was provided by a Calendee user. Kathryn had not been to the theatre in many years and was thrilled at the opportunity to attend this performance.

My return to the theatre was more uneventful than I had hoped but in general very pleasant. The Echo Theatre’s production of “String of Pearls” is a well written and a well performed play. The four actresses Elly Lindsay, Linda K. Leonard, Kristin McCollum, and Lulu Ward portrayed all 27 characters almost flawlessly. Even though it was announced at the beginning that one of the actresses was ill and was loosing her voice it didn’t change anything; we would have just assumed that the raspy voice was hers. It seemed to fit Ms. Lindsay’s main character Beth to a tee. This is an open and modern look at mothers, daughters, and their complicated relationships over generations. Even though it leans heavy to the feminine, the men in the audience seemed to enjoy the nuances as much as the women. The play is for mature audiences due to language and some lively sexual discussion. But overall it was an exceptionally entertaining experience. The seating arrangement of the theatre and music had the audience all in a buzz; all that was missing was a glass of wine. Good to back in the theatre again. Nice show Ladies!

Kathryn Wisdom

Calendee, LLC has rebranded and launched a new website, Better Than Broadway. This new website is dedicated to the fine arts. Better Than Broadway makes it easy to find all of the upcoming theatre, orchestra, ballet, and opera events in your community.

The following review was provided by a Calendee user who is now a local theatre fan :

On Valentine’s evening I had the opportunity to go to a wonderful musical that took me back a few years, as well as intelligently staged playful banter among modern singers. It could happen at no other place than the Repertory Company Theatre in Richardson. It was an eclectic spin on the original show that aired back in the late 60’s, early 70’s “The Dating Game”, later with Chuck Woolery hosting in the 90’s. Typically, a bachelorette would question three bachelors, who were hidden from her view; at the end of the questioning period, she would choose one to go out with on a date paid for by the show. Occasionally, the roles would be reversed with a man questioning three ladies, which was the case for this musical; other times, a celebrity would question three players for a date for themselves, a co-worker or a relative of theirs. Many celebrities played the game looking for love themselves. Oh!…and this show was definitely not lacking celebrities. At times, the wide array of impersonations included Kenny Rogers, as the bachelor, Britney Spears and Whitney Houston as the bachelorettes…who fought the entire time…what humor!…I found myself tearing up while laughing so hard. I even learned that Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz were broken up (a bit of information that I would have never known)…which proves they definitely include the latest headlines in on the eclectic musical twist. They are so creative!!! Talk about interactive!…They even chose an audience member in the second half of the show to be a bachelorette as one of Kenny Rogers’ choices…who he actually ended up choosing!!

I, along with others in the audience found ourselves singing along to the music featured in the show…including my French friend who accompanied me during his first week to ever visit the US. It was such a fun and a surprisingly interactive musical experience. Who said musicals couldn’t be on such a personal level? The singing is spectacular! I marveled at the voices on the stage…such untapped talent, I thought, to not have a larger audience. Even the host sang to several audience members around the room…yes, including me…and in between the words told me how great my smile was. How nice! The first half of the show eased into the jest of the musical with the bachelor being a typical college guy from UT who was into sports with the ladies being a range of humorous females including a pregnant woman!…who, yes, won the bachelor over by answering questions correctly. She happened to be a revealed as a school teacher as well. The other two were flaky women who’s professions were revealed to be a provocative dancer and the other had no job…as she was just too ditsy…you could imagine the answers we heard to the bachelors questions. So funny!

I learned that this was their new facility…very cozy and quaint, yet so extremely professional. It was so nice to have an actual table to sit at with choices of a few complimentary desserts by a local baker and cake specialist in Richardson called “The Cake Lady”. They also provided complimentary drinks ranging from soft drinks to champagne served right to you at your table. The ambiance was perfect and such a personal show. I later learned that Repertory Company Theatre is a non profit, professional theatre serving the North Dallas, Richardson, Plano area for twenty years. Each season RCT presents Broadway Musicals, Classic Plays and Special Presentations performed by acclaimed REP Company of actors. They audition for the company every Janurary…so you know that they are particular and hand selected. Shows are primarily performed at RCT’s Promenade Theatre, a 8,200 SF complex which includes a 150 seat theatre, black box performance hall, multipurpose/dance hall, coffee shop/lobby, and box office. Each season Repertory Company Theatre presents the best in local theatre. In fact, Dallas Morning News Voted Repertory Company Theatre …best theatre venue in Richardson.

