DES MOINES THEATER REVIEWS

It’s that time of year again, when everyone gets into the spooky season for Halloween.  Some people like to go to scary or suspenseful movies, but what if you could experience this live as part of your Halloween plans.  Carousel Theatre of Indianola is giving their audiences that opportunity wit...

While we've been stuck at home for the last year, Des Moines Playhouse has been working behind the scenes on something brand new. They have been chosen as part of the American Association of Community Theatre AACT New Play Festival. This opportunity has allowed them to produce the world premiere of ...

When the national tour of 'Anastasia' closed on March 1 at Des Moines Performing Arts, no one could have imagined it would be 19 months before another national tour of a Broadway show would hit the stage again at the Civic Center. 19 months. Who would have thought an intermission could last that lon...

If you've been sitting alone in your house this last year, it's time to head over to Des Moines Playhouse to hear the music play. On September 10, they opened up their first production since 2019, where they opened their full house for tickets. While you may think this would be a place to put a ligh...

It's been over a year since Carousel has been over a year since Carousel Theatre of Indianola has been able to welcome an audience. While Covid may have put live performances on hold, Carousel has adjusted and tried new things during the pandemic. Last fall, they held a Cabaret of musical theatre fa...

In college while studying theatre, I was introduced to a new world, the world of children's theatre. While many shows in that world are based on well-known stories, once and a while you would see a play that tackled a topic that might be difficult to talk about, and present it on stage in a kid frie...

One of the hardest parts of the last year with Covid was watching theatre after theatre canceling or postponing their summer shows and season. One of those theatres was Urbandale Community Theatre (UCT), who had announced a big summer production of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.' Th...

Every once in a while, a show comes along that takes you completely by surprise. For me, this recently happened with Des Moines Metro Opera's one-night-only performance of FELLOW TRAVELERS at Hoyt Sherman Place....

If hotels rooms could tell stories, what stories might they tell? Would they be stories of love or heartbreak, or something completely different? If you've ever thought of those questions, or are looking for a fun, entertaining night of theatre, then Des Moines Playhouse's production of 'Plaza Suite...

Des Moines Playhouse has found itself adapting to the current climate throughout the pandemic and is continuing to produce live theatre. Last summer, they offered a drive-in theatre. Throughout the year, they have provided live indoor productions to smaller houses and streams of their shows. This...

Pink, voguing, drag, stiletto heels, opera, seeing that list, you may feel that opera seems out of place, but you couldn't be more wrong. On July 10, Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) took all those and melded them together as they opened the company's premiere production of 'Platée.' While many compan...

While fireworks may have been going off outside on July 3, Des the Des Moines Metro Opera continued their grand opening weekend after a year with no live opera. The celebration inside was for the opening of their second production of the summer, Tchaikovsky's THE QUEEN OF SPADES, with a libretto b...

On June 27th, 2019, Des Moines Metro Opera announced its 2020 season to the public but what captured my attention was a barber's chair dimly lit by a window above it. There is only one show that this could have been, Stephen Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD. I had seen the recording of the original product...

On March 14, when I was sitting at Des Moines Playhouse watching their production of 'Singin' in the Rain,' I had no idea what was about to come. Iowa had just had its first case of Covid19 just a few short weeks prior. That evening an email came out that the production was being postponed. What c...

What is an agitator? The New Oxford American Dictionary describes an agitator as a person who urges others to protest or rebel. In today's heated political climate, we see agitators on both sides of the aisle, some agitating for good and others not. Iowa Stage's production of 'The Agitators' by Ma...

Children can tell some of the most creative stories. They aren't afraid to let whatever is in their imagination come to life. As we get older, we tend to let go of the imaginative stories we tell and focus more on the reality of what is currently going on in our lives. Des Moines playhouse opened...

When Des Moines Playhouse closed their production of 'Singin' in the Rain' last year, no one could have imagined what would follow. A year without a musical performance on the stage. This meant that the big productions they had planned for Summer, Fall, and Winter had to be canceled. That changed ...

Throughout the history of theatre, the art form has adapted to its current times. In 2020 it was forced to adapt again due to Covid 19. Each theatre company has found its own unique way to adapt. This last summer, Iowa Stage did a one-night reading of a play called 'The Cake,' performed at Des Mo...

Over the last year, there have been things we've all missed. I especially miss taking my friend's now seven-year-old daughter to see a children's show. Through the Playhouse's Friday Funday program, she was introduced to theatre, so I was excited to take her to a production at Kate Goldman's Childr...

You have a voice. You have a story. The life experiences you have, continue to add to your story. As your story continues, how often do you take the time to hear another person's story? How often do you take the time to listen to a person's story who is a different race than you? On Thursday, Fe...

Sometimes, one of the hardest things we can do take the time to reflect. Taking that time to reminisce can sometimes lead to a fresh perspective for us. A few nights ago, one of my theatre friends Mariah Kerns took the time to reflect on the last year. She shared on Facebook, regarding her and he...

This has been a strange year. It started with so many theatrical opportunities in the Des Moines area. Unfortunately that all changed on March 14 when theatres across the state started closing their current shows early and having to cancel the rest of their seasons due to Covid 19. This has led to f...

It’s that time of year again, a time when we gather at our local theatres to see our favorite stories come to life on the stage. While Covid may have impacted if and how we attend productions, Des Moines Playhouse is allowing us to see a show either in person or virtually with their holiday famil...

One of the surprising parts of this pandemic is that we have been able to take the time to step back and think about what impacts our lives. Sometimes it may be a person, other times it may be an event or show that we attend. Not being able to sit in a theatre the last few months has allowed me to...

Theatre takes us on a journey each time we see a show. Sometimes that journey is comical like “Weekend Comedy” which opened last weekend at the is currently running every other weekend. Other times it takes us on an emotional journey, like in “You and I” by Lauren Gunderson, which opened at ...