Sonja Niles

Delightful family fare and theatrical perfection!

What did our critic think of BEETLEJUICE at Washington Pavilion? Shows like BEETLEJUICE, touring the country and showing at the Washington Pavilion’s Mary Sommervold Hall this week are a visual spectacle of lighting and scene design genius. As the show opens the effects that draw us into this wacky tale on the subject of “death” are mesmerizing and sometimes hypnotic in the way that our eye is drawn into the scene

DWU Theatre is seeking actors for the Fall Production of 'Hedda Gabler' by Henrik Ibsen.

The Premiere Playhouse production of Grease checks off a lot of the boxes of what a great night at the theatre is all about. The band, led by Music Director Matthew Walicke provided a tight sound for this talented cast to rely on by setting a great pace and maintaining a good flow to this production. They facilitated seamless scene changes with their reprises and added a nice level of energy to the production.  

The 2023 - 2024 Season for the LIVE On Stage Concert Series was announced to a Sioux Falls audience at the Thursday, April 27th concert of DIVAS 3 at the Washington Pavilion's Mary Sommervold Hall.

What did our critic think of RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA at The Premiere Playhouse?

What did our critic think of DEAR EVAN HANSEN at Washington Pavilion? The touring production of DEAR EVAN HANSEN opened on Thursday, April 18th in the Mary Sommervold Hall at the Washington Pavilion with the preshow sounds of social media alerts and a visual array of platforms streaming via projections on a stage with 25 foot panels that also moved throughout the show to create the scenes of this complicated, emotional story of a young man caught up in a heartbreaking lie.

Delightful, dazzling touring production!

Brookings High School Theatre Program is BRILLIANT in the production of QUEENS.

What did our critic think of TOOTSIE at Washington Pavilion?

What did our critic think of ON YOUR FEET! at Washington Pavilion?

What did our critic think of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at The Premiere Playhouse?

LEGALLY BLONDE - THE MUSICAL is an adaptation of the cult classic movie of 2001 and is jam-packed with energy and at the very least, will be a great way to spend a couple of hours on a cold night in November in Sioux Falls. At its deepest levels, it will give you reasons to reflect on themes that are all too often humanly common, but presented most enjoyably in a campy production in the Washington Pavilion Performance Series.

The touring company BUDDY - THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY is flush with musical talent. Every performer is an actor and a musician. We are introduced to a 19 year old Buddy Holly and his bandmates/friends as they start to introduce their 'own kind of music' which happens to be rock and roll, on a country radio station program in Lubbock, Texas. Therein lies the first big conflict of the Buddy Holly Story to overcome.

Sioux Falls audiences have a rare opportunity to experience the sheer magnitude of the 'WOW Factor' this weekend with a touring production of THE BOOK OF MORMON at the Washington Pavilion. Every detail from a beautiful and super-efficient functioning set design, to some magical lighting designs and special effects of this production are some of the best this reviewer has seen in any Broadway touring company production.

It was a pleasure to hear the pure excitement and energy in Sam McLellan's voice as I spoke with him by phone today. The cast and crew are just rolling into Sioux Falls to bring THE BOOK OF MORMON to the audiences at the Washington Pavilion, and Sam took a few minutes to visit with me. Sam is a graduate of University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point and does have a little experience with the missionary life, in that he spent 15 years of his life in Mexico with his missionary parents ( they're not Mormon though). I wondered how that experience might inform his performance as Elder Price in this production, but he indicated that it really informs his performance only in that it informs his own person and character in real life. He indicated having an awareness and respect for the work of missionaries in their attempts to educate and inform people who may be somewhat resistant to the message of the mission. So, that sounds like a job in 'sales' to me, and I know from whence I speak.

THE BOOK OF MORMON is back in Sioux Falls by popular demand. After playing an 8 show run in 2017, on October 21-23 they will play another limited engagement at the Washington Pavilion.

The Premiere Playhouse production of Mel Brook's YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN has a talented cast of actors that bring together a mostly delightful evening of theatre. The set design is well executed and shifts from the various locales of the story with ease. The colors and textures of the scenery were nicely painted and crafted to create the creepy castle atmosphere and laboratory.

ANNIE JR. at The Premiere Playhouse is a production in conjunction with The Penguin Project, an initiative that started in Peoria, Illinois as a way to empower children with special needs through theatre. The artists involved with Annie Jr. in Friday evening's production were partnered with a mentor performer and the results of their efforts were glorious.

Most of the fun in seeing a new Broadway musical is in anticipating the experience with no preconceived notions of how it will be produced. ANASTASIA at the Washington Pavilion certainly gave Sioux Falls audiences an opportunity to be surprised and delighted.