Breaking news: Fourth actor takes reins of “Other Desert Cities” in its final weekend

Kate Berry stars in “Other Desert Cities” at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Photo by Jeff Kearney.   By John Moore March 30, 2013 There’s been another twist in the wild tale of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center’s Colorado premiere of the celebrated play “Other Desert Cities.” David Hastings is now the fourth […]

Anatomy of a theater director: A daily Q&A with Colorado’s creative minds

  By John Moore May 3, 2013 My return to directing (“Always … Patsy Cline,” which closed April 27 at the PACE Center), had me revisiting a story idea I always wanted to do for The Denver Post, but never got around to: The anatomy of the theater director. So I am doing it now, […]

Outtakes: My night at ‘Pardon My Dust’

Billie McBride as Dorothy Parker.   By John Moore, March 24, 2013 Opening No. 50, And Toto Too Productions’ “Pardon My Dust”: “I don’t care what anybody says about me … as long as it isn’t true.” That’s one of the many Dorothy Parker witticisms actor Billie McBride quick-fires while portraying one of the greatest […]

Outtakes: My day at Magic Moments’ ‘Spirit & Soul’

  By John Moore, March 24, 2013 Opening No. 49, Magic Moments’ “Spirit & Soul”: That’s 193 people — count ’em! — at the curtain call for Magic Moments’ 30th annual pop-music revue at Kent Denver High School. Magic Moments integrates disabled and able-bodied cast members of all abilities, ages and experience levels for a […]

Revisiting “Marisol” in Colorado Springs means revisiting Armageddon in New York

  By John Moore March 24, 2013 There’s a lot that’s still freaking me out about revisiting the apocalyptic drama “Marisol” for the first time in eight years last Sunday — not the least of which is that afterward, I couldn’t concretely answer when I was asked how Theatre ‘d Art’s current staging in Colorado […]

Outtakes: My night at Theatre ‘d Art’s ‘Marisol’

“I’m looking for my lost skin. Have you seen my lost skin? It was once very pretty. We were very close. I was really attached to it.” — Joseph Forbeck, as “Man with Scar Tissue.” In this photo, Forbeck in the process of having his makeup applied backstage by artist Sarah Nasatka.   By John […]

Outtakes: My night at UC-CS’s “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”

Sunday’s performance was preceded by a theater conversation between Kevin Landis, left; legendary Public Theatre producer Oskar Eustis, who brought “Bloody” to Broadway in 2010; and “Bloody” composer Michael Friedman. Watch for the video podcast to come.   By John Moore March 20, 2013 Opening No. 46, “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”: Students at the University […]

Outtakes: My night at the grand re-opening of The Edge Theatre

The Edge Theatre’s new storefront  at 1560 Teller St. in Lakewood. The grand re-opening was marked on March 15 with a party and the opening performance of David Mamet’s “Race.”   By John Moore March 20, 2013 Opening No. 45, “Race”: The Edge Theatre has moved 2 miles east, into a new, 99-seat theater in […]

Magic Moments’ rotund roster includes some big-name local actors

It is not uncommon for more than 200 people to participate in the annual Magic Moments pop-rock revue. This year’s crew includes some established names in the local theater community, including Amy Board, Sarah Rex, Ronni Gallup, Keegan Flaugh, Mark Shonsey, Dana Hart Lubeck, Donna Debreceni, David Nehls and others.   By John Moore March […]

Outtakes: My night at the Local Lab New Play Festival in Boulder

From left: Meridith Crosley Grundei, Lorenzo Gonzalez, Pun Bandhu, Rachel Fowler, George A. Keller and Belita Moreno read from Deborah Zoe Laufer’s Informed Consent.”   By John Moore March 19, 2013 Opening No. 44, Local Lab New Play Festival: The Local Lab is an annual weekend of three new American play readings at the picturesque […]

Video, photos: Elin Palmer and Joshua Novak at the Walnut Room

Video of Elin Palmer at the Walnut Room on March 14, 2013.   By John Moore March 15, 2013 The handful of sagacious local-music aficionados who are not in Austin for South by Southwest were treated last night to sets by two of Denver’s most admired and crushworthy artists, Elin Palmer and Joshua Novak, at […]

