Channing Gray
Providence Journal
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Past articles by Channing:
Philharmonic review: Orchestra shines in romantic program
It was a little late in coming, but on Saturday night the Rhode Island Philharmonic granted Valentine’s Day wishes for local music lovers with a → Read More
Theater review: PPAC’s ’Fiddler on the Roof’ speaks directly to the heart
The creative team that put together the “Fiddler on the Roof“ revival that pulled into the Providence Performing Arts Center on Tuesday night understood one very important thing: If you’re going to dust off a 50-year-old chestnut and take it on the road, it’s got to be tight and fresh.And that is so true about this show that looks like a painting and plays down the schmaltz to speak directly to… → Read More
Trinity Rep stages an epic production of 'Radio Golf'
There’s a lot on the plate when playwrights take a look at the state of the nation, at the divisiveness, the bigotry and the bigger picture that affects us all, being true to the core of our being. And no one had his finger more on the American experience than the late August Wilson, albeit through the lens of black America. Wilson devoted much of his creative energies to a 10-play cycle that… → Read More
Theater review: PPAC's quirky and bittersweet 'The Band's Visit' a charming musical
The show is about a police band from Egypt invited to play in Israel. But a mixup at the ticket counter leaves the men stranded in a small town where the musicians spend the night with the townsfolk, share a meal and talk of love and loss. → Read More
At PPAC, 'Jersey Boys' has the staying power of a Frankie Valli high note
The third time might just be the charm for the perpetual tour of "Jersey Boys," the smash musical about the life and times of Frankie Valli and his Four Seasons as they rocketed from small-time hoods to troubled superstars. → Read More
Theater review: 'Little Shop of Horrors' gets a quirky stamp from Trinity Rep
Trinity Rep has come a long way when it comes to having a musical presence in its lineup, a long way indeed from the days when impressive voices were few and far between. Because for the next month the theater is staging a “Little Shop of Horrors” that’s a joy to behold.It’s a production that looks great, with Audrey Two plant puppets that could star on Broadway. It also covers all the vocal… → Read More
Theater review: Cast, story make Trinity Rep's 'Song of Summer' a true gem
Lauren Yee’s “The Song of Summer,” now making its debut at Trinity Rep, is all about young love and hometown roots. It’s a sweet 90 minutes of theater that could have taken its inspiration from a Hallmark card.But in the end, it has a lot to say about what matters in life. And it says it with heart, without cliches and sugarcoating.True, it ends on an upbeat note, but with more a coda full of… → Read More
Music review: R.I. Philharmonic delivers Viennese delights
PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Philharmonic continues its season of stand-ins as it gets ready to install its new conductor, Bramwell Tovey. And Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, the orchestra found itself a keeper, a young Canadian by the name of Tania Miller, whose conducting was fresh and inquisitive and kept the audience's interest at every turn.There wasn’t a weak link in this… → Read More
Art Review: At Newport's Redwood Library, Colonial-era clocks in a class by themselves
The 35 clocks that line the walls of the Redwood's main gallery are the work of the Claggett clan, who helped put Newport on the map as a mecca for the decorative arts. → Read More
R.I. Philharmonic names Bramwell Tovey new conductor
The Rhode Island Philharmonic has picked Grammy-winning conductor, composer and pianist Bramwell Tovey to lead the 74-year-old symphony orchestra. → Read More
Art Review: At RISD Museum, notions of freedom on full display
Theme is represented in paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings and photographs. → Read More
Theater review: A lot to like about Gamm's final production in Pawtucket
The Gamm Theatre has come up with the perfect play to bid a sweet adieu to its home of 15 seasons in a Pawtucket garage, a rollicking “As You Like It” that’s full of tumbling, pratfalls and more quirky, comic touches that you can wrap your head around.It’s hard to image the Gamm picking anything other than Shakespeare to wrap things up in Pawtucket before heading off to the defunct Ocean State… → Read More
Art Review: Three Providence exhibits cover lots of territory
Shows at Chazan Gallery, Providence Art Club have distinctly different styles. → Read More
Theater review: 'Phantom of the Opera' sequel an overblown tearjerker
The musical, “Love Never Dies,” playing this week at the Providence Performing Arts Center, finds Christine of the golden voice once again in the clutches of the Phantom, but this time in a Coney Island crawling with Fellini-like freaks. → Read More
Trinity creates 'perfect...potent night of theater' with 'Death of a Salesman'
PROVIDENCE - The simple truth is Trinity Rep’s “Death of a Salesman” is one of the best things a theater that has produced a slew of winners has ever staged.It’s going to take a long time to recover from the devastating blow this production delivers, a show with company members we have known and loved for years who tap emotions we never knew they had.The final moments of this Pulitzer… → Read More
Music review: R.I. Philharmonic conductor Rachleff exits on an off note
Larry Rachleff's final concert was marred by a poor choice of material, Richard Strauss' bloated, bombastic "Alpine Symphony." → Read More
Music review: R.I. Philharmonic does justice to Beethoven's sumptuous 'Eroica'
In one of the orchestra's best outings of the season, conductor Larry Rachleff led the Philharmonic in a stunning rendition of the composer's Third Symphony, rounded out by pieces by Messiaen and Poulenc. → Read More
Theater Review: Searing performances in Trinity Rep's 'The Mountaintop'
Katori Hall’s play finds humor and tragedy in the last hours of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. → Read More
Theater review: 'American Buffalo' crackles with worthy performances
PAWTUCKET, R.I. — I seem to recall that 1990s Michael Corrente film of “American Buffalo,” shot on the streets of Pawtucket, was → Read More
Boston Symphony to premiere Brown University composer's score
The full orchestra will premiere Eric Nathan's “the space of a door” under the baton of acclaimed music director Andris Nelsons, who came across some of Nathan’s scores and asked him to write something for full orchestra. → Read More