A strong contender for Weirdest Theater Ever would be “Jerry Springer: The Opera,” which sets Springer’s sleaze to song. Now, where did I catch the show? Why, at the Des Moines Social Club. A few years back, the DMSC staged a choice selection, featuring cross-gender adultery. That was only one
Read More →When “Peter Pan” starts to soar at the Des Moines Playhouse, it bears out an old theater truth: A spectacle begins with a spectacular set. The shifting landscapes of “Pan,” from the interior of a Victorian nursery to the exterior of a Neverland pirate ship, it could be the best
Read More →Ever been to an Iowa Cubs game and seen, between innings, the kids and parents throwing themselves into “YMCA”? Whole families, doing the Village People? Ever thought about that — how the song is an anthem for gay hookups? The performance costumes, back in ’78, were stereotypes of men’s sexual
Read More →For show folk across Des Moines, there was a great insuck of breath over Thanksgiving weekend. Everyone was gathering for the Christmas season, when a remarkable range of local companies have entertainment on tap. Up in Ames, for starters, ACTORS has “Free to Be… You and Me,” (previewed in Center
Read More →In the elementary schools of Ames and Gilbert, the kids got quite a treat last week. They enjoyed a mini-musical, a selection from “Free to Be… You and Me,” the latest production of Ames Community Theater (ACT). Yet according to the director, Lynn Lloyd, the adults involved were the real
Read More →Max Wellman has had it with people harping on his age. “As long as I’ve played professionally,” says the singer and bandleader, “there’s been this tremendous emphasis.” The upshot? At the still-tender age of 22, he’s doubling down on his loyalty to his grandparents’ Hit Parade. He’s embarked on his
Read More →Is it possible for slapstick to grow old? Once you know the gag with the spaghetti on the wall — no, not spaghetti, linguine, and that’s another joke — how many times can it deliver a laugh? The answer in West Des Moines: plenty. Slapstick comedy continues to bubble up
Read More →I’ve always said, the key to eternal youth is behaving like a child — not with tantrums or baby talk, but with awesome moments of pure joy and imagination, the stuff of dreams. The Broadway musical, “Wicked,” is a potent potion to induce such an effect. On Halloween night, a
Read More →How fitting that the video sneak peek of Ron White’s “A Little Unprofessional” comedy tour malfunctioned after just 36 seconds during online research in preparation for an interview with the Blue Collar Comedy co-founder last week. One joke. That’s all the website’s clip would allow before www.tatersalad.com experienced “technical difficulties.”
Read More →The animated version of “Sleeping Beauty” reiterated picturesque images of Walt Disney staples: anthropomorphic forest creatures, women singing gay melodies as they clean house or pet wild life, the plights of young love, the forces of unrelenting evil and the promise of a fairy-tale ending. For those who remember it
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