It’s 1953 in Houston, Texas. An elderly lady dreams of making one last trip to her childhood home in Bountiful, Texas. Her son and his wife don’t want her to go. They say she isn’t well enough to make the journey. But she sneaks off anyways to make the trip. 

The first film version was released in 1953. The second version was released in 1985 starring Geraldine Page and John Heard. The most recent version was released in 2014 starring Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams. 

It’s a very sweet story about returning to your childhood home and all the memories that come along with it. 

Kim Zimmer (Guiding Light) is great as the woman who is very determined to make the trip. Dana Costello is great in the tough role as the wife. Will Ray is solid as her son, who is caught in between the two. Casey Wortham is very charming as the girl she meets at the bus station.  

Overall, it’s a great story that’s well worth a trip to Theatre Raleigh!

Get tickets now for The Trip to Bountiful through April 6th!

Cost of a ticket: $42 (Back Rows)

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Quinn Delaney

The adult children of a family all come back to their childhood home on the south side of Chicago. They have come to celebrate the wedding of one of the brothers. All of the siblings are very competitive with each other. This is well displayed as they play bid whist, a game similar to spades. Also, deeply held secrets are revealed along with an unexpected guest that stir up a lot of drama. 

Immediate Family first premiered at the Goodman Theatre in 2012. The Center Theatre Group in LA produced a version in 2015.

Paul Oakley Stovall has written a fantastic play with non-stop humor and drama. The audience was laughing and hollering uncontrollably, especially in the second half.  The entire cast is fantastic. They have great chemistry as an ensemble, and they feel like a real family. 

See the program here. 

Get tickets now for Immediate Family though March 29th!

Cost of a ticket: $22 (Monday Price)

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Quinn Delaney

A man discovers a lost manuscript for a play. He gives it to his coworker to hold on to, but she loses it. She calls upon Greek Gods to help her. Dionysus and Thalia come to help her, but things don’t go very smoothly. 

Ken Ludwig has written a very funny farce. It’s old-fashioned and family friendly. It was first produced as a co-production between McCarter Theatre Center for the Performing Arts (Princeton, NJ) and The Old Globe Theatre (San Diego) in 2019. 

Brennan Kelleher is hilarious in his many roles, always very cheeky and often stealing the show. Alexandra Ficken is so charming as the bookish coworker very focused on finding the manuscript. Brad Raymond and Kate Fahrner are both so funny and exuberant as the gods. They have great chemistry together. Rachel Frawley, Christopher Hampton, and Suzanne Roush are solid in their supporting roles.  

Cost of a ticket: $51 (Orchestra)

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Get tickets now for the Gods of Comedy through April 13th! 

Quinn Delaney

Mike Deni and the band chose the name Geographer because they liked the metaphor of songs being the maps of emotional states. Seeing them live is like getting a first-hand tour of their lives and emotions, with the help of their maps (aka, albums). Suffice it to say, Deni is an outstanding tour guide. This is the Animal Shapes 15 Year Anniversary Tour. He says it’s interesting to sing these songs he wrote when he was so sad. Since then, he’s gone to therapy and gotten married and is in a much different emotional space. 

Deni has a fantastic voice. His smooth and compelling sound is especially apparent when he sings Kites, one of the crowd’s favorites.  He starts by recording the melody at a slow pace on a small synth.  Once it is recorded, he just presses one button repeatedly which plays the notes at the pace he hits the button.  It allows him to play the notes very quickly as he sings.  When the full band joins in, the whole audience begins dancing around.  It’s a great build that leads to a fantastic payoff. It’s also a special treat when he breaks out his saxophone. 

The band sounds a lot like Hot Chip and Cut Copy. They are all a mix of indie rock, dance music, and synth pop.  Their sound is created with an impressive list of instruments. Mike Deni is on vocals, guitar, keys, synth, saxophone, and cowbell. Alex DiDonato rocks the guitar and bass. Jules de Gasperis crushes it on drums. 

Geographer has found a second home in Atlanta and we believe them when they say they’ll be back soon!

See a similar recent setlist here. 

Quinn Delaney

“We are the Married Men,” says Scott Lucas. “Welcome to our annual reunion.” 

Midway into their set, they play “Hey, Rita” from their 2010 EP, The Absolute Beginners EP. This is originally a Local H song. It sounds great with the full 6-piece band.  

They close their 30 minute set with “There Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down” by Brother Claude Ely.  The original is an upbeat gospel song. The Married Men version is a dark and ominous song. It is quite a transformation.     

During their set, they didn’t take any breaks between songs. As soon as one ended, the drummer immediately started the beat for the next one. It was a whirlwind of just 30 minutes that left the audience wanting more. 

See our review of their Christmas show in 2014 here. 

See their similar setlist from last year here. 

Cost of a ticket: $25

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Quinn Delaney

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is from Brown County, Indiana, which is located just east of Bloomington. Their style of southern blues matches well with New Orleans.  They play with great energy and a strong stage presence. The band consists of Reverend Peyton on guitar, Washboard Breezy Peyton, and Jacob “The Snakob” Powell on drums. 

Midway into their set, Rev plays an axe that has 3 strings. It’s a great moment that looks and sounds awesome.  

