Behanding Is Blue Barn at its Best

by Warren Francke

By Warren Francke

A Behanding in Spokane is the Blue Barn at its best with Kevin Lawler directing Thomas Becker as Cunningham, the grim sociopath in search of his missing left hand.

Quick perspective: This company’s treatment of such Edward Albee plays as Three Tall Women and The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? along with Vieux Carre by Tennessee Williams rank near the top of my lifetime of theater-going...

Gory Fun with Horror Flick Parody

by Warren Francke

You don’t need to be an expert on cheapo horror movies to enjoy Evil Dead: the Musical at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

But a little hint of the genre being parodied would help you get past its biggest negative: the off-putting opening which seemed to center on a horny male named Scotty shouting “Stupid bitch” at his female companions.  It’s justified by this convention:

Every cliché-ridden horror flick that...

Deathtrap Audience Goes from Horror to Hilarity

by Warren Francke

Bob Hope sang, “Thanks for the memories,” but Deathtrap has me singing thanks for few memories. I’d seen the 1990 version at the Omaha Community Playhouse and the movie with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve, but that didn’t spoil the suspense.

I didn’t remember the scary plot twists or even how funny it was. The only problem? Sharing its appeal without revealing those twists and turns.

The laughs may not...

Beehive Just Gets Better

by Warren Francke

They lined up 20 years ago outside the Howard St. Tavern, waiting to hear Beehive bring back 1960s rock n’ roll. And they packed The Waiting Room on Maple Street  200-strong Saturday to hear the same songs.

Dylan, et al, tell us times are achangin’, so you expect the voices of Sue Booton, Ginny Herman, Kathy Tyree, Tiffany White-Welchen and two who joined them a little later, Donna Ball and Jean Peterson,  to...

Witches Meet Santa, Elves

by Warren Francke

Doug and Laura Marr have so much fun doing Witch Way to the North Pole at their Circle Theatre that it doesn’t matter if you’re a grade-schooler fascinated by its young witches and elves or adults entertained by all the pop culture tidbits.

His writing and her directing are aided by a high-energy performance from a third-grader named Katya Reason who plays Lisbeth, a sassy little witch who wants to see the real...

Music Plays On, Comics Cavort

by Warren Francke

“If music be the food of love, play on. Give me an excess of it.” So begins Twelfth Night at the Joslyn Castle.

But the Brigit St. Brigit company’s only excess comes in sound of laughter bouncing off the handsome satinwood walls of the Castle’s elegant music room. The romantic comedy has been called Will Shakespeare’s most musical play and this cast can claim it as the funniest.

It not only opens with that...

WOW! Playhouse Opening Exceeds All Expectations

by Warren Francke

I couldn’t bear to leave the Omaha Community Playhouse after seeing August: Osage County. I was eager as a giddy school girl to celebrate the brilliance of an epic script and performances so powerful I grieved for those who didn’t find a place in director Amy Lane’s “dream team” cast.

Never have I expected so much from an award-winning drama and yet found it exceeding the highest expectations. It has been...