Many critics accused the recent hit movie Little Miss Sunshine of borrowing stock eccentric characters from the abstract Land of Generic Quirk. The same might be said of Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis, a play with characters who seem to be a conveniently thrown-together group of wackos rather than anything resembling a realistically dysfunctional family. We’re talking a dominatrix, a possibly-retarded sister, an obsessive-compulsive cleaning lady, and naturally, the Elvis, to name a few….

George Sand is undoubtedly a fascinating subject for literary treatment. Whether it is her status as a groundbreaking woman, inspiring revolutionary, or the lover of famous, glamorous men, there is certainly material aplenty for a story here. But as a musical? MetroStage gives it a go in the new Becoming George; the jury is still out on whether this is an endeavor doomed to failure, or merely one that falters here. One thing’s for certain,…

We’re all suckers for Dead Poets Society-esque tales of the inspiring relationships that can form between teacher and student. But regardless of the fact that The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is certainly a much more cautionary tale than some of its contemporaries, Studio Theatre’s production, largely because of a lackluster lead, does nothing to solidify its place in the canon. Jean Brodie is an iconoclastic school teacher, who embraces the humanities passionately, decries science…