What can I say about Falcon Theatre that hasn't been said so well in the previous reviews? This unique and intimate theater is surrounded by an interesting set of shops on Monmouth Street in Newport, and is located next to one very cool costume shop a few blocks south of the Newport on the Levee complex. There are plenty of places to eat before or after the show, and during the warmer months, it makes for a nice pre-theatre stroll. I have always found Falcon to be a friendly group, who seem to very quickly get to know you on sight. Ted Weil, a co-founder and the Artistic Director of Falcon, is an ever present, perpetually smiling force, and is pretty much the face of the theatre. He manages, acts, directs, produces...you name a job that needs to be done, and it seems he is there to do it. He has with him a tremendous group of people who make sure that things go as well as they would at any venue. A night here is truly a comfortable and enjoyable experience.
The theatre is not large, currently seating around 80, but the quality of the performances are by no means small. Although I had already seen one production here, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) in 2009, I didn't become a real regular here until the following year. Since that time, I have had the pleasure of seeing almost 20 shows in the dark of the Falcon - shows that range from classics such as And Then There Were None and The 39 Steps, to unique musicals, such as Gilligan's Island: The Musical, Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical, Bat Boy: The Musical, Don't Cross the Streams: The Cease and Desist Musical and Evil Dead: The Musical (which comes complete with an audience designated "Splatter Zone"). Then there are ones that you just don't seem to find elsewhere, like the satirical and humorous Duck Hunter Shoots Angel, and the mysterious The Woman in Black.
The Holidays are recognized annually as well. Whether it's their version of the ever popular It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Drama, the poignant Striking 12, a modern day take on the Little Match Girl, or the dark, dark comedy Eight: The Reindeer Chronicles, you can fill your holiday cup to the brim here.
One of the true advantages of a smaller venue such as this is the closeness to the actors, which at times seems to give one the feeling that they are actually in the scene itself, and at times you are. When you see a show like One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest in this way, you really get a sense that you too, may be in the asylum as well. One of the most outstanding performances I have seen in the myriad of local and national productions that I have had the pleasure of seeing over these last few years has been at Falcon. Their version of The Elephant Man was simply incredible. Done without prosthetics, you truly believed and felt the physical pain and suffering endured by The Elephant Man, Joseph Merrick. He was portrayed by Joshua Steele, an incredible actor whose twisted and contorted body grippingly held you for two plus hours on stage. If you walked away dry eyed when the curtain closed, you certainly had checked your humanity at the door. I truly look forward to seeing In the Heat of the Night come this weekend.
The building that housed the theatre was recently purchased by Falcon, and they are aggressively improving it. The concession area in the lobby has been recently renovated (there are drinks and snacks available for sale before the show and during intermission, which can be taken into the theater), and there are bigger plans as well. The biggest of these will be to add true theatre style seats, a great improvement over the small padded seats that are currently there. There has been a moderately successful "Riser Raiser" campaign put on by the theatre the last couple of years to enable these improvements, and rumor has it that that time has about come.
I really enjoy attending shows here. The five star rating is based upon the quality of this type of production setting. If you wish to see twenty foot tall giraffes in The Lion King, or Peter Pan fly 50 feet across a stage, you won't find that here. But if you get the chance, I strongly suggest you at least try one evening here. read more