Sam's Review Club

Photo by: Susana Millman Don't be fooled by all of the bright colors. The Mark Morris Dance Group's (MMDG) newly commissioned Layla and Majnun , which opened last night at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, lacks the necessary energy to elevate this tragic yet formulaic love story. It's evident from the start that all of the performers on stage are immensely talented, which is why the lack of cohesion throughout the evening becomes frustrating. A Persian love story that has previously been expressed mostly through poetry, Layla and Manjun is a story of star-crossed lovers akin to Romeo and Juliet . Despite growing up together as childhood sweethearts, Majnun is believed to be possessed by his love for Layla and the two are driven apart. Layla is then married off to another while Majnun becomes a hermit who writes lengthy verses about his immense love for her. Though the two attempt to meet later in life, they die without ever doing so. ...

Photo credit: Margot Schulman Few productions can claim to be as much of an institution as Shear Madness is to Washington, D.C. With over 13,000 performances under its belt at the Kennedy Center, this show has become once of theater's most notorious tourist traps. This comedic caper whose plot can vary wildly each night incentivizes repeat viewings to those who are true converts. And although the stereotype-laden script struggles when viewed in 2018, the immersive whodunnit remains an experience unique enough to justify Shear Madness 's continued existence. Walking into the Kennedy Center's intimate Theater Lab space, it is clear the evening will be a wacky one. The vibrant set decoration (originally designed by Kim Peter Kovac and adapted by Scott L. Hammar) is a treat to look at. Contrasting blues and pinks pop and pull the eyes to a new part of the set every few moments. Coupled with Mr. Hammar's complimentary costumes, the sensory overload is a good pr...

Photo Credit: Christopher Banks The Women’s Voices Theatre Festival may be winding down in D.C. proper, but Alexandria’s MetroStage is looking to keep the focus on female-centered stories with their Spring Solo Series. The second of these one-woman shows, George—Don’t Do That: The Music and Magic of Joyce Grenfell, is a love-filled tribute to British comedienne Joyce Grenfell who became a global sensation in the mid-20th century thanks to her intellectual satire and good natured spirit. Despite clear adoration for the play’s subject, the work doesn’t properly explain who Ms. Grenfell is or why she became so famous, information which would be helpful for a modern American audience. British actor Catherine Flye (MetroStage’s Christmas at the Old Bull and Bush ) stars as Ms. Grenfell in this tribute which she has been performing throughout the British Isles since 2003. It’s surprising, then, that so much of this production feels incomplete. On many occasions, Ms. Flye referenc...

Logo courtesy of VH1. I already miss Morgan McMichaels. Sure, she was a hardcore bitch who was a hot mess in last week’s challenge but she brought a hardness to the competition which is desperately needed in a show where the queens are concerned so much at not coming off as antagonistic to not upset their fans. BenDeLaCreme spends so much time agonizing over how much she hated sending Morgan home and the other queens rightfully point out they don’t buy the act. Thankfully Aja is around to stir up some drama by saying she would have sent home Chi Chi if she had won the lip-sync. I agree with that choice: Morgan showed more promise than Chi Chi did in that first act. But if I learned anything from Season 8, it is that Chi Chi knows how to make a comeback. No mini-challenge this week, instead the queens are hurled right into their maxi-challenge which is another All-Star mashup lip-sync combined with celebrity impersonation. Thorgy Thor immediately launches into her ...

©2017 Nickelodeon. All Rights Reserved. Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? The same cute sponge who has made his home at Broadway’s Palace Theater. Like (I’m sure) many others, I scoffed and rolled my eyes at the thought of a SpongeBob Squarepants musical. But this production—helmed with a lighthearted touch by Tina Landau and featuring an eerily spot-on SpongeBob in the form of newcomer Ethan Slater—demonstrates the power imagination has in creating a Broadway spectacular. If you aren’t already familiar with SpongeBob, there isn’t nearly enough time to catch you up. And this musical doesn’t even try. But honestly, when the cast is filled out by a lazy starfish, an eternally woeful squid and a sea-dwelling squirrel, new converts will be confused no matter what. Thankfully, the deliriously technicolor sets and costumes by David Zinn give you plenty to look at even when the action onstage reaches it’s most manic. Unlike preceding animation-to-Broadway adaptation...

©VH1. All Rights Reserved. Acting challenges are the bread and butter of ANTM ’s wackiness. Why Tyra thinks that any of her girls will have even a semi-successful acting career is beyond me. I’m not complaining. After all, watching young wannabe models flail their way through a short scene is always the most entertaining. I still fondly remember the time the girls needed to whip out a cockney accent for their challenge in Cycle 4. If you haven’t seen it, go and watch it. “SUNNY ROSE I AM!” Classic. That also happens to be the episode where Tyra yells at Tiffany. Cycle 4. Episode 7. I’ll wait while you go and catch yourself up. Welcome back to the review! The Cycle 24 acting challenge is standard Top Model fare. Tyra sends some scripts over to the girls (“be sure you memorize these”), pairs them with an attractive male actor (this time in the form of Kevin Phillips) and all of the girls’ lines quickly fly out the window. In their defense, the scene is amazingly ...

©2017 Twentieth Century Fox If you think Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a mouthful of a title, try being one of the residents in Ebbing, Missouri. A simple act of defiance from the venom-spitting Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand, in a role that begs for an Oscar) becomes a state-wide phenomenon whose desire for vengeance is one that will leave many wounded as deeply as she. Billboards is more than just an intimate character study, it is an example of how to build narratives, create winning chemistry, and tinge even the darkest of stories with humor. Seven months prior to the beginning of Billboards , Mildred’s world was turned upside down when her daughter Angela was raped and burned alive by her assailant. With no leads and a seemingly stalled case, Mildred rents three abandoned billboards outside her home just outside the town of Ebbing, Missouri. In order they read: RAPED WHILE DYING; AND STILL NO ARRESTS; and HOW COME, CHIEF WILLOUGHBY? They go unnoticed...