Manning Harris

1 week ago | roughdraftatlanta.com | Manning Harris

Actor's Express is ending its 37 th season with a taut, superbly performed version of John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer and Tony-winning "Doubt, A Parable," helmed by Artistic Director Freddie Ashley. If you enjoy being up close to fine, live theatre, this production is a gem. The time is 1964, one year after the Kennedy assassination. An unspoken uneasiness pervades much of the country. Even the St. Nicholas Church School in the Bronx has not escaped this queasiness.

1 month ago | roughdraftatlanta.com | Manning Harris

Does a scintillating evening marveling at the genius of songwriter/singer Carole King, performed by an extremely talented cast, accompanied by a fine orchestra, sound good? It is. I urge you to hasten to witness City Springs Theatre Company's "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical," running through May 18 at the Byers Theatre as they close their seventh season in style.

Sep 22, 2024 | roughdraftatlanta.com | Manning Harris

Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem" has been called one of the most influential of the 20th Century: "What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" And there's more, ending with the startling, famous line "Or does it explode?"Theatrical Outfit is opening its new season with "A Raisin in the Sun," running through Sept. 29. It's a classic American play written by Lorraine Hansberry. It opened on Broadway in 1959.

Aug 4, 2024 | roughdraftatlanta.com | Manning Harris

"There was a cabaret, and there was a master of ceremonies, and there was a city called Berlin, in a country called Germany-and it was the end of the world." This is Clifford Bradshaw's final line in the musical "Cabaret," currently being performed at Actor's Express through Sept. 1. Bradshaw is speaking not only of his personal experience but of the end of the Weimar Republic and the approaching darkness of the Nazi era. The time is 1931 (although Hitler didn't come to full power until 1933).

Jul 19, 2024 | roughdraftatlanta.com | Manning Harris

City Springs Theatre Company is currently presenting a dazzling production of the Broadway musical "Jersey Boys," and before we go any further, I'll say simply "Go"; this show should not be missed. Amid a summer of discontent and turbulence, City Springs' beautiful 1000-seat Byers Theatre and a stellar cast, crew, and orchestra are inviting you to escape to the thrill of a great live performance. "Jersey Boys" runs through Aug. 11.