I have to say that the talent was really something I was impressed with…the company worked so well together and were professionals with both the acting and especially the singing. Believe me when I say I do know quality theatre and have been to several musicals and an opera in Fair Park. Needless to say, the show was very entertaining to the entire audience regardless of age or nationality! It was that sort of feeling that you get when you see “Grease” and can watch it over and over. Theatre is such a wide range of meaning…and this sure met the definition and beyond. Even during the small intermission, I found myself looking for what the next shows and dates were. Great bang for your buck! I can’t wait until my next experience at the Richardson Repertory Company Theatre. I saw that they even have “The Miracle Worker” coming up…I can’t believe I have a such a professional theatre practically in my back yard without driving to Fair Park every time. And I know that I am guaranteed a close seat at this theatre! I will not be waiting for a special occasion to go back.

Stacy Vincent

This weekend, we gave our oldest son Kieran (3) a real treat. We told him we were going to the theater. “Oooh! The movies!” We tried to explain this was not the movies. It was a “special theater”. We didn’t tell him much more than that. As we drove to Dallas Children’s Theater, he kept talking about the movies. When we arrived, we were quickly greeted by Lisa Schreiner, the Public Relations Manager for Dallas Children’s Theater. Ms. Schreiner assured us that our son would love the show. She was certainly correct.

“The Carnival of the Animals” is a puppet show based on the music of Camille Saint-Saens, produced and presented by the Kathy Burks Theatre of Puppetry Arts. They use several puppetry techniques including rod, humanette, shadow, and body. The main method used in “Carnival of the Animals” is rod puppetry in a “black theater”. This means the theater stage is completely covered in black cloth. The puppeteers are dressed from head to feet in black as well. The rod puppets are then illuminated by overhead lights. This creates a drastic and stand-0ut effect that really showcases the puppets. Because the stage itself is completely dark and the puppeteers can barely see, they have a highly rehearsed and choreographed act that goes off flawlessly.

The show starts with a puppet of the composer asking one of the puppeteers for directions to the theater . At first, our son didn’t seem too excited about all this. He was more interested in sitting next to and talking to his little friend that joined us for the show. However, he quickly gained interest when the puppet composer started explaining his music and the instruments used in it. Each instrument “puppet” was shown on stage and a sample of its music played. Our son was a little bit in awe at first and didn’t quite know what to make of these.

The first major act of the show was The Lion. This featured a 3 part lion (head, tail, legs) that popped up onto the stage. At this point, Kieran was very alert. The music in the background made the lion appear to roar. Next, Cocks and Hens came on. This was a funny little skit of a hen trying to lay an egg while the hopefully proud rooster waited impatiently. The music kept getting more and more intense. I was watching Kieran as much as I watched the show. His eyes were wide with excitement and mirth as he watched the antics. He was really enjoying the show now. At the end of that act, the audience clapped wildly. Kieran got into the excitement and started clapping as well, something he has not been very interested in doing before. As the lion disappeared from the stage, he waited intently for the next act. All thoughts of talking and chatting with his friend were lost. The show progressed with a huge elephant made by a multi-person body puppet, some can-can dancers, an ocean of fish, a pesky little bird that annoyed the composer, and a sleep depriving piano practice that caused the puppet composer a long, restless night.

Needless to say, the show was very entertaining to the entire audience regardless of age. However, I’m sure the young children found this to be the most magical of experiences. During the entire show, I could hear the gasps and giggles of surprised and joyful little kids in the background. Our son was in rapt attention throughout the show. There is no doubt that he is now looking more forward to his next trip to the “special theater” more than to a trip to “the movies”.

This weekend, my wife and I had the opportunity to attend a production of “The Miracle Worker” at Dallas Children’s Theater’s Rosewood Center for Family Arts. The Rosewood Center is located at 5938 Skillman Drive in Dallas, TX. We had lived near this theater several years ago and never knew it existed. When we arrived we were in for quite a surprise. If we’d known such a wonderful theater was just a short distance from us, we definitely would have come here sooner.

This is why we started Calendee in the first place. The DFW area has an extensive theater and entertainment network that so few people know about. I’m sure there are thousands or hundreds of thousands of DFW residents that are unaware a great theater is just minutes away from them. Calendee can help everyone find something to do near them.

The Center consists of 58,000 square feet of theater and class room space. This venue is very well kept, clean, and welcoming. While in the lobby, we wandered around and read about all the sponsor information, looked at the list of upcoming productions, and just chatted while we waited to take our seats. The entire complex is devoted to childrens theater and artistic education. Rosewood Center hosts theater classes for children of all age groups. Usually, the children participate in a performance at the end of their classes. In addition to educating children, DCT also trains the trainer. They have teacher workshops to help educators expand their knowledge about the performing arts to be used in their own classrooms.

