HOUSTON THEATER REVIEWS

On May 10th, I had the joy of seeing Mildred's Umbrella's latest production, Elizabeth A.M. Keel's TOOTH AND TAIL. Even though the show's short run is now over, I wanted to share my thoughts about TOOTH AND TAIL to shine a light on Keel's work as well as the artistry that every person involved with...

Dirt Dogs’ current incarnation of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is the finest work they have done in over eight years at the MATCH, and it is easily among the best things running this year in Houston theater. This show is cast immaculately, technical design nears flawless, and direction is tight and wrough...

Do you ever watch a film and think about what you do in the conflict? Does your concept of that conflict change? How would you react if you were in Thano's snap or your father said you couldn't interact with the human world because you live underwater? Now add those ideas and mix them with thoughts ...

SEX AND THE CITY certainly owes quite a bit to the source material for this play. Main Street Theater’s production of this work is adapted by Julie Kramer, and pushes THE BEST OF EVERYTHING into a satirical statement on the world then contrasted with the world now....

The play is performed by four actresses who portray both school girls and their nun teachers over a span of seven years in the 60s at a Catholic school. It aspires to be a simultaneously funny and heartbreaking look at what it means to lose your innocence, your faith, and your youthful optimism abou...

Honestly, I did not know what to expect when I was walking into the Alley Theatre for SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE JERSEY LILY; I have never been a person who goes out of their way to engage in tales of mystery. However, when this show ended, I was still on my toes and itching for more!...

I felt incredibly lucky to be the recipient of the very last ticket available for the Sunday, April 23rd performance of Robert Harling's STEEL MAGNOLIAS, produced by The Garden Theatre. I was very excited to see this production, and once I saw the heartwarming tale and the exquisite production, I un...

It’s a tale not told often enough about a Jewish woman who helped to decode the building blocks of life itself. It is even more poignant when we look across the scientific field and see how women are still marginalized and not given the same voices that men often take....

Walking into Stages for the first time, I was not sure what I was getting myself into. All of a sudden, Denise Fennell sprinted onto the stage in a huge wedding dress and asked the big question present in the show's title: 'Does this dress make me look married?' The wonderful rollercoaster of THE BR...

We all have heard or maybe used the inappropriate phrase 'dumb blonde.' However, the musicalization of challenging this notion in Legally Blonde the Musical, currently in performances at TUTS, challenges our use of the expression with a heartwarming and uplifting tale of breaking the glass ceiling....

This is easily one of Main Street Theater’s strongest offerings this year, and it is a show that is well-thought through and exquisitely paced. Sophia Watt achieves near nirvana balancing acting with design and execution in her direction. THE OLDEST BOY is about as perfect as you can manage to get...

Immigration. The word that has been much on the lips of everyone in the last years. On both sides of the political aisle, this topic has created laws that have impacted many. An expert production at 4th Wall reveals the real-world ramifications of this legislation in Martyna Majok's Sanctuary City.�...

Do you ever feel anxious at work? Tired? Maybe you are stressed because your home life is chaotic. Now add the pressure that you are formerly incarcerated, and your boss (who was also in prison) consistently uses this fact against you. On top of which, your work is making sandwiches at a busy truck ...

There is a short, tight list of Houston actors who could do a show about their life and have it mean anything more than a vanity project, but she is at the top of that register. There is something about Mary Hooper that Houston loves, and if you are lucky enough to catch this one woman show called T...

What did our critic think of COWBOY BOB at ALLEY THEATRE? Despite any narrative difficulties, COWBOY BOB is still something to see. It’s a celebration of what a daring musical should feel like. It asks tough questions, it presents us with gorgeous ballads, and it shows off truly Texan stage design...

Walking into one of the small, black box theater spaces at MATCH, all I knew was that I was about to watch a brand-new sketch musical about Drs. Percy Hinks and Adelaide Hibble attempt to discover a formula that reveals 'the mysterious love code'. I was not ready for the chaos that was about to ensu...

As much as I admire the art of ballet, I have never seen a new, professional ballet performance, one that no one else has seen before. To say I was excited to be in the audience for the opening night of the world premiere of Houston Ballet's SUMMER AND SMOKE is an understatement, and it was everythi...

That Dirt Dogs would choose MISERY for their “season of love” makes perfect sense. As a company they have made a name for themselves by creating plays fueled by testosterone laden energy and provocative rough language. There is an intensity and violence that suggests MISERY would be a perfect pr...

Whoa! The literal words audience members exclaim after witnessing the powerful performances that are currently happening in Roe at STAGES. Houston’s prolific theater, brings Lisa Loomer’s play not only an important time but also does so with some of our city’s brilliant actors. ...

Every Brilliant Thing at AD Players, a one-man show that finished at the George Theater, can only be summed up in one phrase, freaking brilliant. Orlando Arriaga, one of Houston's very own master actors, proves his extraordinary acting prowess in this play and does so with equal parts joy and humili...

I made sure that I managed my expectations when attending MOULIN ROUGE!: THE MUSICAL because the stage production could not be as visually exciting as the original film, right? Wrong. As soon as the show began, I was instantly transported into the beautiful world of the Moulin Rouge. The spectacle l...

ROMEO AND JULIET…the classic love story of star-crossed lovers. To say that our culture is saturated with this tale is a fact that no one can deny. However, knowing the talent of the Houston Ballet, I was intrigued to see this legend translated to dance. As I watched the production, I quickly real...

I could only imagine what a magic show would consist of... perhaps a few white rabbits, a deck of cards, and a fabulous dancer that gets cut in half. I went to the show with all these images in my mind, but due to a lack of experience, I ultimately had no expectations. To say that CHAMPIONS OF MAGIC...

I remember the day when I first saw the cover for “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan. I would soon consume that book in a matter of days. When I heard that THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL was being produced in Houston, I knew I had to go, and the show proved to be everything th...

You won’t find a more technically stunning or well acted show in Houston right now. There is a lot to recommend EDDIE GOES TO POETRY CITY, but with one caveat. It will seem presentational and all stylistic performance rather than anything linear or narrative. If you love abstract or absurd theater...