Standing in the pastel-blue living room, hair in some incongruous “Broadway” style, an 8-year-old sings “Home,” wistfully crooning in her best Stephanie Mills style. Three years later, she and her friends choreograph a dizzying, spinning version of “Tornado” for the school dance show. That little white girl? She loved The Wiz, but she had no […]
How the Secret Soap Gang Came to Run Denver
/in Community Engagement, General/by Rich GrantDenver has had its share of secret societies over the years trying to avoid police investigation, but none was more colorful than a gang of criminals known as “The Soap Gang.” It was led by a handsome, black-bearded scoundrel named Jefferson Randolph Smith. Or “Soapy Smith” as he came to be known. Soapy arrived in […]
Boosting Cognition with Memory Games
/in Community Engagement, General/by Suzanne YoeIf genetics are any indication (fingers crossed), I will live a long, healthy life and have a better memory than my children. After all, my mom is 94 (95 next month. Happy birthday, Mom!) and knocks the socks off most people with her mental acuity. When we visit a doctor’s office, the good ol’ doc […]
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Celebrates Topping Out of New Facility
/in Community Engagement, General/by Suzanne YoeLater this year, there will be a new cultural facility in Denver when Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CPRD) celebrates the opening of its new facility — The Cleo Parker Robinson Center for the Healing Arts. The 25,000 square foot expansion designed by Fentress Architects will connect to the Historic Shorter AME landmark. Together with its […]
Seeing Yourself in The Wiz
/in Broadway, General/by Lisa BornsteinStanding in the pastel-blue living room, hair in some incongruous “Broadway” style, an 8-year-old sings “Home,” wistfully crooning in her best Stephanie Mills style. Three years later, she and her friends choreograph a dizzying, spinning version of “Tornado” for the school dance show. That little white girl? She loved The Wiz, but she had no […]
Reigning Supreme: The History of Helvetica
/in Cabaret, General/by Suzanne YoeThe Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ current cabaret comedy, Gutenberg! The Musical!, is a play about inventor Johannes Gutenberg within a play about two would-be theatre composers attempting to raise some cash to produce their show. Two actors play a whole cast of characters including the famed inventor who created the first moveable-type press, […]
Host a Throwback Party: Your Guide to Planning a 50s or 80s Fête
/in Community Engagement, General/by Emma HolstThe 1950s and 1980s hold a special sort of nostalgia in the hearts of Americans. These are iconic decades with plenty of instantly recognizable music, food, style, and film. Both eras are featured in the movie-to-stage adaptation of Back to the Future: The Musical (which is in Denver at the Buell Theatre from January 22 […]
Mean Girls Underlines Women-Centered Storytelling
/in Broadway, General/by Emma HolstFrom a pop culture phenomenon in the 2000s to a feminist shift in Broadway representation, Mean Girls always comes along at a time when we need it the most. Twenty- five years ago, the box office was dominated by action-packed fantasy film franchises; from pirates to wizards, superheroes to jedis – audiences couldn’t escape the […]
Favorite Characters Onstage in 2025
/in Broadway, Theatre Company, General/by Emma HolstA new year and new (familiar) faces. The DCPA is ushering in 2025 with plenty of fan-favorites, sure to bring some beloved characters to the stage. Check this list below to see who will be walking in from stage right in the coming months. Doc Brown & Marty McFly These two characters are synonymous with […]
Medieval Technological Advancements
/in Community Engagement, General/by Lisa BornsteinWe have a lot to thank the printing press for: the spread of knowledge in the Renaissance; the force of political movements, including the U.S. Revolution, through the dissemination of political pamphlets; the spread of Protestantism; and Gutenberg! The Musical!, the musical comedy running at the Garner Galleria Theatre through May 4. Johannes Gutenberg’s 1455 […]
Along Cherry Creek on the Gateway to Denver
/in Theatre Company, General/by Rich GrantIn the opening of The Reservoir, the narrator, Josh, wakes up to a gorgeous sunrise over the waters of Cherry Creek Reservoir, 14 miles southeast of Denver. It’s a fitting place to begin a play that takes place in Denver because Cherry Creek is also where Denver’s story begins. The pretty creek that flows into […]