Jacksonville Theater Reviews

Review: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at Alhambra Theatre and Dining
by Jordan Higginbotham - August 06, 2023

Fiddler on the Roof premiered at Alhambra Theatre and Dining on August 4th, “ya ba diba diba diba diba diba diba dum!” The musical, which first premiered in 1964, takes place in Anatevka in 1905 just before the Russian Revolution. The musical is beautiful and a great experience for Jacksonville audi...

Review: BEAUTY AND THEY BEAST at Alhambra Theatre And Dining
by Jordan Higginbotham - June 18, 2023

The Alhambra welcomes guests to the summer show Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The musical based on the 1991 film. The audience observes the characters attempt to break the curse by bringing Belle and the Beast together. Audiences will recognize the iconic songs from the 1991 movie, and additional s...

Review: JERSEY BOYS at Alhambra Theatre and Dining
by Jordan Higginbotham - April 29, 2023

“Oh What a Night” at the Alhambra Theatre and Dining for the opening of Jersey Boys on April 28th! I have been to many shows at the Alhambra Theatre and Dining, and I am not sure the last time I saw so many audience members so excited to hear such iconic songs. Jersey Boys follows the creation and d...

Review: MEAN GIRLS at Jacksonville Center For The Performing Arts
by Jordan Higginbotham - April 28, 2023

Cady, the new student who learns that high school is like the jungles of Africa. She “Meets the Plastics” the top of the high school hierarchy, and learns how cruel queen bee, Regina George, is and her friends Janice and Damian create a “Revenge Party” to bring Regina down. We see each characters' g...

Review: ARSENIC AND OLD LACE at Alhambra Theatre And Dining
by Jordan Higginbotham - March 28, 2023

Arsenic and Old Lace opened at Alhambra Theatre and Dining on March 24th! The play was written by Joseph Kesselring and published in 1941 and follows the Brewster family including the responsible Mortimer Brewster, the eclectic Teddy Brewster, and the brother Jonathan Brewster, as well as the seemin...

Review: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Jacksonville Center For The Performing Arts
by Jordan Higginbotham - March 22, 2023

Jesus Christ Superstar opened at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday March 21st. The groundbreaking Andrew Lloyd Webber musical first opened in 1971 and has been rocking theatre since. The musical is roughly based on the Gospel’s accounts of the events leading up the crucifixi...

Review: THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE at Alhambra Theatre And Dining
by Jordan Higginbotham - March 02, 2023

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the second show of the 2023 season at the Alhambra Theatre and Dining, opened on February 10th. The audience observed wonderful storytelling as the actors revealed how “The Chicken Ranch” got its start and was ultimately shut down when it was revealed to be a bro...

Student Blog: Beating the Back to School Blues
by Student Blogger: Noelle Gardiner - February 20, 2023

The first few weeks of the spring semester probably make up my least favorite time of year. You have to battle homesickness, force yourself to wake up early again, get used to a new class schedule, and face the fact that you won’t get another break for the next 3 months—all while it’s freezing cold ...

Review: PRETTY WOMAN at Jacksonville Center For The Performing Arts
by Jordan Higginbotham - February 16, 2023

Pretty Woman is stoppin’ awhile at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts. Pretty Woman is based on the popular 1990 movie of the same name. Jacksonville audiences were completely nostalgic for the musical. Audience members could be heard making comments like “it’s the same dress!” or “look...

Review: ALADDIN at Jacksonville Center For The Performing Arts
by Jordan Higginbotham - January 11, 2023

The audience follows Aladdin on a journey from street rat to Prince Ali of Ababwa. He believes now that he is a prince, Princess Jasmine will fall in love with him (Senzel Ahmady). What he does not understand is she would love him simply for who he was, not because he was a prince. The musical was i...

Review: ELF: THE BROADWAY MUSICAL at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts
by Jordan Higginbotham - December 08, 2022

The musical is a fun time for the whole family!...

Review: GRUMPY OLD MEN at Alhambra Theatre And Dining
by Jordan Higginbotham - August 16, 2022

Grumpy Old Men has opened at the Alhambra Theatre and Dining! The musical based on the 1993 movie follows two (as you guessed it) grumpy old men, John Gustafson and Max Goldman. The two had been feuding for decades, which all started with a woman they both liked. Years later, a new woman comes to to...

Review: THE WIZARD OF OZ at Alhambra Theatre And Dining
by Jordan Higginbotham - June 26, 2022

What did our critic think of THE WIZARD OF OZ at Alhambra Theatre And Dining?The cult classic “Wizard of Oz” opened at the Alhambra Theatre and Dining on Friday night, and if you are looking for a sweet and nostalgic performance to distract you from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, this is t...

