Jeremy Bustin - Page 4

The Richmond Triangle Players' production of Larry Kramer's THE NORMAL HEART is not the most polished audiences have seen, but it is one of the most important and heartrending pieces of theatre the company has produced in recent years. While the story may be more compelling to those who lived through the AIDS crisis, it's imperative for millennials to visit this monumental time in LGBTQ history.

Teeming with emotionally-charged and nuanced performances, and led by Tony-award winning actress Trezana Beverley, Virginia Rep's RAISIN is a tour de force not to be missed. Audiences can see the Broadway-caliber masterwork through March 11 at Virginia Rep's November Theatre.

Head on over to Hanover Tavern to see one of the smartest, funniest and, surprisingly, most charming plays of the year. Wrapped in twists, MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET features a powerhouse cast-delivering some of their best dramatic and comedic work.

NETworks Presentations' production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved classic, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, is nearly pitch perfect thanks to brilliant, refreshing new direction from Jack O'Brien, and standout performances by several cast members. Playing through Sunday at the Altria Theatre in Richmond, the cross-generational THE SOUND OF MUSIC is not to be missed.

Everyone's favorite Nanny has landed, with 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' magic in tow, at Virginia Repertory Theatre. Based on the 1934 P.L. Travers series and subsequent Disney film, the Tony-nominated MARY POPPINS has been extended through January 7 at the November Theatre due to popular demand.

The critically-acclaimed new musical from Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, FREAKY FRIDAY opens Friday at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts.

Virginia Repertory Theatre's production of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is first-rate entertainment that will keep audiences smiling through the final curtain. I loved it.

FUN HOME looks and sounds great, and has many, many moments of brilliance.

The images are haunting. Their stories are heartbreaking. Prior to the Pulse nightclub tragedy, it was the most deadly attack against the LGBT community. The arson at the UpStairs Lounge in the French Quarter of New Orleans is at the center of Richmond Triangle Players' entertaining and moving season opener, THE VIEW UPSTAIRS.

Under the imaginative hand of Adam Ferguson, The Basement is transformed into a 360-degree Wonderland. Serving as the director, scenic designer and props master, Ferguson displays the kind of vision and talent that take years to hone.

Virginia Repertory Theatre's intimate space at the Hanover Tavern is the perfect venue for Hugh Leonard's Drama Circle and Tony Award-winning play, DA. Set in Ireland in the 1960s, the production is equal parts memory play and Irish comedy.

The Hampton Roads theatre scene is bursting with talent, and some of it is on display in Peninsula Community Theatre's enjoyable production of RAGTIME. The production follows three distinct societal classes in New York at the turn of the 20th century. Exploring themes of racism, anti-Semitism, anti-immigrant bias and radicalism, RAGTIME is just as relevant to today's America as with the stories featured in PCT's production.

For two nights only, the 'Farewell Tour' of MAMMA MIA brings the beloved jukebox musical back to Richmond. The Altria Theater is the second to last stop on the 10-month 'final' American tour for this crowd-pleasing production.

NEXT TO NORMAL is an emotional roller coaster that's unlike anything in the Broadway archives. It's an important story and the kind of powerful theatre that changes people to the core. The Williamsburg Players' production is not to be missed. It runs through July 16 at the James York Playhouse.

Not since Virginia Repertory Theatre's acclaimed staging of Spring Awakening has there been so much teen angst on one stage in Richmond. Like the aforementioned production, the young, spry cast of TheatreLAB's and Firehouse Theatre's Heathers: The Musical brings tenacity, rockin' vocals and an abundance of snark to Richmond audiences.

IN THE HEIGHTS is a universal story of life, hope and new beginnings; and with this pitch-perfect, dynamic production that transcends generational and cultural boundaries, Virginia Repertory Theatre breaks new ground. IN THE HEIGHTS is on stage at the November Theatre now through July 30.

IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU isn't smart and doesn't have a lot of artistic merit, but it's thoroughly entertaining and offers the kind of trivial comedy audiences need right now. The production runs through July 1 at the Robert B. Moss Theatre.

Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, KINKY BOOTS runs at the Altria Theater through Sunday, June 4.

The Jewish Family Theatre encore presentation of Joshua Harmon's sharp and penetrating comedy, BAD JEWS, runs at the Weinstein Jewish Community Center through May 14.

'Things just aren't nice anymore.' People have different coping mechanisms for grief, a message that is profoundly on display in Cadence Theatre's production of David Lindsay Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama RABBIT HOLE. The show runs through May 20 at Virginia Repertory Theatre.