Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Family-Friendly and Surreal

by Craig Williamson

HARKNESS HEIGHTS – One of the favorite books of my childhood was Roald Dahl’s classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I remember being angry when the movie version with Gene Wilder came out, because they changed things slightly, including having Charlie behave inappropriately and then get away with it.  I knew that the current production at the Denver Victorian, an adaptation of the book, couldn’t try to match the special effects of either film version, so I was curious how they would deal with the magical and surreal world Dahl created in his story.  Read more

Speech and Debate at Curious Tackles Adolescence, Sexuality

by Craig Williamson

Curious Theatre presents an intense and funny production of Stephen Karam’s Speech and Debate, a show that takes on difficult issues around sexuality and adolescence.  The show is very funny, but also presents three teenagers’ views of the hypocrisy of individuals and the unpleasant implications of inappropriate sexual relationships between youth and adults in positions of responsibility.  Read more

Hollywood Arms Poignant, Difficult, Funny, and Hopeful

by Craig Williamson

Carol Burnett and her daughter, Carrie Hamilton, wrote Hollywood Arms based on the comedienne’s tumultuous upbringing in a difficult family situation.  With a strong cast, the Arvada Center’s production of this show brings out both the humor and the poignancy of Burnett’s life before she made it big. Read more

Denver Center Goes From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

by Craig Williamson

Two of the current offerings by the Denver Center are polar opposites in style.  The thoughtful, patient, and emotional The Trip to Bountiful on one side, and the outrageous farce Noises Off, filled with slapstick, double entendres, and silliness on the other.  Both shows induce tears – tears of emotion in one, tears of laughter in the other.  Read more

Su Teatro Tells Painful but Important Story with Braided Sorrow

by Craig Williamson

El Centro Su Teatro brings the world premiere of poet Marisela Trevino Orta’s first play to the stage in Denver.  Braided Sorrow interweaves the heartbreaking story of the murders of young women in Ciudad Juarez and the Mexican folk character of La Llorona.  While this play and production have some shortcomings, this is an important story to tell, and a powerful way to tell it.  Read more

Germinal Stage’s Tiny Alice

by Craig Williamson |

While some theatres try to cover varied and diverse material, others focus on a particular niche, cultivate an audience, and develop a deeper understanding of a certain type of theatre. Germinal Stage Denver is in the latter group, focusing on recent and contemporary intellectually challenging plays. The latest offering from Germinal is Edward Albee’s Tiny Alice, a mixture of the real and the surreal, with absurdist elements tossed in. The language is brilliant and cruel, the action intense, and the direction and acting strong, creating a fascinating but challenging evening of theatre. Read more

Iconic, Powerful Streetcar Named Desire Sizzles at Vintage Theatre

by Craig Williamson |

Vintage Theatre Company brings Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize winning A Streetcar Named Desire to the stage in an intimate setting that boosts the strength of this powerful drama.  This well directed and very well acted production draws the audience into the world of the play, then breaks our hearts as an iconic woman’s world collapses around her. Read more

Buntport’s Musketeer creative, funny, and almost deep

by Craig Williamson |

Many theatre companies occasionally develop spoofs of classic theatre and come up with very funny productions. Buntport Theater never makes it that easy on themselves. All their productions are original creations, and to call them take-offs or spoofs sells them short. Musketeer, the latest Buntport creation, is (of course) very funny, includes some clever plot twists and time warping devices, and has, dare I say it, an almost deep message about art and creativity. Read more

Catch Me If You Can and The Glider Contrast at The Vic

by Craig Williamson

First published in the North Denver Tribune

Northwest Denver’s Victorian Theatre is presenting two shows in repertory, with Catch Me If You Can on weekends and The Glider on weeknights. The Vic’s Catch Me is a clever and comic mystery with many twists and turns, and The Glider, produced by And Toto Too, is a tear-jerker about three sisters working through issues and secrets after their mother’s funeral. We cover both of these productions in this review starting with the mystery. Read more

Doubt Funny, Intense, Thoughtful, Topical, and Above All, Uncertain

By Craig Williamson

First Published in the North Denver Tribune

The same week that the Pope was visiting the United States and meeting with victims of clergy abuse, I attended the Denver Center’s production of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt. It would be easy for this production to get sucked up in to the global controversy surrounding this issue, but it does not. This play looks at one individual situation in a catholic school, convincingly presents the perspectives of four characters, and steadfastly refuses to provide any answers, leaving doubt as the only real certainty. Read more