At the end of the night, the band returns to the stage for Gaelic Storm’s encore. First, the lead singer says they are going to play an Irish song and they launch into “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. Afterwards, the combo band plays one of Reverend Peyton’s songs. Lastly, they played an Irish song that had the entire crowd dancing along. It was a fantastic close to a great night of music.  

Cost of a ticket: $48

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Quinn Delaney

A Muslim family moves from Las Vegas to Colombus, Ohio after a tragedy. They do their best to fit in with the community and support each other. The father starts to become paranoid that someone has bugged the house and insists that they keep the lights off, which makes the house feel like a cave.  

This is a fantastic debut by the playwright, Sadieh Rifai (Assistant-Directed Turret). The first half is so funny and charming. The second half dives into heavier material, but it still has it’s lighter moments. It’s a great balance. 

It’s a very impressive cast size for such a small space at A Red Orchid Theatre. H. Adoni Esho is excellent as the father, who struggles with mental issues, like his father before him. Kirsten Fitzgerald (In Quietness,Swing State) is superb as the wife, who doesn’t understand the changes in her husband. Aaliyah Montana is outstanding as the older daughter, who is discovering her identity. Milla Liss is stellar as the younger daughter, who is forced to grow up quickly. 

Ashley Neal (Plano) is great as the friendly neighbor who is very concerned with the HOA rules. Guy Van Swearingen (Trouble in Mind, The Moors) is excellent as the uncle who recounts Vietnam war stories to the older daughter for a school project. Omer Abbas Salem is solid as the father’s friend who has some interesting ideas. John Judd (A View From the Bridge, and Natalie West (Revolution, Fulfillment Center) are absolutely hilarious as the grandparents still learning about Muslim culture. 

Get tickets now for The Cave through March 23rd!

Cost of a ticket: $55

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Quinn Delaney

Betrayal was written by Harold Pinter in 1978. It was first produced by the National Theatre in London that same year. A film version was released in 1983 starring Jeremy Irons, Patricia Hodge, and Ben Kingsley. A 2013 revival in New York starred Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Rafe Spall. And now it’s running at the Goodman Theatre. 

A woman has an affair with her husband’s best friend. The husband finds out, but not until many years later. The acts of the play take place in reverse chronological order, like the film Memento. 

Unfortunately, it never feels like there is any tension or climatic moment. With the events going backwards in time, the audience already knows what is going to happen. 

Ian Barford (Another Marriage, Linda Vista) is excellent as the husband, especially when he discovers the affair. Sean Leonard (The Gilded Age, House) is great as the best friend. Helen Hunt (Mad About You, As Good as It Gets) is solid as the woman, but her accent is a bit distracting. 

Cost of a ticket: $75

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Get tickets now for Betrayal through March 30th. 

Quinn Delaney

George Thorogood enters with a great stage presence. “I can’t believe it’s really me!” he says. It’s a great start to his fun and charming personality. 

Early on in their set, they play “Who Do You Love?” by Bo Diddley, which was on their 1978 album, Essential Recordings: One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer. They truly have made this song their own and it still sounds fantastic. 

Soon afterwards is “I Drink Alone” from their 1985 album, Maverick. The whole crowd is joyfully singing along: “Yeah, you know when I drink alone / I prefer to be by myself”. The guitar playing on this song is excellent as well. 

Next up is “One Bourbon, Once Scotch, One Beer” from their self-titled album in 1977. This song has such a great buildup which leads perfectly into the chorus. It’s a timeless classic. 

A bit later they play “Get A Haircut” from the 1993 album, Haircut. “Get a haircut and get a real job / Clean your act up and don’t be a slob!” This is another great one to sing along to, especially for those who don’t have a “real” job. 

At last, they play their mega hit, “Bad to the Bone” from the 1982 album of the same name. This song has over 262 million streams on Spotify. The riff on this song is legendary along with the iconic saxophone solo.  It’s also used on the soundtrack for over 80 films including Terminator 2, Problem Child, and Bull Durhum.  

Cost of a ticket: $70

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See the full setlist here. 

Quinn Delaney

Hedda Gabler was written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere took place in 1891 in Munich. Steppenwolf produced a version in 2001 starring Martha Plimpton.  A revival on Broadway opened in 2009 starring Mary-Louise Parker and Michael Cerveris. The National Theatre premiered a new version in 2016 starring Ruth Wilson and Rafe Spall. And now, The Artistic Home’s production is playing at The Den Theatre. 

Hedda Gabler is about a woman who is expected to follow the standard roles of wife and mother, but refuses. 

Ariana Lopez (Witch, Eurydice is excellent as Thea Elvsted, who does her best to express herself within the rules of society. Brookelyn Hébert is excellent as Hedda, who rebels against society’s wishes. Todd Wojcik (Witch, Dying For It) is hilarious as her husband, often misunderstanding her. John Mossman (The Pavilion), Dan Evashevski (Witch), Laura Coleman , and Lynne Baker (Beyond Therapy) are all very good in their suporting roles.  

See the program here. 

Cost of a ticket: $41

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Get tickets now for Hedda Gabler through March 30th!

Quinn Delaney