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What can you say about Agatha Christie that hasn’t been said a thousand times? I mean, when your books are only outsold by the Holy Bible and that lousy hack William Shakespeare, that’s pretty much all there is to say. I’ve read a number of her stories, mostly the ones revolving around Hercule Poirot or Mrs. Marple. I have somehow managed to neither read WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION nor seen it performed until tonight, presented by The Kirkwood Theatre Guild. I don’t know what I was waiting for—I love a good courtroom drama.

Results:

• Preshow - Talon def. Valerio LaMorte

• Bruce Pritchard came out to do a promo to start the show.  He put over WrestlePro huge in a terrific promo.

First off, let's start with the big news!  Mario Bokara, Fallah Bahh, and Kevin Matthews all made their debut at Impact tapings last weekend.  

And this led to Matthews being offered a 2-year contract. Congratulations to all three of these talented performers. They (along with many of the WrestlePro roster) deserve a much bigger platform to show what they can do.  

Life is a simple word that conjures images in one’s head of everything from bland breakfast cereal to fierce religious/political debates to the birth of a child. It is a capricious word. Jobs, relationships, health, you name it--life will change it in an instant, sometimes for the better, sometimes far worse. New Line Theatre’s newest production, ZORBA, is a perfect example of the unpredictability of the one commodity that everyone holds most precious.

“Avast, ye scurvy dogs, and heave to! Aye, you’ll hoist me treasure, or you’ll be sleepin’ in Davy Jones’ locker, argh!” Sigh…I think I’d have made a great pirate. I’m told I have a certain kind of intensity in my eyes, I don’t particularly like shaving, and I have a pet macaw. All I need is an ocean, a galleon and a time machine. Since I can probably only get my hook onto two of those three piratical requirements, I guess I’ll settle for the next best thing: pirate-centric community theatre! Hot on the heels of earning 16 nominations for NOISES OFF and ANNE FRANK at this year’s Arts For Life Awards, O’Fallon Theatre Works presents PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, running February 24 - March 5.

There’s a big WrestlePro show Friday Night (February 10) at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey and on Saturday night in Brooklyn at St Pat’s CYO.  Starland Ballroom is one of my favorite places to catch a wrestling show (or concert), and I’ve had my tickets for this one for a long time now.

Here are our predictions on how the Starland show plays out!

Ryback Vs Brian Cage

Hark! What is this vision which dances before me? Is it Drama personified, grounding us with her stories of maidens, men and honored beasts? Nay! ‘tis Brother Comedy in his smiling mask of gold, sustained by the richness of my laughter. SOMETHING ROTTEN! ‘tis a rose by another name, but sweeter than the forbidden fruit of Eden, for the gods of jests and conspiracies have transported my soul upon the stage of the Fabulous Fox Theatre, and given voice to a belief most fundamental to my divine spirit: “God, I Hate Shakespeare!”

CLOSER is a play by Patrick Marber that was made into a feature film in 2004 starring Julie Roberts, Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Clive Owen. I’m a fan of all four of those actors, and I own the DVD, but I somehow have yet to actually watch it. Thus when I arrived at the lovely .ZZCK Theatre for Theatre Lab’s production of the play, directed by Tom Martin, Produced by Ryan Scott Foizey and co-produced by Rey Arceno, Scott Seibert and Colin Barlow, I actually wasn’t sure what to expect. It was about three or four scenes into the performance where it dawned on me that I knew the plot from trailers I saw thirteen years ago. Better late to a party than never, right?

The year was 1991. My girlfriend at that time dropped some not so subtle hints that she’d like for me to take her to see THE NUTCRACKER at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. I’d always heard the Fox was an amazing venue, and I had just finished my senior year of high school where I had developed a late interest in theatre. I saved all my tip money from waiting tables at Pizza Hut for a few weeks and then bought us the best seat I could afford. When we get there I’m absolutely blown away by the intricacies of the “Siamese Byzantine” décor.  The house lights fade to dark, the orchestra began to launch into the first verse and the ensemble bounded onto the stage. My jaw dropped, and I looked at my girlfriend with a suspicious stare. “You didn’t tell me this was a ballet!” We broke up about a week later.

Why do you suppose “magic” is so popular these days? From stage acts like Penn & Teller and guerrilla magicians like David Blaine, to books, television programs and films based on J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard Harry Potter or George R. R. Martin’s GAME OF THRONES, and Marvel’s DOCTOR STRANGE, people can’t seem to get enough of magic. I think there’s a pretty simple explanation for that—the human experience in so-called “real life” is devoid of magic, be it artificial trickery, metaphysical mysticism or otherwise. Show me the magic in working in a dreary cubicle, churning out another spreadsheet to go over in another soul-crushingly boring meeting. Show me the magic in choosing from two of the least popular political candidates in the history of the United States. Show me the magic eating out of a box filled with products grown in a Monsanto lab rather than soil and sunlight. Cell phones are as addictive as cigarettes, but probably cause more accidents, and some may even explode.

