I cannot remember any time when we have had SO MUCH good and/or innovative theater playing at the same time. Summer 2014 may go down as the time when local theater finally got noticed on a more global scale.

Obviously I am partial to the work we have done bringing Disney’s Tarzan to the confines of the Artisan space. I am quite proud of the acting work I have done and continue to do as Kerchak. That being said…

Friday night I caught the regional premier of The Boy From Oz at Uptown Players. This is the first time it has been done in the United States since it was on Broadway…AND…the only other production was the Australian arena tour. The show is simply fantastic. A show to put Uptown on the map. A star-making performance by a guy named Alex Ross in the lead role. You just cannot miss this performance, it is THAT good.

I just caught a performance of the Kopit & Yeston PHANTOM. I saw Casa Mañana’s production back in the 90’s and loved it and was very excited to see what MILC had done. Their use of projections was great. The first time I have seen that effect used at a community theater on that scale. Really a class act production.

Tonight, I am putting away my doubts and am going to watch the highly controversial production of LES MISERABLES at Dallas Theatre Center. It has garnered world-wide recognition and I just have to judge for myself.

Wednesday, I am going to Watertower Theatre to see the regional premier of DOGFIGHT. A musical that ran off-Broadway last year and won the Lucille Lortel award for Best New Musical.

And that’s just a sampling! So much theater and just not enough time…so get out and see a show!