Outtakes: My night at Lakewood High School’s ‘Les Misérables’

Connor Kingsley, center, who plays Marius, gathers the cast in the hallway outside the school auditorium to salute director Tami LoSasso after an ambitious opening performance of “Les Misérables” on March 13.   By John Moore, March 14, 2013 My ongoing, 2013 labor-of-love photo series, “It’s Opening Night in Colorado Theater,” brings you one intimate, […]

Photos: My day at ‘Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse’

Stage manager Emily MacIntyre has no defense for Brian Landis Folkins’ whiskery charms before Sunday’s first public performance of the Denver Children’s Theatre’s “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse” at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center.   By John Moore March 13, 2013 Opening No. 41, “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse”: “Lilly” is back for a second staging […]

Photos: My night at the Galleria’s ‘The Doyle & Debbie Show’

  By John Moore March 13, 2013 Opening No. 39, “The Doyle & Debbie Show”: The latest cabaret show to move into the Garner-Galleria is this simultaneous homage to, and parody of, country music’s iconic duos. Doyle Mayfield, an old-guard country star with a handful of old-school hits, is reviving his career — 30 years, […]

Photos and video podcast: Re-opening of Equinox’s ‘Bat Boy, the Musical’

Here’s our video podcast reporting from the “re-opening” of “Bat Boy, the Musical” on March 8, 2013.   By John Moore March 5, 2013 Opening No. 38, “Bat Boy, the Musical”: Let’s call this one a “re-opening.” On Feb. 20, after a sold-out opening weekend at the Bug Theatre, the cast and crew of the […]

Photo series: My night at Silhouette’s ‘This is How it Goes’

It’s the job of stage manager Amy Brosius to convert the John Hand Theatre stage from the Spotlight Theatre’s afternoon performance of “The Front Page” to the evening playing of Silhouette Theatre’s “This is How it Goes.” The companies share resources and like-mindedness with the Firehouse Theatre. Paul Jaquith’s Silhouette troupe gravitates more toward the […]

Breaking: Denver Center Theatre Company’s 2013-14 season an alchemy of the very old and very new

By John Moore March 6, 2013 The Denver Center Theatre Company has just announced a 10-play season including four world premieres selected from the just-completed 2013 Colorado New Play Summit: *Karen Zacarías’ adaptation of Helen Thorpe’s book “Just Like Us” *Catherine Trieschmann’s comedy “The Most Deserving” *Matthew Lopez’s “The Legend of Georgia McBride” *Marcus Gardley’s […]

Photo series: My night at the Catamounts’ ‘Jon’

  By John Moore March 5, 2013 Opening No. 35: The Catamounts’ “Jon” is a Vonnegut-like, possibly futuristic (possibly not) allegory based on a New Yorker short story written by a one-time engineering student from the Colorado School of Mines named George Saunders. In it, trendy youth are raised from birth to serve as perpetual […]

Photo series: My night at the University of Denver’s ‘Fiddler on the Roof’

Director Pamyla Stiehl laid out a table of candies and candles for her cast and crew to enjoy in a backstage hallway just before the opening performance of “Fiddler on the Roof” began at the University of Denver last Thursday.   By John Moore Feb. 27, 2013 Opening No. 34: One of the many great […]

Photos: Shelly Bordas benefit performances raise money, lift hearts

The video above is Part 2 from my ongoing video documentary, “The Shelly Bordas Story.”   By John Moore March 4, 2013 Back-to-back benefits for Shelly Bordas on Sunday and Monday nights brought grassroots fundraising efforts to help the cancer-stricken Denver mother, teacher and actor to nearly $30,000. On Sunday, a concert organized by Mitch […]

Video: The Shelly Bordas Story, Part 2: “My Son Wins”

By John Moore March 2, 2013 In this ongoing video documentary, veteran journalist John Moore chronicles Denver actor and mother Shelly Bordas’ journey since being diagnosed – for a second time – with Stage 4 breast cancer that has now spread to her brain. In Part 2, Shelly is hospitalized, has her 15th surgery, and […]