BOSTON THEATER REVIEWS

The idea behind this show - which is pretty much a guaranteed hit wherever it has been produced - is to condense many of Shakespeare's masterworks into a two hour orgy of down to earth humor and outright fun. Opening with ROMEO AND JULIET and closing with HAMLET the trio led us on a merry chase th...

Electricity courses through Ogunquit Playhouse's stunning production of BILLY ELLIOT, continuing through July 26 at 'America's foremost summer theatre.'...

When it comes to works by Stephen Sondheim, the music is everything, and the Berkshire Theatre Group does not let us down....

Jessica Stone directs a classic comedy with some of her own twists as the Williamstown Theatre Festival opens its 2014 season....

In celebration of its 25 years on Broadway, Cameron Mackintosh brought forth a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA for a North American Tour, now in its Boston premiere at the ornate Boston Opera House. Directed by Laurence Connor, with choreography by Scott Ambler, impr...

PATTERN OF LIFE asks a lot of questions and challenges the audience to search for their own answers. In this play about life and death, McGough exposes a situation that most of us have not thought about very much and asks us to put ourselves in the other person's sandals. Director Bridget O'Leary an...

Good music stands the test of time and the Gloucester Stage Company celebrates its 35th Anniversary Season by revisiting one of their most requested productions. JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS still shows a lot of life more than 45 years since its off-Broadway debut. A quartet of...

Huntington Playwriting Fellow Lydia Diamond delves into uncharted territory in her provocative new comedy having its world premiere at the Huntington Theatre Company under the direction of Artistic Director Peter DuBois. She introduces four incredibly smart Ivy Leaguers who dare to budge the boundar...

For this classic musical, Barrington Stage went big - and it pays off in a rollicking, ribald KISS ME, KATE with top notch singing, dancing, and saging. Cole Porter's musical gets a great cast that does his music proud, while not mining the genius of Bella and Samuel Spewack's book for every possib...

This week is Pride Week in Boston and what better way to support and celebrate than with a festival of plays and theatrical pieces that feature appropriate and relevant themes. Sleeping Weazel's Doubles, Demons, and Dreamers spans two weekends, each of which has its own lineup of a solo performance ...

They don't make 'em like this anymore, so book your passage to Reagle Music Theatre in Waltham for an enchanted evening at SOUTH PACIFIC. Director David Hugo returns and sets the bar high with topnotch performances from Katie Clark, Peter S. Adams, and an ensemble of enlisted men and women who know ...

Bridge Repertory Theater of Boston concludes its first season with Johnna Adams' timely play about the aftermath of a traumatic school event. Noted Boston actor Karen MacDonald directs Olivia D'Ambrosio and Deb Martin in two stunning, emotional performances, challenging the audience to choose sides...

This is the story of Dorothy Thompson, an American journalist and radio broadcaster during WWII who was known to some as the "First Lady of American Journalism". In Cassandra Speaks at the Nora Theatre Company at the Central Square Theater, we see her the morning of her third wedding, as she struggl...

Original choreography, clever comic bits, and a strong supporting cast add spark to North Shore Music Theatre's ANYTHING GOES, Cole Porter's fizzy screwball shipboard romance that finds itself somewhat at sea while trying to stay afloat in the round....

Tom Waits tunes and Teller magic create a haunting and ethereal mood for THE TEMPEST at American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass., but despite its brilliant execution, this inventive and entertaining adaptation doesn't quite deliver the perfect storm....

A wild ride from start to finish, THE OTHER PLACE gives Marg Helgenberger a juicy role for her return to the stage....

Hershey Felder returns to ArtsEmerson for his third solo musical theater piece after charming and enlightening local audiences with GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE and MAESTRO: LEONARD BERNSTEIN in recent years. This time he departs from staging the lives of genius composers to delve into the tragic death of...

THE SECRET GARDEN needs a good dose of Miracle-Gro to overcome a lack of vitality. A beautiful, lush score is weighed down by the sluggishness of the tale and static direction. The company has the vocals to do justice to the music and several performers shine, but this garden has a dearth of color....

The Boston Theater Critics' Association hosted the 32nd anniversary presentation of the Elliot Norton Awards last night at the Wheelock Family Theatre. Barely before people were in their seats, the tap dancing ensemble of Stoneham Theatre's THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, led by Ephie Aardema, shuffled, b...

All hell breaks loose in CARRIE THE MUSICAL at SpeakEasy Stage Company thanks to a match made in heaven between The Boston Conservatory's rising junior Elizabeth Erardi and local diva Kerry A. Dowling as the tormented teen and her fanatical mother. Directed by Paul Melone with Musical Direction by...

Feminist fantasy about three time-traveling Victorian-era women who set out to explore 'Terra Incognita' is playwright Eric Overmyer's paean to language and the art of the spoken word. His craftsmanship as a writer is on display in ON THE VERGE, but the quartet of accomplished, committed actors aren...

America's Orchestra opened its 129th spring season with Keith Lockhart conducting and Jason Alexander as special guest artist. Best known as Seinfeld's best buddy George Costanza, the Tony Award-winning Alexander is a consummate showman and offered a celebration of Broadway music to complement the P...

The Reduced Shakespeare Company finally tackles the subject of comedy, condensing the complete history (abridged) into a concise two-hour package that doesn't miss a trick. From cavemen to clowns, shtick to Stooges, and Seinfeld to the Supreme Court, there's something for everyone in the myriad ske...

Who says arts and academia cannot work hand in hand? Isn't theatre one of the best ways to reach large groups of people and enact change? So why not teach lessons about issues of science and environmental awareness within a theatrical piece?...

GOOD TELEVISION proves that live theater makes everything better, even reality television. First time playwright Rod McLachlan creates complex characters and focuses on their diverse motivations in this authentic take at Zeitgeist Stage Company. Artistic Director David J. Miller seamlessly directs a...