I should say up front that I am a huge fan of the yuletide season. I confess this knowing my fondness for all that is Christmas means I shall never achieve the much-coveted ninth-degree black belt in curmudgeonliness. ...more

December 26, 2008

For nearly 30 years, they've entertained audiences from Sun City Center and around the Tampa Bay area. ...more

November 12, 2008

The stage production of "The Wizard of Oz," which opens the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's 22nd season, is an excellent way to introduce children to musical theater. ...more

October 16, 2008

The stage production of "The Wizard of Oz," which opens the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's 22nd season, is an excellent way to introduce children to musical theater. On opening night, children made up a good quarter or more of the audience, a testament to the movie's lasting appeal. But more than anything else, the stage production shows the enduring power of songs written by two gifted songwriters, Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Just phrases such as "if I only had a brain" or "ding, dong, the witch is dead" put a tune immediately into your head. That's an amazing accomplishment for Arlen and Harburg. ...more

October 15, 2008

American Stage Theatre Company is trying something new that might go easier on the pocketbooks of theater buffs, as well as raise extra money for the company. ...more

September 21, 2008

ABBA songs are, of course, evil in musical form. Just try getting "Dancing Queen" out of your head once it's burrowed its way in there. "Waterloo," too, is especially pesky. But "Mamma Mia" might be the most tenacious tune from the 1970s group. ...more

July 17, 2008

Twenty Elvis Presley impersonators, vying for a spot in an international competition of tribute artists, are expected to rock the University Area Community Center on Saturday. ...more

July 16, 2008

Mystery and murder are afoot in the Tampa Bay area theater scene this Halloween season. ...more

October 15, 2007