I have to imagine that for a parent there can be no greater worry than the loss of your child. Imagine having to dwell on that over and over again, revisiting your worst fears over and over. How would you grieve? Would you be angry about the circumstance and want justice or tried to move on with your life, grieving silently and privately? For three years, The Tesseract Theatre’s Artistic Director and playwright Taylor Gruenloh did exactly that. His own daughter is perfectly fine, don’t fear. No, he had to inhabit a scenario that he wouldn’t wish upon anyone and find answers to as many difficult questions as his brain could come with. He spent three long years exploring the deeply affecting and life-altering possibility of life after tragic loss.

The Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con is the one place for Nevada’s pop culture community to get together and bond with their fellow geek. What started out as a small little get together has been getting bigger and better every year, with this year drawing in a great crowd of passionate fans. But, this year there were a couple of pretty big changes that managed to mix it up. How does ALVCC compare to other conventions?

On Sunday, November 13th 2016 the Syracuse Comic Con took place at the SRC Arena, drawing in hundreds of gamers, cosplayers, vendors and even a few cars! Critical Blast was there to share the experience with you, our readers.

The organizers at Syracuse Nerd must firmly believe in the mantra 'go big or go home' because targeting a 60,000 square foot arena for it's first event was certainly a bold choice. Often you find young conventions using a more intimate setting, such as what you may find at a hotel. However, they clearly had a vision on what they wanted this convention to be about: Activities.

If you read my concert reviews regularly you’ll notice a trend—I much prefer the older acts, the classic rock and roll bands that are now regulated to “oldies” stations. The best shows I’ve ever seen have consistently been by veteran talents. ARW, consisting of Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman of the seminal progressive rock band Yes, proved once again that terrific bands, like fine wine, only get better with age. Why Yes isn’t already in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame I can’t even begin to fathom.

I’ve seen STRAIGHT NO CHASER so many times now I’ve lost count—it’s either been five or six after their last performance at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis on Sunday, November 6, 2016. That show was a bit unusual in that they historically have played here much closer to the holiday and that the show started mid-afternoon. Of course, watching STRAIGHT NO CHASER is a joy any day, anytime.

“There will be no music, dialogue or poetry from the film Love Jones in this production,” said MC Lyte. “Now sit back and enjoy the LOVE JONES: THE MUSICAL.”

Say what? There’s certainly no shortage of musicals adapted from hit films: SISTER ACT, DIRTY DANCING, A CHRISTMAS STORY and THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY have all graced the stage of the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis, with varying degrees of success. SISTER ACT was fantastic. The others were…well, SISTER ACT was fantastic! LOVE JONES certainly wasn’t as horrible as some reviews have made it out to be – I was entertained by it. Yet I do agree that there’s no real reason to name this production after the film if it eschews most of what made the film resonate with its audience.

The latest announcement out of the Syracuse Comic-Con brings Adult Swim voice actor and veteran, Carey Means, to the heart of New York.

Most famously known for the voice behind AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE character, 'Frylock', Means has done a number of other projects over the years. His other work includes 'Catman' on 6 episodes of PERFECT HAIR FOREVER and on THE BRAK SHOW he was in 22 episodes as 'Thundercleese'. The announcement of his attendance comes 16 days ahead of the convention. Other notable guests include writer Ron Marz and writer/artist Mike Garland.

The Syracuse Comic-Con is growing. Bringing in top talent is the best way to draw the attention of out-of-town con goers, ultimately increasing attendance and notoriety.

According to a tweet, posted to Ron Marz's official twitter account, he will be attending the Syracuse Comic-Con.

Having long-time comic book writer, Ron Marz, in attendance will certainly help. Known for his work on Silver Surfer and Green Lantern, Marz has tackled many different projects for both DC and Marvel. As versatile as he is creative, he has found himself writing for lesser-known publishers as well.

The always adventurous New Line Theatre in St. Louis kicked off their 26^th season with the world premiere of the recently revised show, CELEBRATION, a musical by the team of Tom Jones (no, not that one) and Harvey Schmidt. The team also wrote the book, lyrics and music for the better known show THE FANTASTICKS. The show has been revived off and on since its debut in 1969, and never really seemed to find its audience. Writer Tom Jones revised the ending and that’s the version New Line Co-Directors Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor are presenting through October 22, 2016 at the Marcelle Theatre in St. Louis’ Grand Center.

The 2016 - 2017 Broadway Series at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis got underway with the national tour of the Tony Award-winning A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER. The story comes from a novel written by Roy Horniman way back in 1907 called ISRAEL RANK: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CRIMINAL. That tales was the basis of film called KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS starring Sir Alec Guinness. The production clearly has a classic pedigree, and yet, I didn't like the Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak, production, directed by Darko Tresnjak, as much as I'd expected to. Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe I'm getting harder to please in my old age. Maybe you'll absolutely love it and I'm completely fine with that!