Curtain Up! Where the Stage Meets the Page

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Curtain Up! — your backstage pass to the pulse of the theatre, from Denver’s intimate spaces to the bright lights of Broadway.

I’ve created this site to celebrate the joy, grit, and artistry of live performances — beginning in Denver and stretching to the stages of New York and the vibrant theatres across the country. Each week, you’ll find a rich mix of reviews, reflections, and insider insights that honor not only the productions but also the legacies, talents, and human stories behind them.

The house lights have dimmed. Curtain Up!

🎼 The Overture

This week begins not with spectacle, but with voice. Johnathan Underwood speaks with the kind of candor that reshapes the room, while Laurie Metcalf’s legacy glows quietly in the wings. There’s no grand entrance—just presence, felt and earned. The spotlight flickers—not for drama, but for attention.

🎭 Act One: Local Spotlight

Theatre Three Twelve Makes Its Debut with Sartre’s No Exit

A Curtain Up! Interview with Founder and Director Johnathan Underwood

Denver’s theatre scene isn’t just evolving—it’s emerging with the kind of creative electricity that reminds us why we ever sat in the dark waiting for a story to begin. Enter Theatre Three Twelve, the city’s newest entry, helmed by actor and director Johnathan Underwood. His company debuts with Sartre’s No Exit, a psychological drama that strips its characters—and its audience—bare.

I connected with Johnathan to learn more about the genesis of Theatre Three Twelve and why this particular hellscape felt like the right place to start.

Why start now—and why here?

After returning to Colorado in 2021, Johnathan found himself invigorated by the insurgent spirit of companies like Shifted Lens, Two-Cent Lions, and Give 5 Productions—groups unafraid to stage the rarely produced, the locally written, the unapologetically bold. “Moving back allowed me to witness this renaissance of smaller companies… doing it successfully,” he wrote. “It inspired me to lean into that same urge—to do what scares me a little.”

The result? A company “just as much for the actors and the community, as it was for the patrons.” And more than anything, a philosophy grounded in conviction: “If I build this and nurture it, staying true to who I am… whatever I put out there will be a divine success to me.”

Directing No Exit in 2025—what does it mean now?

No Exit (playing at the Three Leaches Theater, July 16 – July 19) is a play often associated with academic discussion, but Underwood’s lens is visceral. “It’s a classic because it’s so simple on the surface, yet so deliciously layered, ominous, and witty,” he explained. With each rehearsal, the text continues to unlock more questions than answers.

“I actually wanted to keep the show open to interpretation,” he told me. While early concepts explored heightened political subtext, he ultimately gravitated toward a more intimate excavation: “My direction has been more focused on amplifying these very human characters in order to charge our moral compass.”

There’s a sense that the stakes are personal. “If personally made it to our judgment day, what would be our outcome, and would it be deserved?” he asked. “Are these good or bad people—and do we have the right to choose?”

On producing, community, and resilience

“I’ve quickly learned that producing is about being wise with your time and money simultaneously.” But within that storm of spreadsheets and stress, something else emerged: community. “The genuine applause and well wishes from the Denver theatre community and beyond—many offering their services, their time, and just being a shoulder to cry on.” That, he said, “surprised me the most.”

What might linger after the lights go down?

“The last 15 minutes of the show are pretty wild,” Johnathan warned. “I think that finale knocks the wind out of most people unfamiliar with the plot.” But beyond its intensity, there’s a quiet hope embedded in the experience: “I really hope people leaving this show will be reminded to lead with empathy, lead with truth, and always remember the old saying about people who live in glass houses.”

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Johnathan Underwood was born and raised in Memphis, TN, where he honed his passion for storytelling in the gritty yet colorful arts scene of his hometown. With over two decades of theatrical experience ranging from acting to choreography and even ventures into costuming, he has a vast skillset. Since moving back to Denver,  Johnathan has expanded his theatre resume to producer by starting a new theatre company, Theatre Three Twelve. With his Southern-rooted work ethic and fresh Rocky Mountain perspective, Johnathan’s goal is to bring authenticity, versatility, and dedication to every project.

For tickets to No Exit: https://ticketstripe.com/theatrethreetwelve-noexit

 🎭Act Two: National Stage

Laurie Metcalf Returns to Broadway – The Best News I’ve Heard Recently!

There are theatre legends, and then there’s Laurie Metcalf (Think Rosanne, thatLaurie Metcalf)—an actor whose mere presence on stage seems to bend time, breath, and bone. Her return to Broadway this fall in Little Bear Ridge Road, a new play by Samuel D. Hunter, feels less like an announcement and more like a seismic shift. The piece premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, where Metcalf—a founding member of the ensemble—originally brought her role to life. Now, she’s reprising that character at the Booth Theatre in New York, in a production directed by long-time collaborator Joe Mantello. If their past chemistry is any indication, this seventh partnership should be revelatory.

I’ve had the privilege of seeing Metcalf twice before—each time, a masterclass in emotional precision. Her Tony-winning turn in Three Tall Women was so quietly devastating it felt like watching someone excavate memory in real time. And then there was Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a production that ran for only nine performances before Broadway’s 2020 shutdown.

I saw it.  Her Martha was ferocious, funny, and so sharply tuned that I could almost hear the molecules in the Booth Theatre shift. The fact that most people missed it makes this fall’s return even more bittersweet—and thrilling. Metcalf isn’t just coming back to Broadway. She’s coming back to reclaim the stage that shut its doors too soon.

🎭Curtain Call

A Reflection on Laurie Metcalf’s Virginia Woolf

Some theatrical moments flicker like matches. Others burn in the memory. Laurie Metcalf’s Martha in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? falls firmly into the latter—if you were lucky enough to witness it. I was. And it still haunts me.

It was early 2020, and Broadway hadn’t yet gone quiet. Metcalf was deep in rehearsals with Rupert Everett, Patsy Ferran, and Russell Tovey, under Joe Mantello’s direction. The production had begun previews at the Booth Theatre. Then, after just nine performances, the lights went out. The pandemic arrived. And the show never officially opened. No critics. No Tony eligibility. No archival footage to fall back on. Just a collective gasp—and a vanishing.

But I was there before the pause button hit the world. And Laurie Metcalf’s Martha was everything we expected and more: brutal, brittle, magnetic. You could feel the weight of disappointment in the air when producers confirmed it wouldn’t return. Scheduling conflicts, global uncertainty, all understandable. It felt like watching a comet skim the atmosphere—blazing, undeniable, and gone before you could fully name its shape.

Now, she returns to that same stage in Little Bear Ridge Road. It’s a different story, but for those of us who remember what almost was, it’s also an echo. A reminder that theatre doesn’t just disappear. It waits. And sometimes, if we’re lucky, it comes back home.

Curtain down—exit, stage left.