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Herbert Paine

Herbert Paine

Herb Paine ~ Herb has served as Senior Contributing Editor and lead theatre critic for BWW's Phoenix Metro Region since 2014. He was acclaimed as BEST THEATRE CRITIC by PHOENIX magazine (2022 BEST OF THE VALLEY).

He is President of Paine Consulting Services, now in its thirty-sixth year of operation, specializing in organizational development, strategic planning, turnaround management, mergers, and governance. In addition to his work with corporations and government, he is a nationally recognized expert on all aspects of nonprofit organization management and has consulted extensively with arts and cultural organizations on strategic positioning, branding, and audience development. 

His provocative social and political commentaries were a regular feature on KJZZ/91.5 FM, NPR’s Phoenix affiliate. These days, Herb offers his perspectives on a variety of issues at IN THE CENTER LANE WITH HERB PAINE | Substack ~ https://herbpaine.substack.com. .

Herb is an avid fan of theatre, both on and off stage. His most recent acting credits include roles as Sgt. Jeff Pugliese in the National Geographic Channel’s April 2014 docudrama "Inside the Hunt for the Boston Bombers;" the King of France/Chaudron the forger/Ser Piero, DaVinci's father in Theater Works' "Finding Mona Lisa;" Inspector LeStrade in Fountain Hills Theater’s "Sherlock’s Last Case;" and Berry Bernard in the short film "Living Will." 






MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

Review: THE MEMORY OF WATER at Theatre Artists Studio
Review: THE MEMORY OF WATER at Theatre Artists Studio
May 5, 2025

Despite earnest efforts and glimpses of talent, this production of Shelagh Stephenson's THE MEMORY OF WATER failed to honor the quiet depth of the playwright's work.

Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Stray Cat Theatre
Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Stray Cat Theatre
May 5, 2025

Despite some flaws, this LITTLE SHOP, directed by Ron May, is a wild, weird, dark ride.

Review: FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: THE NEXT GENERATION at The Phoenix Theatre Company
Review: FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: THE NEXT GENERATION at The Phoenix Theatre Company
April 26, 2025

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: THE NEXT GENERATION isn’t just a parody—it’s a full-on roast of the Great White Way, served up hot and fast with a piano and four performers who can belt, mug, and mimic with razor precision. 

Review: BOB & JEAN: A LOVE STORY at Arizona Theatre Company
Review: BOB & JEAN: A LOVE STORY at Arizona Theatre Company
April 21, 2025

Arizona Theatre Company has staged a heartfelt and finely wrought production—a love story that resists sentimentality and embraces sincerity. BOB & JEAN may not sweep you off your feet, but it will wrap its arms around you and whisper a reminder of what it means to hold on.

Review: CRIMES OF THE HEART at Order Chaos Theater Company
Review: CRIMES OF THE HEART at Order Chaos Theater Company
April 14, 2025

Order Chaos Theatre Company’s production of Beth Henley's CRIMES OF THE HEART is earnest in its attempt to capture the play’s bruised heart and tangled humor. However, ultimately, it’s a production that, like its characters, yearns for something more — and, at times, almost gets there.

Review: ART at Theatre Artists Studio
Review: ART at Theatre Artists Studio
March 31, 2025

ART is a must-see—not just because it’s brilliant, but because it might just make you rethink every argument you’ve ever had about taste.

Review: LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL at The Black Theatre Troupe
Review: LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL at The Black Theatre Troupe
March 30, 2025

See The Black Theatre Troupe's staging of LADY DAY, not just for the music, not just for the history, but to witness a piece of theater that doesn’t just tell a story—it makes you feel every note of it.

Review: THE RAINMAKER at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre
Review: THE RAINMAKER at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre
March 23, 2025

Don Bluth Front Row Theatre's production of THE RAINMAKER is a heartfelt and intimate production that highlights the story’s enduring themes of self-worth and hope.

Review: PHANTOM at Arizona Broadway Theatre
Review: PHANTOM at Arizona Broadway Theatre
March 10, 2025

By now, the phrase Phantom of the Opera conjures one thing: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s juggernaut, a chandelier-crashing, organ-blasting spectacle that has been haunting Broadway since the Reagan administration. But Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit’s PHANTOM, currently at Arizona Broadway Theatre in Peoria until April 10, is an entirely different beast—lusher, more romantic. It plays like a grand old movie, the kind that knew how to sweep you up in its spell.

Review: THE CLEAN HOUSE at Theatre Artists Studio
Review: THE CLEAN HOUSE at Theatre Artists Studio
March 4, 2025

Theatre Artists Studio's staging of Sarah Ruhl's THE CLEAN HOUSE, captures the playwright's intention of a meditation on how people grapple with grief, love, and their own imperfections.

Review: FETAL at Stray Cat Theatre
Review: FETAL at Stray Cat Theatre
February 24, 2025

Stray Cat Theatre’s production of FETAL is a necessary, gripping, and unforgettable theatrical experience—one that demands not only contemplation but also collective action and solidarity regarding reproductive rights.

Review: BLUES IN THE NIGHT at Arizona Theatre Company
Review: BLUES IN THE NIGHT at Arizona Theatre Company
February 23, 2025

ATC's BLUES IN THE NIGHT: It’s about feeling - pure, raw, and undeniable...if you’re looking to be wrapped up in a night of sensational voices and music that hums in your bones, this is a show to get lost in.

Review: JERSEY BOYS at The Phoenix Theatre Company
Review: JERSEY BOYS at The Phoenix Theatre Company
February 23, 2025

The Phoenix Theatre Company’s production of JERSEY BOYS is a toe-tapping, high-energy joyride through the unforgettable music of The Four Seasons.

Review: FRIDA at Ballet Arizona - A Bold and Breathtaking Portrait of an Artistic Icon
Review: FRIDA at Ballet Arizona - A Bold and Breathtaking Portrait of an Artistic Icon
February 16, 2025

Epic, bold, and elegant in design and execution, Ballet Arizona’s production of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s FRIDA is a sensory feast – impassioned, radiant, and breathtaking.

Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT at ASU Gammage
Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT at ASU Gammage
February 12, 2025

It’s always a risk to transplant a beloved classic film to the stage, particularly when that film is one so thoroughly embedded in its time as SOME LIKE IT HOT. Yet this latest Broadway adaptation, now performing at ASU Gammage until the 16th, with kinetic direction and crowd-pleasing choreography by Casey Nicholaw, not only succeeds in updating the story but breathes new, surprising life into its proceedings.

Review: THE AFRICAN COMPANY PRESENTS RICHARD III at The Black Theatre Troupe
Review: THE AFRICAN COMPANY PRESENTS RICHARD III at The Black Theatre Troupe
February 11, 2025

The Black Theatre Troupe's production of THE AFRICAN COMPANY PRESENTS RICHARD III is a triumph: a vital and illuminating piece of theater that reaffirms the stage as a battleground for justice and representation.






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