MUSIC THEATER REVIEWS

@danielnolen writes about seeing Rina Sawayama's final show of her Dynasty tour....

I arrive at the Beacon Theater early enough to peruse the merch line, and after attempting--and failing--to bribe the woman icily manning the VIP table into letting me purchase an exclusive gig poster, I take my seat and wait for the show to begin. ...

A summer night couldn’t be more propitious: an amphitheatre sitting loftily atop rugged Antipolo terrains adorned with humongous homalomenas, philodendrons, and alocasias growing uninterruptedly, a buzzing crowd of guests gushing over the museum’s Castillan-influenced architecture jutting into t...

BWW writer and podcaster @danielnolen visited Radio City for Lorde's sold-out show and wrote all about it!...

It's Good Friday, and I am attending Aimee Mann's opening night at City Winery. It's the first of four shows she will be playing over the weekend in New York City, which is the first stop on her US tour to promote her new album, Queens of the Summer Hotel. Read our critic's review. ...

Earlier this spring, Broadway Records released ASSASSINS (The 2022 Off-Broadway Cast Recording), giving fans of Stephen Sondheim our third English language commercially released recording of this brilliant score. Closed early because of Omicron, Broadway Records preserved this cast's wonderfully nua...

Frankie Valli introduced his ninth song at Dr. Phillips Center on Sunday night as one of his all-time favorites: a 1964 B-side called 'Silence Is Golden.' He might have taken the title a little too much to heart. It's a golden oldie for sure, and Valli sounded great... impossibly great for an 87-yea...

An OG, indeed. She is voulez-vous coucher's iconic 'moi,' the phenom who gave us 'New Attitude' but is every bit as famous for her own attitude - the diva who in 2019 famously lamented all of Top 40's 'little heifers who can't sing' and here tonight in Orlando was calling her own high heels 'heifers...

It's not every day that Audra McDonald stands twenty feet in front of you and says, 'Tonight, we are all a part of history.' Then again, it's not every day that music history gets made in Orlando - real-deal, textbook-worthy history - so when it does happen, I reckon Audra McDonald is as eager to be...

When Jennifer Hudson sang 'I Will Always Love You' at Dr. Phillips Center on Saturday night, harkening back to her legendary performance of the same at the 54th Grammys, she braced for the 'And I' but, overwhelmed, went with a 'SIR! The way you played that HORN!' instead......

I am always happy when a recording artist thinks outside the box when it comes to planning their holiday concerts. Let’s face it, there is only so many times you can hear the same five carols that everyone seems to perform....

Grammy-nominated baritone Stephen Powell demonstrates that this can be accomplished in the classical genre...

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but truly getting to know the heart, soul, and essence of a music legend is the ultimate honor. For Oscar-and Grammy-winning actress, Jennifer Hudson, portraying the one and only Aretha Franklin was a serious and cherished commitment. In her...

Legendary icon, Barbra Streisand, recently announced that her new album, Release Me 2, will be available on Friday, August 6th. Streisand's first Release Me album debuted in September 2012, and contained tracks recorded between her 1967 Simply Streisand and 2011 What Matters Most albums. Featuring a...

It begins with the mezzo-soprano, the wonderful Elizabeth Campbell....

Broadway favorite, Alex Boniello, most recently seen on stage in the Tony Award-winning Dear Evan Hansen, just released his debut EP, titled “Hi,” written during his last few months of the musical. With COVID-19 changing the state of our world and the theater community, this catalog is extremely...

Tony and Grammy Award winner, Leslie Odom Jr., who originated the role of Aaron Burr in Broadway’s Hamilton, recently released his new holiday album, The Christmas Album, which also features the legendary Cynthia Erivo and Nicolette Robinson, as well as The Walls Group and Michea Walls....

Ross Ainslie is one of Scotland's most beloved musicians....

The word legendary can be used loosely, but as Brian Ganz demonstrates in a tribute concert to his long-time teacher and world-famous pianist Leon Fleisher, in this case not only is the description deserving but can be applied in many different spheres....

Last week Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) and Iowa Public Broadcasting Service started the 2020 Virtual Opera season with a stunning airing of 'Manon.' The decision to go virtual this season was due to the continuing COVID crisis. They continue their summer season this week with their 2018 production ...

Adam Wachter's original musical, Tarrytown, offers a contemporary twist to an iconic story, based on Washington Irving's 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and features the astonishing voices of Jeremy Jordan, Andy Mientus, and Krysta Rodriguez. This trio is pure magic and their voices make this legend...

Quint mesmerizes the audience with his virtuoso performance....

There are certain artists whose names immediately fall in the 'legend' category and Diana Ross is one of them. Though no proof is needed, she is even a Kennedy Center Honoree, Grammy Award Winner, Tony Award Winner, and Oscar and Golden Globe Nominee. Her career spans over 50 years and dates back to...

As a reviewer you hear lots of advance hype about a particular show or performer before having your own experience. Much of the time the hype doesn't live up to the end product. Selling over 90 million recordings opera singer Andrea Bocelli was definitely one of those performers who I had heard a lo...

Grand Rapids Symphony presents 'Broadway Showstoppers - WEST SIDE STORY to WICKED', the second of six shows in the 2020/2019 Pops Series presented by Fox Motors. The goal of the over all series is to 'Bring back memories and create new ones with a mix of popular entertainers and musical favorites.' ...