Kevin Shaw

For opera lovers around the world, Maria Callas was a gigantic figure well known for her unusual and daring performances. She was a singer who ruled the classical musical world for a large part of the 20th century and left an indelible mark with her talent and her larger-than-life personality.

What did our critic think of POTUS at Circuit Playhouse? As with any comedy, and farce particularly, timing is everything and it takes about half of Act I before the cast finds their rhythm and ensures the audience is keeping up with them. It’s a lot all at once.

What did our critic think of YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN at Circuit Playhouse? On its surface, it’s difficult to articulate just how such simply drawn characters with simply framed personalities have endured for so long. Perhaps that’s the secret to Schulz’s “Peanuts Sauce”-simplicity.

What did our critic think of BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Theatre Memphis? According to Executive Producer Debbie Litch, Theatre Memphis is in the midst of its most successful season since being founded in 1920! Can you even fathom what that means? It means more people are lining up to see what TM has to offer than ever before.

What did our critic think of A RAISIN IN THE SUN at Theatre Memphis? The fuel for the human spirit seems to be propelled by two things: Dreams and Faith. They sound like the same thing, but there’s a distinct difference. One is about seeing, and the other is about believing. Some people have faith without any dreams and others have the dreams without any faith.

What did our critic think of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY at Playhouse On The Square?

What did our critic think of THE LEHMAN TRILOGY at Circuit Playhouse?

What did our critic think of SILENT SKY at Theatre Memphis? Can anything make a person feel more insignificant than to look up to the heavens to try and count the stars? How many are up there? What makes them shine? Just how far away are they anyway? So many questions. Perhaps the only feeling more insignificant than being a man asking these “big” questions, is being a woman told she’s not allowed to even ask them. Henrietta Leavitt was a real woman living in America at the turn of the 20th century who sought to, not only ask, but answer the questions of what is truly “out there,” not only in this universe, but beyond. She is credited with discovering Cepheid variables (a type of star that pulsates radially). Her life as an astronomer at a time when women weren’t encouraged to venture far from home, let alone to the cosmos, is on display currently in SILENT SKY at Theatre Memphis. Under the direction of Ceclia Wingate, Levitt’s world of wonder spins (figuratively and literally) in a lyrical fashion that supersedes the understanding of most mortals while still pulsating amongst the stardust. In a word, it shimmers.

What did our critic think of BLITHE SPIRIT at Theatre Memphis? Perhaps it’s self-evident, but the ability to communicate with the dead would appear to be, in a word, “challenging.” Having never personally attended a séance, the ingredients necessary to summon a ghost would seem to require enormous skill, persistence, and focus.

What did our critic think of FAT HAM at Circuit Playhouse?

The word crucible is not a term often used in everyday language. In fact, it seems to only be used when referencing Arthur Miller’s classic 1953 play, THE CRUCIBLE. But, for those not familiar with the story itself, the term means “a severe test.”

What did our critic think of THE PROM at Playhouse On The Square? Trying to find a vehicle to infuse comic relief into a story about bigotry and homophobia is no small task, so the creators chose to bring in the least self-aware thespians to save the day for the most self-aware lesbian.

What did our critic think of SISTER ACT at Theatre Memphis? For those of an older generation, did you ever look back at sitcoms from the 1970’s and wish they were set to music? Did you ever wish Fred Sanford (from “Sanford and Son”) or Squiggy (from “Laverne and Shirley) broke out into song to better share their deeper wants and desires?

What did our critic think of MARY POPPINS at Theatre Memphis? MARY POPPINS didn’t open this past weekend at Theatre Memphis. In fact, DISNEY’S MARY POPPINS didn’t open this past weekend. Nope. What opened to cheers and much hoopla was DISNEY AND CAMERON MACKINTOSH’S MARY POPPINS. Yep.

What did our critic think of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at Theatre Memphis?

What did our critic think of GUYS AND DOLLS at Theatre Memphis?

What did our critic think of SOMETHING ROTTEN! at Playhouse On The Square? Do you love Shakespeare? Do you love musicals? Do you love both? Well, if you've answered 'yes' to any of these questions, SOMETHING ROTTEN! at Playhouse on the Square now through September 18, 2022, might be just for you. Opening on Broadway back in 2015, this musical romp was nominated for 10 Tony Awards and ran for close to two years. Cleverly, not only does it embrace the lovers of Shakespeare and musicals, but it also validates those who hate either genre (or both) as it bemoans the difficulty of the Shakespearean language and/or the ridiculousness of performers randomly breaking out into song or dance at a moment's notice. SOMETHING ROTTEN! is a love poem/song/dance to theatre lovers (haters) everywhere. The story, set in 1595, involves the Bottom Brothers (Nick and Nigel) trying to compete with the 'Rock Star' playwright of the time (William Shakespeare) by creating something fresh and new. They summon a soothsayer (Nostradamus) to tell them what the next big thing in theatre will be-he foresees something called a 'musical' and away they go. The premise that musicals were invented to compete with Shakespeare is a fun idea, but it's a concept that wears thin the longer it plays out. Under the lofty direction and choreography of Whitney Branan, Playhouse on the Square's production is appropriately silly and entertaining, but due to some miscasting and technical choices, still falls short of being all that it could be.

What did our critic think of Ragtime at Theatre Memphis? RAGTIME is a gargantuan production. It's epic in scope and expectations. Any community theatre attempting to find a way to match the scale and scope of Broadway or a national tour is in dangerous waters.

After 100 years of producing musicals, comedies and dramas, Theatre Memphis has (like any other theatre lucky enough to be around this long) produced its fair share of 'clunkers' and 'classics.' Some of them were 'classics' which turned out to be 'clunkers,' but many of them, as of late, have turned out to be 'classics' that have been made to feel fresh and relatable (which is no small feat). Most community theatres across America pull out well-known titles as they rely more on the title of the show to fill the seats rather than on the actual people pulling the show together.

Theatre Memphis’ newest production (CICADA) which opened this past weekend and runs through April 16th explores the difference between a memory and a ghost and what it means to be haunted by both. Memories, like ghosts, are just manifestations (internal versus external) of the people in our lives (often family) who shaped, loved, and inspired us. Or they’re recollections (real or imagined) of kinfolk who sometimes shamed, tormented, and frightened us. Perhaps they’re both. There’s an argument to be made (generally speaking) when people utter the phrase, “Family is forever,” it’s supposed to be a good thing, but what if it’s not? What if your family offers nothing but a long lineage of misery and pain? What to do? Where to go?