MEMPHIS THEATER REVIEWS

Make this make sense: take a handful of successful Swedish pop songs from the 1970s, hand them to a British creative team to build a stage musical set on a Greek island, give it a commonly used Italian exclamation (“Mamma Mia!”), and watch it become an American phenomenon....

What did our critic think of THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Orpheum Theatre Memphis?...

The city of Memphis is 63% African American. The nation’s first Black newspaper began here under the leadership of Ida B. Wells. The 1968 Sanitation Workers’ Strike brought Martin Luther King Jr. to this city, leading to his assassination and dramatically accelerating the national civil rights m...

What did our critic think of JAGGED LITTLE PILL at Playhouse On The Square?...

Memphis may be expecting a snowstorm but The Outsiders: A New Musical is heating things up at the Orpheum! ...

'For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.' It's a classic tale, one that has been told hundreds of thousands of times and one that theatre kids everywhere know well. But you likely have not seen Romeo and Juliet quite like this. The costumes are vibrant, the choreography ...

If you are a fan of Nicholas Sparks's novel The Notebook or the 2004 film of the same title (starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, you do not want to miss this production. It is a beautiful love story of endurance and hope even amidst the constant trials....

Musicals about historical events are nothing new. From 1776 to EVITA to HAMILTON, such stories can be enlightening and inspirational. They highlight significant historical moments that many may not have known or appreciated....

Over the past decade, the theatrical landscape in Memphis has changed dramatically. While it remains a remarkably vibrant artistic community for its size, the highest-quality talent and productions seem to have abandoned Midtown entirely, setting up shop exclusively in East Memphis....

'I suppose it's like the ticking crocodile, isn't it? Time is chasing after all of us.' One of my favorite quotes from Peter Pan and it fits so well with this particular story. Kimberly Akimbo teaches a unique lesson about time and aging. ...

From 1918 to the mid-1930s, African American artists in the United States experienced a cultural blossoming known as the Harlem Renaissance-a period in which theatre, music and literature were created by (and often for) Black Americans....

What did our critic think of RUMORS at Theatre Memphis? RUMORS is about a group of upper-class New Yorkers (politicians, accountants and lawyers) gathering to celebrate Charley and Myra’s 10th wedding anniversary....

Having never seen the 2003 musical CAROLINE, OR CHANGE, I had a slight panic attack reading the program while waiting for this past Sunday’s matinee to begin at Playhouse on the Square. ...

What did our critic think of SOME LIKE IT HOT at Orpheum Theatre Memphis? Some Like It Hot brings fiery charcters, sultry jazz, powerful belts, and quite a few surprises. ...

During the 2023-2024 school year, more than 10,000 books were banned in public schools across the United States-a nearly 200% increase from the previous year. This was the highest number of book bans in a single school year. What was banned? Books about mental health, suicide, substance abuse, sexua...

Jason Robert Brown, one of America’s most celebrated composers and lyricists of this new millennium, is currently enjoying a resurgence with two of his finest musicals. THE LAST FIVE YEARS, an off-Broadway hit that was later adapted into a film starring Anna Kendrick, is making its return to Broad...

These are some of the first lyrics that made me fall in love with musical theatre. I have been a fan of Peter Pan as long as I can remember, and was always jumping around my room, trying to fly. When I worked at Walt Disney World, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell were my favorite characters to work with, an...

What did our critic think of THE WIZARD OF OZ at Playhouse On The Square running through December 22? ...

Truth. Beauty. Freedom. Love. The Bohemian ideals combined with a spectacular medley of tunes, some incredible choreography, and a love story for the ages. ...

What did our critic think of THE SMELL OF THE KILL at Germantown Community Theatre?...

When A CHORUS LINE opened on Broadway in 1975, no one could have predicted that it would go on to earn the distinction of being the longest running Broadway show of its time. It ran for almost 15 years and played over 6,000 performances! Since then, five other musicals have gone on to pass that Broa...

Let me start off by saying, never have I left the theatre feeling so confused. That, apparently, is to be expected from 'Girl from the North Country', the latest Orpheum Memphis feature. My companion turned to me and said, 'do you understanding anything that just happened?' And as we walked to our c...

What did our critic think of WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME at Circuit Playhouse?...

Musical theatre is known for showcasing the extraordinary. From GYPSY to MOULIN ROUGE to an ogre named SHREK, the most unusual protagonists imaginable are what are on display. Phantoms, witches, cats and even puppets (AVENUE Q) are what audiences have come to expect. Musicals are built for “transp...

Mamma Mia... here we go again! The hit musical has returned to Memphis and is a fantastic ending of the 2023-2024 season. It's a smash hit but what makes it so popular? It might be the iconic tunes, featuring the music of pop sensations ABBA, or the themes of female empowerment, or the bright and f...