Joe Gruberman – Splash Magazines

Estrella Mountain’s LIKE HEAVEN

May 10, 2023 Joe Gruberman 0

The Bridge Initiative brings Elaine Romero‘s “Like Heaven” to the Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) Performing Arts Center. EMCC is a new venue for us, and we’re pleasantly surprised by it. The stage is modest, […]

Jesus Christ Superstar: 50 Years Later

April 19, 2023 Joe Gruberman 0

It took half a century to fulfill this teenage fantasy. In 1971, I was introduced to the concept album “Jesus Christ Superstar”. It quickly soared to my #1 singalong album, dethroning The Who’s “Tommy” which […]

Reflecting On “The Last Five Years”

March 25, 2023 Joe Gruberman 0

The black-box intimacy of the Hormel Theatre — little sister to The Phoenix Theatre Company’s Mainstage — will be missed once its planned expansion is completed. Luckily, over the next few weeks, audiences can be […]

“An American In Paris” at The Phoenix Theatre Company

February 2, 2023 Joe Gruberman 0

This month, An American In Paris (the play) made its premiere at The Phoenix Theatre Company. We indicate “the play” parenthetically because the legacy of An American In Paris goes back nearly a century before […]

Cinderella Steals Our Hearts

November 22, 2022 Joe Gruberman 0

Let’s be clear. This is not about how at the tender age of 11, my heart was stolen by the captivatingly beautiful Leslie Ann Warren. I still recall her wide-eyed wonderment, in the role of […]

Biloxi Blues at the Palm Canyon Theatre

September 23, 2022 Joe Gruberman 0

One of the joys of vacation travel is to immerse oneself in the culture of the region. This may be as simple as dining at local eateries or sampling locally-brewed craft beers. Another fun pursuit […]

The Book Of Will Is About Preserving A Legacy

September 6, 2022 Joe Gruberman 0

The Phoenix Theatre Company opens its 2022-2023 season with a production whose story is based largely on fact. And what a fascinating story it is! Imagine that you are arguably the greatest playwright of all […]

Artopia Comes To Phoenix

June 18, 2022 Joe Gruberman 2

Fresh off of its premiere engagement in Chicago, Artopia arrives in downtown Phoenix with its signature display of outsized street art blanketing the facade of a recently vacated warehouse. A hint of what is in […]

“Something Rotten” Was Worth the Wait

May 12, 2022 Joe Gruberman 0

In March of 2020, The Phoenix Theatre Company’s production of “Something Rotten” closed after just one rehearsal. That’s right: not one performance, but one rehearsal. The show never opened. At that same time, we were […]

Laura Durant channels Sue Mengers in “I’ll Eat You Last”

March 16, 2022 Joe Gruberman 0

When the lights go up on I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers, there is no doubt that you are in the presence of royalty. The scene opens on a throne room in […]