Just in time for spooky season, ‘Ravenscroft’ delights
Riverwalk Theatre can always be counted on to offer something seasonal around Halloween, and “Ravenscroft” is this year’s dark offering. That is, darkly comic and frightfully …
By MARY CUSACK's Latest Articles
‘Baba’ invites audiences to step into an immigrant’s shoes at a dire time
In the program notes for Williamston Theatre’s production of “Baba,” co-founder and executive director Emily Sutton-Smith addresses the power of storytelling in building human connections,
‘How I Learned to Drive’ spotlights the realities of abuse with care
In my 19 years of writing theater reviews, I’ve attended hundreds of plays. I’ve seen the good, the bad, the disturbing and the poignant.
Ixion revisits poignant tale of familial love and duty
Ixion Ensemble Theatre is celebrating its 10th season by restaging shows from its past.
Peppermint Creek brings historic book-banning battle to the stage
The quote “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” attributed to Mark Twain, is an apt summary of the central theme of Peppermint Creek Theatre Co.’s current production. “Alabama Story” is a cautionary tale that reminds us that the hatred and bias of the civil rights era are not bygone.
LCC’s winning new take on ‘My Emperor’s New Clothes’ at Dart
It didn’t seem like a good plan to have the childless writer review a children’s play, but no one else was available. Off I went to the Kingdom of Mango Chutney, aka Dart Auditorium,
‘The Thanksgiving Play’ is a hilarious satire of white wokeness
Lansing Community College’s production of “The Thanksgiving Play” might not be seasonal, but it is incredibly timely.
Riverwalk’s ‘The Exonerated’ is a gripping and haunting look at wrongful conviction
In the 1760s, English jurist William Blackstone wrote, “It is better that 10 guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.” Riverwalk Theatre’s current production, “The …
Williamston Theatre finds success in the details
Actors and Williamston Theatre co-founders John Lepard and Emily Sutton-Smith are pretty much the royal couple of the Lansing-area theater realm. Both have turned in so many memorable performances over the years that it may surprise local theatergoers that they haven’t performed together on stage since 2004. That 20-year streak has been broken with Williamston Theatre’s current production, “Maytag Virgin.”
Riverwalk offers treat for Halloween season
Riverwalk Theatre has taken an innovative approach to its latest production, “The Rocky Horror Show.” Directors Erin Hoffman and Shannon Bowen have created two casts, which flip-flop …