DES MOINES THEATER REVIEWS

Have you ever taken the time to look back at the people who have influenced your life? What has those influences taught us? They teach us what to do and what not to do. Pyramid Theatre's production of "How I Learned What I Learned," which opened on June 8, ask us to do just that. But they ask in ...

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...

As the theatre season starts coming to an end, I find myself reflecting on the amazing stories I have been able to see told on stage and the amazing theatre companies that are telling these stories. Going into the summer, there are a few theatre companies who tend to tell their stories exclusively d...

Coming into downtown Des Moines on June 3, I saw a parade of students in black heading towards the heart of downtown. Where were these students going? They were heading to the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines for the Iowa High School Musical Theatre Awards Showcase. An event that brings talented s...

Growing up, I was fascinated with space. I loved looking up and learning about the stars. I still find myself occasionally looking up at the beauty of the stars. Watching Lauren Gunderson's 'Silent Sky' at the Des Moines Playhouse, reminded me of that fascination I had as a kid. The show did that by...

The season finale for the Des Moines Symphony is always a bittersweet concert. Going into it, there is the joy of seeing the amount of time some of the symphony members have been involved, which this year included a musician celebrating their 50th season. It was also heartwarming seeing Maestro Jose...

Over the last 5 years, Des Moines Symphony and Des Moines Performing Arts have come together to present a concert with one of Broadway's brightest stars. It has become a yearly tradition for me as well. Some of the past concerts have included Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Kristin Chenoweth, and Les...

When Iowa Stage puts on a production, you can expect a few things going into the show, a strong production with some of the best actors in Des Moines, and a show that challenge the way you may think. The 2013 Pulitzer Prize winner 'Disgraced' by Ayad Akhtar is no different as it looks at issues such...

As I start my 5th month of reviewing Des Moines Theatre, I can't help but think about how each theatre brings its own unique voice to Des Moines and the surrounding areas. With as many voices as there are, there are still more stories that can be told. A few months ago, I started hearing about a new...

The Second City is a premiere improv troupe from Chicago, and they are back in Des Moines for an all-new show. 'It's Not You, it's Me.-The Second City' opened on April 30 at The Temple Theatre as part of the Prairie Meadows Temple Comedy Series. I had the opportunity to go to the May 1 performance a...

Another school year may be coming to an end, but school is just starting at Des Moines Performing Arts as “School of Rock: The Musical” opened up April 30 for a limited 1 week engagement as part of the Willis Broadway Series. This production is not to be missed, especially if you are wanting to ...

Risk is something that is important for theatre. If theatres never took risks, they never would be able to grow, or know what their audience is comfortable seeing. Ankeny Community Theatre is taking risks with their Studio series. For the final show of their 2018-2019 studio series, the presented 'P...

It is always a jubilant evening when I get to see the Des Moines Symphony, and their most recent concert was no different. I had the pleasure of attending the Saturday evening performance of 'Simon Sings Porgy and Bess' and was treated to an evening of stunning music. One thing I appreciate about th...

Are you looking for an enchanting evening out with your family? Look no farther than the Kate Goldman's Theatre production of 'Ella Enchanted.' I was fortunate enough to be able to take my friend's 5-year-old daughter to see the show, and the show didn't just enchant her, but it enchanted me as well...

One of the things I love about theatre is how it asks us to look at societal norms and challenge them. One of the ways theatre does that is by the people we see onstage. What we don't see is the people behind the stage. When you look behind the scenes, it is sad to see how few women there are desi...

If your theatre doesn't have a home base, it can be difficult to find places to perform your shows. Sometimes it means finding a new place to perform. This can be both challenging and exciting at the same time. Now imagine a theatre that does this for every show. That would be Open Door Rep. They fi...

Hello Des Moines! It's time to put on your Sunday clothes because Hello, Dolly!' is here for one week only at the Civic Center as part of the Des Moines Performing Arts and Willis Broadway Series. If you don't have tickets yet to this show, get one before 'Hello, Dolly!' leaves Des Moines. This prod...

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to see Ankeny Community Theatre's sizzling production of Cole Porter's "Kiss Me, Kate." Ankeny has done a great job getting the word out about this production. The tickets are hot and sold out for both the performance I was at on Saturday as well the matinee o...

Love hurts, and for some couples, that's the point. Over the course of 30 years, the lives of Kayleen and Doug intersect at the most bizarre intervals, leading the two childhood friends to compare scars and the physical calamities that keep drawing them together....

Most of the people who read this article will know what Iowa Nice is if they heard it, but I would wager that most of those same people who not know what Gander Nice is. This is going to change soon as 'Come From Away,' by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, is coming to Des Moines as part of Des Moines P...

Have you ever found looking at your significant other and wondering to yourself, 'What is going on in that mind of yours'? Have you found yourself saying 'If my significant other just knew this about me then things would make life easier'? If you have found yourself saying yes to either of those q...

After a few months of seeing the white and snow-covered ground, I think everyone is ready to have some color brought back into life. While we may be getting to that time of year outside where we start seeing color again, inside at Des Moines Playhouse, you can see a show that is 'Live and in Living ...

This last weekend, I had the joy of taking a trip to Cherry Tree Lane to see Newton Community Theatre's production of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's 'Mary Poppins. It's always fun to take a trip to a theatre that I have never been to before to see how the take and mold a show together. While this p...

Now while this is a new production, it is the same script and songs that people enjoyed with the show before. The music was fun, and for the most part the script was as well. Act 1 still has moments that slow the show down, but the pacing in this production was much better than the original producti...