CHARLOTTE THEATER REVIEWS

Opera Carolina has put a lot of trendy fun into its new take on Verdi's MACBETH, a bit over-the-top at times in applying 'Game of Throne' style - but never off-target...

With a fine mix of veterans and rising stars among its suspects, Theatre Charlotte's AND THEN THERE WAS NONE keeps us one step behind a maniacal killer....

Not the most vicious satire you will ever see, Christian Spuck's LEONCE AND LENA is certainly among the zaniest, teeming with delightful eccentrics, anti-balletic antics, and shtick....

Charlotte Symphony continued its skein all-Russian concerts with somewhat diminished returns as they failed to conquer Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain for the third time in the last 10 years, but with Christopher James Lee wielding the baton with more controlled fury, they slayed with Stravinsky...

While his fixed-set concept is too confining and his Van Helsing isn't on her best form, Tony Wright's new COUNTESS DRACULA is plenty of fun at its best, smoking with feline sharpness, sexuality, and grace....

With the iconic song 'A Whole New World', Aladdin certainly delivered 'the magic' of Disney that took the audience on a mind-blowing journey of 'toe tappin' dance performances and tickled our imagination to believe that we too could embark on a fairy-tale infused 'magic carpet ride'. ...

Like its title, CYRANO is a shortened adaptation of Edmond Rostand's 'Cyrano de Bergerac.' Presented outdoors at the Winthrop Amphitheater, the Shakespeare Carolina production is an engaging intro to this classic - if you can comfortably plow through the distractions of a wayward sound system....

There aren't many plays for pre-schoolers that boast the right pace and sustain their attention, Children's Theatre's new adaptation of A SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE hits the sweet spot, quietly modeling friendship and kindness....

Outdoor Shakespeare is back in Charlotte with a fine Actor's Theatre production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Master access, bring a beverage, and get a good sightline - NOT in the middle - for the dreamiest experience....

GBS is often decried for his didacticism, but in SAINT JOAN, he allowed the story to carry him away from his usual soapbox. With some judicious pruning and an infusion of lively swordplay, Free Reign Theatre has made this masterwork even more agreeable and accessible....

The 2019 National Black Theatre Festival has ended with memories of grandeur and spectacular stage plays. Here is my review of the productions I attended....

When the stars come out…there is magic in the air.  That's exactly how the opening day of the National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF) in Winston-Salem felt…majestic and magical.  As the originators and attendees declare…”This Is Holy Ground!”   The NBTF is “taking over” the city of ...

Although nuVOICES 5 was all about women playwrights, the staged readings in the revived Actor's Theatre of Charlotte festival at Queens University featured plenty of diversity - and plenty of onstage and tech talent....

You might think SHOW BOAT is impossibly quaint and politically incorrect. Well, it is, but an excellent CPCC Summer Theatre cast keeps the ol' boat afloat on 'Ol' Man River.'...

Israeli filmmaker/director Amos Gitai has crafted a multimedia piece that hurls accusations at his countrymen - most fiercely in Hebrew rather than Arabic. It's a powerful indictment, even if it is a bit one-sided and inflammatory....

Getting over the seedy scenery and the pre-recorded orchestra, I found Theatre Charlotte's THE PRODUCERS more politically incorrect - and nearly as enjoyable - as the previous three times I've seen this Mel Brooks romp....

Charlotte Ballet's SPRING WORKS, with a surprise cameo from the Merce Cunningham centennial, is another varied and provocative display by the Queen City's preeminent performing arts troupe...

Well-aware of the Peter Shaffer implications of programming MOZART'S REQUIEM with a Salieri symphony, Charlotte Symphony flipped the script, revealing a happy-go-lucky Salieri and a fearsome Mozart....

Although Tchaikovsky's SLEEPING BEAUTY suite was the headliner, Charlotte Symphony and guest conductor Joseph Young were far more convincing in American fare by Aaron Copland and Michael Daugherty....

The BNS production of JITNEY was quite a treat in late 2017, but this season's August Wilson offering, TWO TRAINS RUNNING, is even richer and more refined....

No amazing synthesis or revelation emerges in Charlotte Ballet's audacious SHAKESPEARE REINVENTED collaboration with UNC Charlotte, but the evening bristles with excitement and electricity, probably because the two imaginative choreographers didn't allow their academic partners to get inside their h...

Joseph Robinette's adaptation of Jean Shepherd's beloved Yuletide story doesn't make all the right moves, but A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL will still warm your holiday spirit if you're patient with it....

Two wives grapple with the prospect of meeting their common old flame in Noel Coward's FALLEN ANGELS, a situation that played out very differently in 1925 than it does today....

THE DAFFODIL GIRLS, Jeff Swearingen's makeover of 'Glengarry Glen Ross,' transformed David Mamet's real estate shark tank into a Girl Scout Cookie drive. Now in a further mutation, Three Bone Theatre successfully produces this children's theatre hit with an all-adult cast....

Charlotte Symphony's celebration of Italy with music by Berio, Berlioz, Paganini, and Mendelssohn's ITALIAN SYMPHONY actually peaked with Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1, thanks to the spectacular virtuosity of Sergej Krylov....