BWW Review: 42ND STREET at Alhambra Theatre And Dining
by Jordan Higginbotham - May 14, 2022

“Hear the beat of dancing feet, It’s the song I love the melody of Forty-Second Street.” 42nd Street opened at the Alhambra Theatre and Dining on May 13th. The musical follows the production of a musical called “Pretty Lady.” We observed an extremely talented girl from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Peggy...

BWW Review: BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS at Orange Park Community Theatre
by Jordan Higginbotham - April 04, 2022

Brighton Beach Memoirs began its run at Orange Park Community Theatre on April 1st. Make no mistake, this is no April Fools prank, the cast and crew have put on a lovely performance for Orange Park and the surrounding areas....

BWW Review: ANASTASIA at Times Union Center For The Performing Arts
by Jordan Higginbotham - March 30, 2022

  “Have you heard there’s a rumor in St. Petersburg? Have you heard what they’re saying on the streets?” Anastasia has made its stop in Jacksonville! The musical based on the beloved 1997 movie, follows the story of the two Russian men attempting to pass off a street sweeper as the sole surviving me...

BWW Review: ROCK OF AGES at Alhambra Theatre And Dining
by Jordan Higginbotham - March 26, 2022

It’s “nothin’ but a good time” at Alhambra Theatre and Dining in Jacksonville! Rock of Ages opened at Alhambra Theatre and Dining on March 25th and audiences went wild. The musical follows two aspiring artists making their way in Los Angeles. While we follow the two artists, a rally is going on to p...

BWW Review: CATS at Times Union Center For The Performing Arts
by Jordan Higginbotham - February 23, 2022

Cats opened at Times Union Center for the Performing Arts on February 22nd. Jacksonville audiences were ecstatic to see the 1983 Tony Award winner for Best Musical. The musical follows the story of cats deciding which cat will go to “Heaviside layer”, based on the T.S. Eliot poem “Old Possum’s Book ...

BWW Review: DEAR EVAN HANSEN at Times Union Center For The Performing Arts
by Jordan Higginbotham - January 26, 2022

Dear Jacksonville, this week is going to be a good week. And here’s why because Dear Evan Hansen is stopping here this week! The incredibly heart-wrenching and beautiful show follows the story of Evan Hansen, a senior in high school who struggles with anxiety and can’t seem to “fit in.” Evan wants t...

BWW Review: GUYS AND DOLLS at Alhambra Theatre And Dining
by Jordan Higginbotham - January 16, 2022

'What's happening all over? I'll tell you what's happening all over.' Or at least what's happening at the Alhambra Theatre and Dining. The 55th season has kicked off with the opening of Guys and Dolls!...

BWW Review: COME FROM AWAY at Times Union Center For The Performing Arts
by Jordan Higginbotham - December 08, 2021

When everyone was experiencing devastation on 9/11/2001, the town of Gander in Newfoundland, Canada was accepting passengers from 38 planes full of people who had been detoured from their various destinations. Come From Away tells this true story. The musical follows the five days the “Come From Awa...

BWW Review: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at Times Union Center For The Performing Arts
by Jordan Higginbotham - November 03, 2021

“To us and our good fortune. Be happy, be healthy, long life! And if our good fortune never comes Here’s to whatever comes, Drink l’chaim, to life!” feels very fitting after a long 18-month hiatus due to COVID-19.  Fiddler on the Roof opened at the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts in Jacks...

BWW Review: THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Alhambra Theatre And Dining
by Jordan Higginbotham - August 22, 2021

The Alhambra Theatre and Dining is “alive with The Sound of Music.” The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical follow the von Trapp family in 1938 shortly before the second world war in Austria. A new governess, Maria Rainer comes to the von Trapp family, bringing with her music and joy that has been lacki...

BWW Review: SPONGEBOB THE MUSICAL at Players By The Sea
by Jordan Higginbotham - July 17, 2021

“Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!” Spongebob the Musical opened at Players by the Sea on Friday night, and the crowd went wild. The musical follows Spongebob and the citizens of Bikini Bottom as they prepare for a natural disaster that could wipe out their town. Spongeb...

BWW Review: SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL at Alhambra Theatre and Dining
by Jordan Higginbotham - June 28, 2021

“It’s possible! Anything’s possible!” like being in a full house on opening night at Alhambra Theatre in Jacksonville after a year and a half of the pandemic! My heart was so full to see such happy faces in the theatre as we were entranced by the world that is Seussical the Musical. The fun filled m...