Reviews
"The summer academy was amazing. My daughter had such a great learning experience and we hope to be able to do more! I’ve also been fortunate enough to see many TBA productions and found them so entertaining with great talent!!" - Libia Johnson
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I"’ve seen many plays/performances in many parts of the world including Broadway and TBA is amazing in its interpretation, directing, and acting of so many stories they enact. Many of their scenes are so incredible it’s as if the come straight out of a professional Broadway production. There is heart and passion and the ability of this audience member to become so immersed in the action, the story that I become part of it, lost in time." - Josephine Dagon
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"This is an organization that changes peoples’ lives. Bravi tutti!" - Nancy Caudill
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"Inexpensive, smart and fun theatre for all. Do yourself a favor and check out TBA." - Rick Helms
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"I think more lives have been changed by associating with this group than any other in Anchorage. In productions, the bar of professionalism is set high, and life values like commitment, helping each other, and making things work when there are glitches are learned by example. From my chair in the audience, I see wholesome belly-laugh or heart-wrench producing theater. Kudos and kudos again." - Dana Garen Anderson
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"This is more than a company and more than a theatre... it’s FAMILY!!!" - Chester Mainot
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"THE BEST THEATRE!" - Patty Carreras
Miracle On 34th Street: "Had a amazing time today enjoying this wonderful play. First time seeing Miracle on 34th Street as a play. The performance was so good. First time at Grant Hall TBA Theater. Will be coming back to this theater many more times. Thanks for the memories. I loved it." - Debra Miles Ernest
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The Death of Edgar Allen Poe:
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Fringe Review Rating: "Excellent Show"
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"Dressed in period costumes phantasms fill the stage and spill out into the audience with a sombre air as we enter the theatre, the feeling uneasy and oppressive, secretive and dark, so pervasive that one imagined the scent of decay, of water seeping in and time running short, extending past the point of comfort until the audience was near desperate for something to happen. At last the lights go out, the show begins lit by candlelight, and Edgar Allen Poe makes his appearance," ... "The gossamer threads which tie his life to his work, spun in a seamless web over the next hour, fragmented stories and vignettes overlapping and melding with the most famous stories of his legacy." ... "The presence of Poe and the connections drawn from his own life serve as an effective and compelling segue to the stories, and the handling of the language and verse remains conversational and immediate, which gives Poe’s work an all the more terrifying feel as they emerge not from the dark recesses of a corrupt mind but as extensions of tragic but commonplace events, the effect suddenly more plausible than the ghost story told around a camp fire. A true stand out moment is the handling of Annabel Lee which left a profound melancholy which crossed the chasm of time and landed like a knife upon the heart, yet the pacing allows just enough silence and space to feel the full weight of loss, then forces us to accept the relentless march to Poe’s untimely end. Wayne Mitchell gives a masterful performance as Poe, accusing the shadows of his life for cursing him, and creates a nuanced, complex man worthy of adoration and revulsion in equal measure, and his final confrontation with his own demons, embodied in the story of The Raven is more than compensation for any small shortcomings in the piece.
Equal parts ghost story, biography, gothic theatre, and poetry, The Death of Edgar Allan Poe is a funeral to which you should not be late." - Heather Bagnall, Fringe Review
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Westside Story:
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"This is a show that I have known for many years and this performance weighed on me in the best possible way." ... "The part of Tony was taken by Eli Fleener and he earned it every step of the way. From his brotherly chemistry with Kumpula, to his moments with Shane Mitchell’s Doc, he was Tony. He really dazzled when interacting with Maria, played to perfection by Summer Kuhns. You could feel the magnetic draw between these two actors, and each are extraordinary vocalists that should simply spend most of their time singing. In the program, Kuhns lists herself as an aspiring young vocal artist but I would be disappointed if she did not continue to take more theatrical roles. She is a breath of fresh air when it comes to lead actors for local Anchorage shows, and I want to see more of what she can do. From her innocent naivety in the first act, to her passion and then rage in the second Kuhns accomplished everything that the role requires and then made it her own." ... "Shark and Mambo choreography by Andrea Cerna and Anthony Cruz, and Jet choreography by Kristin Fernandez added to the story and paid respect to the movie and original stage production. Costumes by Brigette Hoffman were thoughtful and appropriate. The music was handled well by Kade Bissell as conductor, with excellent vocal coaching from Nancy Caudill and music direction by Andrea Gardner." .... "The attack [scene] in the Doc’s shop was difficult to watch because it was performed so well," ... "TBA Theatre and the cast and crew have done something great with this musical, and with only one weekend left to experience it, you should get your tickets now." - Anchorage Press
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The Merry Wives of Windsor:
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"A fantastic holiday mashup happened last weekend as TBA Theatre opened The Merry Wives of Windsor by Shakespeare, directed by Megan Bladow, at APU Grant Hall. The entire production has been styled in the Victorian era, had a few holiday touches added, and fully embraced the magic of the season." ... "Upon entering the audience is transported to a stunning Dickens style village at Christmas. The set design from Rachael Androski, and what I am sure is countless hours from her extensive team of painters and set crew is stunning. As the show progresses, the set unfolds, transforming and spinning on the rotating stage, assisting not only the pace of the show, but also adding to the wonder. Combined with the costume design from Jennifer Wright and her large team of assistants, the visual effects that make up this show are alone worth the price of admission. With the large stage and moving set lighting was key, and a design by Frank Hardy was very successful.
One of my favorite touches of the performance was the cast of carolers that opened the show and returned to entertain during each brief set change. Under direction from Seth Eggleston, this group filled the space with familiar Christmas songs performed in beautiful harmonies. The passing by of townsfolk was a common theme while quick changes were made, and the entire production ran smoothly, without the audience ever losing focus." ... "Sir John Falstaff is played wonderfully by Rodney Lamb. His expressive and over the top character was matched well by Dana Mitchell as Mistress Ford, and Erin Dagon Mitchell as Mistress Page. The Mitchell’s delivered some of the most hilarious moments in the show." ... "It is within the small moments of humor, and the honesty of the characters that are being portrayed that you find the sparks of enchantment. Bladow and company have created holiday magic, and they should all be proud." - Anchorage Press
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Anne of Green Gables
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"The title character is portrayed with impressive skill by Morgan Stratton, who in her 2 hours on stage portrays the exuberant and excitable 11 year old version of Anne that opens the show, with the same confidence and believability that she gives to the more mature 16 year old who commands the audience's attention at the end. Stratton completely understood the characters dramatic and desperate approach to life, and threw herself whole hearted into the role," ... " [Director Colby] Bleicher has done a fantastic job [at staging large group scenes]. Part of that comes of course from the fantastic stage that is to be found in APU Grant Hall, but also from the impressive and open scenic design by Rachael Androski. Androski is just one member of the all female production team that has taken on the story of this smart, bold, and accident prone girl." ... "Praise also needs to be delivered to Brigette Hoffman for the costume design. Set in early 1900's Canada, this show needed the costuming to be exact not just for the story, but also for the many fans of all of the television and movie adaptations of the book. It seemed as if each button and bonnet was picked by the characters themselves, and I appreciated her use of more muted tones, even for the fancy clothes, which is how it would have been at the time. " ... "At the Sunday Matinee that I attended, the almost capacity audience was fascinated and entertained the entire time. Younger [audience members] may have been learning this story for the first time, and their parents, may have been lifetime fans, [but] everyone was captivated by the young Anne Shirley." - Anchorage Press
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