Category Archives: Theatre

On DEAR EVAN HANSEN

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Bill Rough

If you’ve been reading “View in the Dark”for a while, you have no doubt deduced that I am a huge fan of Washington’s Arena Stage, and have been so since the late 1950’s.  Back then it was called the Old … Continue reading →

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RE-INTRODUCTIONS AND WELCOME

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Bill Rough

                                                                   I’M BACK! Enough is enough! Sitting around the … Continue reading →

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On SCHOOL OF ROCK: THE MUSICAL

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Bill Rough

I’m the Broadway type, and I love to see talented kids on stage. So in December, finally in the mood for some mindless escapism, armed with earplugs and spurred on by some attractive discount offers, I went!. As predicted by everyone but me, I loved it! Turns out, it’s not mindless at all, as it makes a very cogent case for music education in our schools and communities. And it’s loads of fun. Continue reading →

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BACK TO NEW YORK: On THE FRONT PAGE, by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Bill Rough

During the past year I’ve enjoyed two overnight hospital stays, my first since my tonsils were removed years ago.  The shoulder and knee replacements were successful and relatively painless, but they were immobilizing enough to preclude major travels.   When I … Continue reading →

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A BREAK FOR A PLUG: The Comedy of Errors

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Bill Rough

A Hearty WELCOME to a bunch of new readers, and my humble apologies to my regular followers for my long delay in entries.  This next batch of blogs describing recent New York theatrical ventures has been a long time coming. Since … Continue reading →

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THE KING AND I: An Addendum both Personal and Historical

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Bill Rough

Readers looking for specific responses to the recent Lincoln Center production of The King and I would do well to read my August 29 posting below.  But I guess I’m not through with this play yet.  And clearly, I’m  not … Continue reading →

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Lincoln Center’s Production of THE KING AND I

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Bill Rough

Last spring, after a long and mostly boring recovery from a January knee replacement, off I went on my customary biannual theatre binge in New York. I was eager to find plays that would be challenging, leave me excited, thinking, … Continue reading →

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John Patrick Shanley’s PRODIGAL SON

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Bill Rough

Prodigal Son opened in January, off-Broadway in the Manhattan Theatre Club at the New York City Center.  MTC had also produced The Father, with Frank Langella (Read my comments in the June 8 entry below.) After a brief extension, for which I … Continue reading →

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On David Harrower’s BLACKBIRD

Posted on July 16, 2016 by Bill Rough

Blackbird closed on the night before the Tony Awards ceremony, after an eighteen-week limited run on Broadway. But it’s been around for quite a while, and will undoubtedly continue to shock audiences for some time to come. David Harrower was … Continue reading →

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On Stephen Karam’s THE HUMANS

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Bill Rough

You went to New York and you didn’t see Hamilton? You went to see The Humans? A little contemporary dramedy about a typical dysfunctional family, which rode onto Broadway at a time when audiences are consumed with big budget musicals featuring upbeat scores, body mikes, and wild spectacle?
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