“The Miracle Worker” was put on in the Baker Theater section of the Rosewood Center. This theater seats 400 people in a stadium seating format. The Center also has the Studio Theater which seats 160. Initially, we had really great seats about mid-stage and near the top of the flight of steps. However, we offered our seats to two young girls that wanted to sit next to some friends. When we made this offer, there appeared to be plenty of seats just a little further away. By the time we made it to that area, they were taken. So, we ended up at the far right of the seating near the top. At first I was dismayed that we might not have as good a view of the show. If you attend a show here, please be warned. The theater is very popular and fills up fast. If you want your entire group to sit together, you need to arrive early!

Fortunately, our new seats turned out just fine. The theater is well designed without any obstructions blocking the stage. Despite the fact that the actors did not use any microphones or headsets, we were able to hear them perfectly throughout most of the production. Our only difficulty was when young children were finding the antics of Helen Keller a bit funny. However, this was not unpleasant and was interesting for us to see how younger children interpreted the events on stage differently than the adults did.

“The Miracle Worker” is a play about the early life of Helen Keller. She was born apparently “normal” in the late 1800’s. However, after a bout of illness as an infant, her parents discovered her to be blind, deaf, and virtually mute. For 6 years, they raised her with little discipline and loads of pity. Over the years, her parents tried all kinds of miracle cures and visited countless “quacks” in an effort to make her normal again. Nothing worked and Helen quickly spiraled into a tantrum throwing, spoiled, little girl. In one last desperate attempt to get control of Helen, they sought help from the Perkins Institute for the Blind. This is where the play begins.

The Perkins Institute sent Annie Sullivan to aid the Kellers. Annie (played by Trisha Miller Smith) was a recent graduate of the institute. At the ripe old age of 20, she arrived in Alabama to help with Helen (played by Pam Covington). The Kellers were expecting someone older and more experienced to help with their daughter. Instead, they got a young woman, just graduated, and with some emotional trauma of her own to help “cure” their daughter.

Of course, Ms. Sullivan knew there was no cure for this problem. Her only hope in teaching Helen was in hard work and discipline. She had to first stop the pattern of pity and tantrums that Helen and her family had fallen into. This was no easy task as Helen was prone to burst into berserk fits of kicking, clawing, and screaming at every disciplinary effort of Ms. Sullivan. Eventually, Ms. Sullivan convinced the Kellers that Helen had to be separated from them in order for her to make any headway in educating her.

At this point in the play, it was time for an intermission. We left the theater with the rest of the crowd. Everyone enjoyed drinks and snacks from the concession stand. After just a few minutes, it was announced that there were only 5 minutes left until the second half of the play. We were pleased that the intermission wasn’t a long, dragged out affair as they often are. Considering the young audience members, it was best to keep this as short as possible. Unfortunately, this did not leave much time for those needing the facitilies. With 400 people in attendance, the restrooms did not seem quite big enough to handle the crowds in so short a time.

The second act of the play was about Annie and Helen’s life away from the rest of the Keller family. In reality, they were just a short walk from the family mansion. However, Helen believed herself to be abandoned by her family and completely under the control of Ms. Sullivan. Under this environment, she learned proper table manners, signing of dozens of words, and how to behave and act more “normally”. Unfortunately, the two weeks allowed to Ms. Sullivan to get control of Helen was simply to short. Helen had not yet learned the meaning of all the words she was learning to sign. She could not associate them with any actual objects or concepts.

Back at the Keller mansion, Helen reverted back to her patterns of old. She was testing her parents resolve again. She was quick to discover that they were still willing to pity and spoil her. In the deuzy of a battle with Ms. Sullivan that ensued, Helen had a breakthrough and began to sign frantically. She had finally made the connection between the words she was signing and the meaning behind them. At this point, the play ended. The rest of Helen Keller’s life is literally history. The actors and actresses from the play were welcomed to resounding applause and a standing ovation. The had really put on an excellent show.

After seeing “The Miracle Worker”, it is no surprise that Time magazine voted Dallas Children’s Theater’s one of the “Top Five Theaters in the U.S. for Family Audiences” in 2004. Dallas Children’s Theater’s Rosewood Center for Family Arts is a great theater and “The Miracle Worker” was an excellent production. Trisha Miller Smith and Pam Covington (one of the two young Helen Keller actresses in this production) were excellent. Ms. Smith portrayed the young disciplinarian very well. She was very believable as a stern but compassionate teacher. Ms. Covington did an incredible job of portraying the deaf and bling young Helen Keller. She never made the mistake of appearing sighted and could kick, push, and scream with the best worst of today’s spoiled kids. Bravo!

We really look forward to more performances at Dallas Children’s Theater’s. They will be putting on “The Carnival of Animals” starting in February. We hope to see it with our soon this time.

When time allows, we at Calendee like to take the opportunity to experience some of the events in our system. Of course just like so many families with young kids, time is always tight. Fortunately, appropriate events are never scarce. Using Calendee, it’s almost impossible to NOT find something to do in your area.

