294 stories by "David Dow Bentley III"
[ Click on any photo to enlarge ] It doesn't get much better than this for residents of the once Sandy-ravaged Rockaway Beach. The pleasantly warm summer weather and low humidity have the be…
From time to time my occasional work as a performing arts critic in Texas causes me to miss some important event here  in New York. That was never truer than on last March 9th when Marc B…
She is a member of America’s oldest theatrical club, The Lambs established in 1874, and those fellow Lambs who have been fortunate enough to hear talented singer and cabaret performer,…
[ CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE ] Anthony Crane as Harold Hill and Sara Jean Ford as Marian Paroo with cast. Photo by Bruce Bennett, courtesy of Theatre Under The Stars. Like the seasons…
CHICAGO lights up stage at Lone Star College-Montgomery *Courtesy Photo* Â [ CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE ] Last weekend approached with ominous Houston-area Friday morning thunderstorms tha…
Whenever he was distressed about disturbing current events in the news, it was not uncommon for my late father to announce, "The world is going to hell in a handbasket!" If he could have bee…
For those who witnessed the stunning Opening and Closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics hosted by China in Beijing, the artistic talent and cultural splendor of those memorable Chine…
It seemed more like attending some grand and joyous party than it did attending a run-of-the-mill musical. The fun began right in the elevator that took my guest and me up to the orchestra l…
As the Young Texas Artists music competition entered its fourth decade of showcasing the very finest of our state's young, classical musicians, it would be no surprise that last Saturday nig…
With Spring Break underway for many in surrounding Houston areas, the Theater Under the Stars offering of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT had no opening week shortage of eager y…
It is a story of love, and it is most certainly a story of music, and when the two come together they weave a tale as sweet as the melodies that bind together all the charms of the mus…
Even before the opening curtain, there was a ballet of sorts in the Wortham Center's soaring lobby, with its steep and rolling escalator, towering windows, and the high walls adorned with be…
***Click Any Photo to Enlarge*** Before curtain time at the Nancy Bock Center for the Performing Arts, the room was filled with the familiar buzz of audience excitement that one has come to …
For lovers of musical theatre there is something incredibly important and very wonderful going on at Conroe's Crighton Theater. Brilliantly directed by Manny Cafeo, the current production of…
It is a bit of a fairy tale in its own right, and that may be the source of the joy that now spreads across the theatrical world leaving smiles on the faces of everyone it touches. I refer, …
Ten months of family business in New York had kept me away from the Conroe theatre scene for a very long time, so it was especially nice last Saturday evening to follow dinner with a dear fr…
Neatly tucked away in the smaller theater of Houston's Hobby Center one can find the unusual offerings of the TUTS UNDERGROUND. The company self-describes its productions as, "…edgy, capti…
New York's legendary Café Society nightclub debuted in the Greenwich Village of the late 1930's. For many years that followed it would be the Mecca for many African American jazz greats who…
An end-of-year musical treasure I discovered this past weekend is Beware of Young Girls: Kate Dimbleby Sings the Dory Previn Story, now playing at 59E59 Theaters. Created and performed by Ka…
In the last dozen years I have had the opportunity to review several productions of the ever-popular musical, Godspell, conceived by John-Michael Tebelak with music & lyrics by Stephen S…
 [ Ed. Note: Click all photos for full size. ] The art deco charms of Broadway's St. James theater surrounded the proscenium as the orchestra let loose with a jazzy musical Prologue that…
WIMBLEDON, England  6 July 2014 Neither my status as an amateur tennis player nor my record as a performing arts critic would qualify me to comment on the truly remarkable Men's Final …
The terrorism of the British tabloids is well remembered from such events as the abdication of King Edward VIII (in favor of his marriage to American socialite, Wallis Simpson), or the divor…
For you followers of farce it may be time to head over to Texas Repertory Theatre to take in the latest offering, the Marc Camoletti / Beverly Cross comedy, BOEING BOEING.If the recent audie…
Many readers will recall tales of the sensational Scopes "Monkey" Trial of 1925, which became a notorious clash between science and religion. Schoolteacher, John Scopes, was charged with tea…
