Sam Desmond

With exuberant dramatic tension and ballroom fluidity in blocking, the South Shore Theatre Experience’s production of “And Then There Were None” was filled with tension, retribution, and an impressive number of blood packets.

A musical forged in ambition of set, stage, and stamina, director Tommy Ranieri’s vision of a world only beginning to stand up for their rights was sprawling and spectacular. Unlike other versions of “Newsies,” Rainieri’s production had a maturity that touched the cast’s characters to truly feel they deserved better than the circumstances they were backed into.

Teenaged theater kids of my generation (elder millennial) loved “Rent.” It was youth-culture, it was edgy, and introduced to many of us suburban kids the magic of New York City where gay men, lesbian women, drag queens, and matinee-idol heteros could all be friends and love each other as family.

The John E. Engeman Theater found not only one, but five such super-talented individuals for their retrospective and introspective production of “Ring of Fire,” a musical based on the life of Johnny Cash.

The world of late 1930s Brooklyn is brought to life and elucidated in Theatre Three’s triumphant run of the Neil Simon classic,”Brighton Beach Memoirs.”

The ether of war-torn Britain is all-encompassing in “Alice By Heart,” but director Tony Frangipane’s vision overcomes the Nazi raids to create a personal hell of its own that the young characters escape through a British mainstay—literature.

CAP Syosset had their opening night for this winter’s production of “Annie” on Saturday, January 3 and it was a standout version of the classic rags-to-riches musical with a strong, bonded cast.

With the magical notion of having a real ice skating rink on a dramatic stage, the Holiday Spectacular on Ice at the Gateway in Bellport creates wonder in the audience from inception and delivers well beyond expectations in person.

For some holiday cheer, “Annie” at the Smithtown Performing Arts is the Christmas production to bring families that spirit of generosity and can-do attitude for December.

In the perennially winter tale of “Anastasia,” a musical about the young Russian woman with claims to be being the lone survivor of the royal Romanov family’s massacre, The Lighthouse Repertory captured the magic and warmth of a Christmas-time story while creating great dramatic tension.

In the world of Dickens, the reader is for the long-haul of human emotions, and Theatre Three’s 41st annual production has perfected conveying that panoply of passions in the classic, “A Christmas Carol.”

A perennial, heart-warming tale of personal and societal triumph, the Argyle Theatre’s opening night of “Annie” was a celebratory reminder of why we should never give up on our dreams, even if they look a little different when they come true.

Ray Bradbury’s prescient, Cold War classic, “Fahrenheit 451” was brought to the stage at Bay Street Theater with even more urgency and relevance to our increasingly curated, aesthetic, and good vibes based lives in 2025.

Parents looking to introduce their children to the world of theater patronage should look no further than “Boo! The Musical Adventure” playing at the Bayway Arts Center in East Islip on Saturday and Sunday, November 1 and 2 at 11 am.

As in-depth, thrilling, and heart-breaking as Carole King’s legendary album, Tapestry, Cultural Performing Arts Center Syosset’s production of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” was a full ride of the human emotions that was embodied in the songs that defined American music for a generation.

What did our critic think of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET at Cultural Arts Playhouse Merrick? Superb acting skills bring the depravity of Sweeney Todd's London