Usually, when you are looking for something to do, you want it to be close to home. However, this time, I was going to have both of the boys near downtown Dallas while their mother was at a doctor’s appointment. I had no idea where to go or what to do while we were down there. So, I pulled up Calendee and searched by the zip code of the doctor’s office (75209). I selected almost every possible activity. Lo and behold, I came across the Frontiers of Flight Museum just minutes away from where we were going to be. After reviewing their website, I realized we weren’t going to be able to make it to any of their kid oriented events. Despite this, I was sure the boys would love seeing all the planes on display.

Admission to the museum was a little more steep than I would have cared for. It was $8 per adult. Since each of my boys were under 3, they got in free. Because I was really just going there to kill a little time, I parted with my money a little grudgingly. However, I was soon to learn that the price was well worth it. Basically, the admission was just $2.67 per person.

Fortunately, when we arrived, we noticed a whole group of kids heading in the opposite direction of the planes. We decided to follow them and see what was going on. We passed the little cafeteria area that was closed and stumbled across an amazing kids play area. The play area was a mini-airport. There was a mini jumbo jet, an air traffic control tower, Jay-Jay the Jet Plane video viewing area, and several other airplane related activity areas. My oldest son was a bit leery of the jumbo jet at first. However, he quickly took to it and played “Captain”. He was steering the plane like crazy within a few minutes. He really liked pressing a button on the console and telling everyone to “Buckle Seatbelts!” just like on Disney’s “Little Einsteins”. The air traffic control tower turned out to be a climbing platform. It was great fun to climb to the top and see little model airplanes flying overhead. My youngest son spent most of his time playing inside a big plastic tree. He was really enjoying popping out and playing “Peek-A-Boo”.

After playing and watching videos for a while, we decided to tour the rest of the museum. On the same side as the play area, there is also a full size jet cockpit that you can climb up into. I think this was actually a Southwest Airlines jet at one point. We got to sit in the pilot’s seats and play with all the controls. Unfortunately, due to vandalism, the cockpit is locked most of the time. However, the attentive staff will be happy to open it up for you to enjoy. Don’t be shy, be sure to ask. Next, we toured the main part of the museum. They have an amazing collection of early and modern planes and jets on display. It’s incredible to see so many of them hanging from the ceiling. Even more interesting is the actual Apollo 11 space capsule on display.

We really did have a great time at the museum. As I said, unfortunately, we weren’t able to participate in any of the events they have going on. They host airplane design classes, Family Days, Once Upon a Flight Story Time, The WRIGHT Place education series, and several other lecture and special event programs. This is definitely more than just a stuffy, old museum. It’s got something for the entire family to enjoy together. Be sure to visit the Frontiers of Flight Museum and tell them that your heard about them on Calendee.

Calendee, LLC. is proud to present www.calendee.com to the Dallas / Fort Worth area. Calendee aims to become THE source for entertainment information in the DFW area. Calendee was started because it’s founders never knew what was going on around town. Yes, there are tons of sources of entertainment news and calendars, but none of these sources was concise, easy to use, or readily available when we needed them. We always found out about that great concert or theater performance after the fact. We bookmarked all kinds of event sources, but got tired of checking them all. We decided to fill this gap and provide a single source for events and entertainment. Calendee is the Calendar of Events and Entertainment.

With Calendee, all the entertainment events are just a few clicks away. The data is presented in a familiar day-timer format. This means you see what is going on NOW, not last week or yesterday. If you get home on Friday night at 5:00 pm, you won’t have to sift through outdated events from earlier in the day. We show you what is going on now and a few days into the future. When you click on an event, you can see the entire schedule for the event. So, if you can’t make it to the ballet that night, you can see what other dates are available. We link you directly to the venue’s website so you have all the information necessary to plan your evening. We even give you maps and addresses to take with you.

Calendee covers almost every type of event you can imagine : Ballet, Theater, Sports, Art Exhibits, Storytime, Book Signings, Public Meetings, etc. If there is something going on in your community, Calendee knows about it. More importantly, Calendee vets all of the events. Unlike other event websites, Calendee doesn’t take direct submissions from the community.However, if you know of an event that Calendee has overlooked, please let us know. We take suggestions from the community and then take over from there. Our events are generally limited to those that all of the general public can attend at a moment’s notice. This means you won’t see any irrelevant or offensive material on our website. We won’t waste your time with “Local Biker Club Rides to Oklahoma” type of events that litter all the other event calendar sites.

Since the Calendee website is brand new, we’re sure there are a few bugs and gotchas. Please feel free to use our Contact page to let us know about them. Also, if you have suggestions or ideas for making the site better, let us know. We’d love to have your input.

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