Theater Thursday - Guilia: The Poison Queen of Palmero

We received complimentary tickets to Guilia: The Poison Queen of Palmero for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Guilia: The Poison Queen of Palmero

Where: Pereleman Performing Arts Center

              PAC NYC

              251 Fulton St.

              New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 16 and Up

When: Through August 2, 2026

Guilia: The Poison Queen of Palermo is a new musical inspired by the true story of Giulia Tofana, a woman who allegedly set up a ring supplying poison to women who wanted to murder their abusive or inconvenient spouses. The show was written by Jennifer Nettles, who also stars as Giulia. Originally known as half of the country duo Sugarland, she has since proven to be quite the multi-hyphenate, having acted in numerous projects in addition to performing and writing music. Her portrayal of Giulia somehow manages to be both extremely fierce and touchingly tenderhearted.

The show is full of lively music and dancing. Although the songs don't necessarily stick in your head, they are quite enjoyable. Standouts include the electrifying opening number, "Welcome to Palmero," which immediately pulls you fully into the story, the wistfully tender ballad of regret, "Next Time," and the slyly amusing "I Always Get What I Want". The latter is sung by the marvelous Didi Romero, who provides much-needed comic relief in her delightful turn as the spoiled Duchessa.  Naomi Serrano is also particularly good as Gulia's daughter, Vitoria. Her eyes speak volumes, and her outer core of sweetness and innocence belies a hidden inner strength. Although, on the whole, the performances are good.

The set is deceptively simple. It seems like just a bunch of doors, but you never know what is going to lie behind or within those doors. The costumes are beautiful, and each gown is craftily adorned with the picture of a poisonous flower. 

The show is surprisingly relatable to today, with women's rights seemingly always at issue. There are definitely aspects of the story that may not always be easy to take. However, this is also what makes it so relevant and important. 

And that's our view. For more about Guilia: The Poison Queen of Palmero or to purchase tickets, visit pacnyc.org/whats-on/giulia

Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.

Photo credits:

All Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palmero production photos by Andy Henderson

Images used in this post were sent by publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission.  Any Concerns regarding image usage can be addressed here.

Where-To-Go-Wednesday - New York Botanical Gardens

What: New York Botanical Gardens 

Where: 2900 Dr. Theodore Kazimiroff Blvd.

             Bronx Park, NY

Who: All ages

A nice thing to do on a sunny day is to spend a little time immersing yourself in nature by visiting a botanical garden. New York City has several of these. The largest and arguably most popular of these is located in the Bronx. This 250-acre garden is also a renowned botanical research and education institution.

The centerpiece of the gardens is the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, one of the largest glasshouses in the United States, which is not only a showplace for a rotating array of flowers and plants but also serves as a research center.  Another installation is the museum, which has no permanent exhibits but rather houses a variety of exhibits relating to the garden's current main exhibit. Permanent botanical displays within the gardens include the Perennial Garden and the Native Plant Garden. Yearly exhibits include the Spring Orchid Show and the Winter Holiday Train Show.  There are also changing temporary exhibits. In recent years, these have included an exhibit incorporating the work of the artist Yayoi Kusama and an Alice in Wonderland-related exhibit. We covered both of these in previous posts, and we will continue to cover future exhibits at the New York Botanical Gardens when we can.

And that's our view. For more about the New York Botanical Garden, visit www.nybg.org.

All pictures used in this post are our own.  Any concerns regarding image usage can be addressed here.

Tips for Tuesday - Books: The Missing Mother of Rose Cottage & 100 Years of Laughter: American Comedy in the Twentieth Century

We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Books: The Missing Mother of Rose Cottage 

                                     & 

          100 Years of Laughter: American Comedy in the Twentieth Century

Today we are recommending The Missing Mother of Rose Cottage by Cathy Hayward. Joanne was always told that her mother died in childbirth, but when she is pregnant with her own child, she is given a box of her old baby clothes, and mixed in with them she finds a picture of herself as a baby in her mother's arms. She realizes she's been lied to and becomes determined to find out what really happened to her mother. 

There's not much of a mystery in this book as it becomes pretty clear fairly early on what is going on. Nevertheless, it is still both extremely engrossing and quite poignant. Joane's mother's journey is extremely heartbreaking, and having half the book written from her point of view only makes it more so. 

The book juxtaposes how women were treated during and after childbirth in the past with the way they are treated now. Although this is an extreme case, it makes you wonder what our own mothers and grandmothers (or perhaps great-grandmothers for some of us) went through. The book may be triggering for anyone who has suffered a pregnancy loss, had a particularly difficult birthing experience, and/or an extreme case of postpartum depression. Otherwise, we highly recommend this book as a reminder to be grateful to our mothers because even though things have definitely gotten better, that doesn't mean it's always easy.

Today, we recommend 100 Years of Laughter: American Comedy in the Twentieth Century by Gary Berman. This book traces the history of comedy in the United States decade by decade from the golden age of Vaudeville in the 1940s through the heydey of stand-up comics and sitcoms on television in the 1990s. Numerous performers are discussed along the way, as well as plenty of radio shows, movies, and TV shows. There are also special essays on things like the old pie-in-the-face routine, comedy teams, breaking the fourth wall in comedy, and more. If you are a fan of American comedy and you are interested in a comprehensive look at its history, you are definitely going to want to add this book to your collection. 

And that's our view. The Missing Mother of Rose Cottage was published last Wednesday, July 15. 100 Years of Laughter: American Comedy in the Twentieth Century will be published this Thursday, July 23. 

Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.

All pictures used in this post are our own.  Any concerns regarding image usage can be addressed here.