MEMPHIS THEATER REVIEWS

The directing/choreographic team of Jordan Nichols and Travis Bradley are back again to deliver the highest quality show one could ever imagine-professional or not. The sheer man hours that have gone into producing this mammoth production are clear at every turn....

A couple of months ago, newly elected Memphis Mayor Paul Young, in partnership with the African American Mayors Association, announced the launch of the Black Mayor’s Coalition on Crime which is an initiative to “harness the collective power of black mayors across the nation to fight crime.”...

The recent college campus protests in America seem to have surprised and bewildered a lot of people around the world. Why do privileged students who can afford a college education risk being expelled or jailed over a conflict in Gaza? Graduations are currently being cancelled, people are being arres...

What’s up with all these therapists’ offices masquerading as beauty parlors? Women walk into these places as broken shells of themselves and often walk out feeling on top of the world. Sure, they get their hair and/or nails done, but they get so much more than just that. They’re renewed....

For opera lovers around the world, Maria Callas was a gigantic figure well known for her unusual and daring performances. She was a singer who ruled the classical musical world for a large part of the 20th century and left an indelible mark with her talent and her larger-than-life personality....

I'll start my review by saying Wicked is my favorite musical of all time. I have seen it 10 times now, all in different cities, and each time left the theatre with tears in my eyes and my heart feeling a little lighter. This is the greatest example of how magical theatre can be, in my opinion. And m...

What did our critic think of POTUS at Circuit Playhouse? As with any comedy, and farce particularly, timing is everything and it takes about half of Act I before the cast finds their rhythm and ensures the audience is keeping up with them. It’s a lot all at once. ...

What did our critic think of YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN at Circuit Playhouse? On its surface, it’s difficult to articulate just how such simply drawn characters with simply framed personalities have endured for so long. Perhaps that’s the secret to Schulz’s “Peanuts Sauce”-simplicity...

What did our critic think of MRS. DOUBTFIRE at Orpheum Theatre Memphis?...

What did our critic think of BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Theatre Memphis? According to Executive Producer Debbie Litch, Theatre Memphis is in the midst of its most successful season since being founded in 1920! Can you even fathom what that means? It means more people are lining up to see ...

What did our critic think of LES MISERABLES at Orpheum Theatre Memphis? This will be the 10th time Les Miserables captivates Memphis audiences at the Orpheum Theatre and it is no less stunning than the previous performances. Based on the 1862 French novel of the same name by Victor Hugo, Les Miserab...

What did our critic think of A RAISIN IN THE SUN at Theatre Memphis? The fuel for the human spirit seems to be propelled by two things: Dreams and Faith. They sound like the same thing, but there’s a distinct difference. One is about seeing, and the other is about believing. Some people have faith...

What did our critic think of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY at Playhouse On The Square?...

What did our critic think of THE LEHMAN TRILOGY at Circuit Playhouse?...

Company returns to the Orpheum stage but it's likely not the show you remember! A 1970 muscial with music and lyrics by the late great Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth, Company has been transformed since its revival, which is what Memphis audiences are witnessing this week. ...

What did our critic think of BRIGHTSTONE HOLIDAY CONCERT at Liberty Hall The Factory At Franklin?...

You likely learned the rhyme in history in school. Divorced-Beheaded-Died-Divorced-Beheaded-Survived. Everyone knows who King Henry VIII is because of his six wives. Most of us can name each of his wives but have no idea who was wife to King Henry VII. For me, a prominent Tudor history geek, it was ...

What did our critic think of SILENT SKY at Theatre Memphis? Can anything make a person feel more insignificant than to look up to the heavens to try and count the stars? How many are up there? What makes them shine? Just how far away are they anyway? So many questions. Perhaps the only feeling more ...

What better way to celebrate Halloween than sitting in the audience of BEETLEJUICE The Musical?! The hilarious new musical opened in Memphis on Halloween, and runs until November the 5th! In other words, you don't have many more chances to catch this creepy old guy... and the rest of this phenomenal...

What did our critic think of BLITHE SPIRIT at Theatre Memphis? Perhaps it’s self-evident, but the ability to communicate with the dead would appear to be, in a word, “challenging.” Having never personally attended a séance, the ingredients necessary to summon a ghost would seem to require eno...

Whenever we prepare to see an older musical, there is a fear that it will be outdated and difficult to watch.  Funny Girl has no such problems, as the message of self acceptance still stands up well today. It is the story of a Jewish girl's rise to fame, despite her homely looks, doing everything...

What did our critic think of FAT HAM at Circuit Playhouse?...

The word crucible is not a term often used in everyday language. In fact, it seems to only be used when referencing Arthur Miller’s classic 1953 play, THE CRUCIBLE. But, for those not familiar with the story itself, the term means “a severe test.”...

What did our critic think of THE PROM at Playhouse On The Square? Trying to find a vehicle to infuse comic relief into a story about bigotry and homophobia is no small task, so the creators chose to bring in the least self-aware thespians to save the day for the most self-aware lesbian....

What did our critic think of SISTER ACT at Theatre Memphis? For those of an older generation, did you ever look back at sitcoms from the 1970’s and wish they were set to music? Did you ever wish Fred Sanford (from “Sanford and Son”) or Squiggy (from “Laverne and Shirley) broke out into song ...