MUSIC THEATER REVIEWS

With the holiday season upon us, we'll soon be hearing endless amounts of carols, songs, and hymns everywhere we go – the grocery store, the mall, the dentist's office, you name it. Thankfully, one of Broadway's best, the Tony award-winning Ms. Idina Menzel, brings us an album of classic holiday t...

Lynda Carter is a performer whose work has defined a generation....

The Grand Rapids Symphony definitely was 'Blessed' last night to have 'Jesus Take The Wheel' as guest song writers from Nashville perform there chart topping hits and tell the stories along with them, turning the ski area into a larger Blue Bird Cafe for the special event. As 'Went Out Last Night', ...

Twenty-five years ago in Grand Rapids, the Van Andel Arena still was on the drawing board. Meijer Gardens had opened just three months earlier, but it would be many years before an outdoor amphitheater would be built as a venue for summer concerts.   At Cannonsburg Ski Area, on a steamy evening in ...

It is no surprise that Scott Bradlee's inspired and wonderfully genre-crossing creation, Postmodern Jukebox---which recently just finished up its third wildly-received appearance at Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa---still garners near sold-out concerts attended by rabid,...

This past week marked the 50th anniversary of the passing of the iconic entertainer Judy Garland. Can you believe she was only 47 when she passed? Think of the body of work she left us in such a short life....

But lest you worry that this isn't the full-fledged Yankovic stage experience, rest assured: you aren't missing out one bit. I've always said a 'Weird Al' show is like a series of music videos brought to life on stage. True to form, nearly each new song in STRINGS ATTACHED brings an elaborate costum...

Over the last few years, the Des Moines Symphony has done an amazing job of starting and growing a pops series. About a year and a half ago, the brought in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: In Concert. It was originally slated for two evening performances and had to be extended to a third pe...

Back in Manila from his two-year stint as Thuy in the UK/Ireland and International tour of 'Miss Saigon,' Gerald Santos is now a certified crossover artist. In his homecoming concert last Saturday, May 4, at the Theatre at Solaire, Santos filled his repertoire with songs from musical theater and fro...

It's not everyday you get rediscovered music, posthumously released music from a musical theater icon, but alas that day has come. "The Jonathan Larson Project" is a new album featuring previously unreleased music from the late composer and playwright. This collection of songs comes from shows that ...

Sometimes a singer just needs a microphone and a killer accompanist to create a fine evening of music. Of course, it helps if the singer's material is good as well. Tony and Emmy Award-winning singer/actress Kristin Chenoweth combined these few simple ingredients, walked out onto the stage of The Mu...

The recording artist/composer/free spirit known as Nellie McKay is not your typical performer to be sure. It's actually hard to even associate her with a particular musical genre because she performed a little bit of everything in her concert at Kennedy Center as part of the Renée Fleming VOICES se...

Phone rings, door chimes, in comes musical modernization! Closing in on 50 years since its Broadway debut, George Furth and Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY returns with a revolutionary new production in the West End. This rendition sees the previously male lead role Bobby now as the female Bobbie, portra...

BWW Review: THE DEAD SOUTH Charms North America and Europe With Bluegrass, Banjo, Guitar and Grit...

Any one of us that has ever seen an animated feature or short produced by the Walt Disney Animation Studios knows that the music is always a big component in making the film a success. Let's face it, aren't you all still singing 'Let it Go' from Frozen even though the film is now five years old? Son...

Last week, Heather Headley released her new album, BROADWAY MY WAY.  This is the latest addition to recorded repertoire for this Grammy and Tony, and it is a welcome one at that. In fact, this is Headley's first solo album that is comprised of songs in the musical theater cannon. Her other albums, ...

The sing-along version of the film 'Bohemian Rhapsody' arrives as a boon to Queen fans nationwide. Whether you're a die-hard follower or a hapless non-singer, the projected lyrics on the big screen make it a difficult invitation to resist....

On the 27th of October, 2018, music enthusiasts gathered in the magnificent Salle Garnier in the Monte-Carlo Casino to enjoy an extraordinary 'Blues Night' with Manu Lanvin, Johnny Gallagher and no one less than legend Buddy Guy. Never before have these three gifted masters shared a stage in Monaco,...

The Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Sydney Youth Orchestra and a stellar cast of performers join to present a wonderful expression of Leonard Bernstein's CANDIDE under the baton of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Artistic and Music Director Brett Weymark and theatrical direction by Mitchell Butel. ...

For anyone who hasn't been to a Santana concert in their lives, do yourself a favor and do so. I've now seen Santana 5 times and each time I've seen Carlos Santana and his crew, they sound better and better. Being from Chicago, all the times I've seen him, I've been there. This time around, since I ...

Get ready for movie night on Broadway! The latest flick to get the Broadway treatment is the 1990 hit rom-com PRETTY WOMAN. The musical is shaping up to be popular at the box office, seems to be the current standout for the 2018-2019 Broadway season so far. It joins the ranks of a bevy of musicals t...

The word legend is tossed around a lot when talking about pop singers. Many times the term is not warranted, but in the case of pop diva superstar Diana Ross the word legend is an understatement....

Nostalgic fans mobbed the San Diego Symphony's Four Tops and Temptations concert. Tables, stands and lawn were packed. Ticketless fans settled in spots outside the entrance, joining boats in the bay in listening to music that had created lasting memories. Tunes you hear growing up never leave you. Y...

It can be tough out there for a jukebox musical. Many have come, few have stayed. Yet, it seems like Broadway can't get enough of them. Recent hits like JERSEY BOYS and BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL are the picture of what a staged jukebox success looks like. They have paved the great white way...

A decade since her last Sydney visit, Celine Dion fans were primed for a fabulous return of the French Canadian singer and Celine Dion ensured that they were treated to an incredible evening of music and stories....