MICHIGAN THEATER REVIEWS

Only through September 15th can you catch the recent Broadway hit Come From Away at Wharton Center in East Lansing. This poignant yet uplifting tale opened up on Broadway in 2017, and has since launched productions all over the world....

The Grand Rapids Symphony definitely was 'Blessed' last night to have 'Jesus Take The Wheel' as guest song writers from Nashville perform there chart topping hits and tell the stories along with them, turning the ski area into a larger Blue Bird Cafe for the special event. As 'Went Out Last Night', ...

Nothing says Pure Michigan quite like an outdoor summer theatre festival in August. Othello, presented by Shakespeare Royal Oak and Water Works Theatre Company, runs through August 4th at Star Jaycee Park in Royal Oak. Othello lives for love, passion and pride, but is manipulated by jealousy and rev...

Summer lovin' had me a blast. Summer lovin' the show was over too fast. The Riverbank Theatre's summer production of Grease has had such a demand for tickets that they just added Wednesday night and Saturday matinee shows to its schedule that wraps Aug. 11....

Twenty-five years ago in Grand Rapids, the Van Andel Arena still was on the drawing board. Meijer Gardens had opened just three months earlier, but it would be many years before an outdoor amphitheater would be built as a venue for summer concerts.   At Cannonsburg Ski Area, on a steamy evening in ...

The world premiere of Welcome to Paradise, running through August 31st at the Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, is a fresh piece of theatre that will engage audience members throughout the entire performance. Welcome to Paradise, set in the Caribbean, centers around two people who, despite the...

Anastasia, currently playing through Sunday, June 30th at DeVos Hall, by the Tony Award-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime and inspired by the beloved films, Anastasia is the new dazzling Broadway Musical that transports the audience from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the eupho...

Slipstream Theatre Initiative has done it yet again. Since their run of On The Exhale finished last month, you can now see their next production until June 30th, a play entitled Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde....

Sometimes walking into a theatre, you know next to nothing about a show. Now that can end up being an experience where you are counting down the minutes until it is over or where you end up being so enthralled by the production that you are sad when the lights come up. The IT Girl is definitely the ...

Anastasia, playing now through June 23rd at the Fisher Theatre, is a whimsical tale that will delight audiences. This new musical transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued ...

Macomb Civic Theatre was the first community theatre group in Macomb County to perform Matilda the Musical. Performances took place two weekends ago, June 6th through 9th, at Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights. The musical is based on the beloved Roald Dahl book about a gift girl with extraor...

The Midwest premiere of Williston by Adam Seidel, playing now through June 30th at Detroit Repertory Theatre, is a fresh piece of theatre that successfully shines a light on the power of greed and money in modern day America. Three leasing reps travel to Williston, North Dakota to get mineral rights...

There is nothing quite like watching live theatre performed outside in a Greek theater on a beautiful summer night in Michigan. Mamma Mia!, running now through June 15th at St. Dunstan's Theatre in Bloomfield Hills, will have you singing and dancing in your seat. Mamma Mia! is the sunny and funny ta...

Until May 26th, the Lakeland Players have three more performances of Next to Normal at the Starlight Theater in This show tackles a variety of complex but fascinating topics including, but not limited to, mental illness, suburban family life, electroconvulsive therapy, and suicide. Regardless of wh...

Stephen Sondheim's Company, playing now through June 1st at Avon Players in Rochester Hills, is a thought-provoking exploration of love and life in 1970's New York City. Bobby has a full social calendar but avoids romantic commitments. On the night of his thirty-fifth birthday, he reassesses his lif...

It's no secret that the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Tony-winning, Grammy-winning musical Hamilton has finally made its way to East Lansing until June 2nd. As someone who has now seen this musical five times, I can say without a doubt that Hamilton's Angelica Tour meets, and even succeeds, the hype that ...

Run, don't walk to The Ringwald to see their production of Head Over Heels! The production is the first one since the hot Broadway debut of the show that features songs of the 80s music icons, The Go-Gos, closed in January and will be at the beloved Michigan theatre until June 10th in Ferndale. The ...

Interested in an unusual yet delightful night of theatre? Head on over to the Ridgedale Players this weekend, May 17th through the 19th, where you can see The Fantasticks for just three more performances. Working together to make a polished final product, the cast of Ridgedale Players tells this tal...

It Shoulda Been You, running now through May 26th at the Players Guild of Dearborn, is a hilarious musical that will leave the audience smiling from ear to ear. The synopsis of It Shoulda Been You involves a wedding between a Jewish bride and a Catholic groom. With the bride's mother being a control...

The National Tour of Waitress, running now through May 19th at the Fisher Theatre, is a spectacular production all-around. Waitress tells the story of Jenna - a waitress and expert pie maker in a small southern town. She dreams of a way out of this small town and away from her broken marriage and ab...

Freaky Friday is a heartfelt, comedic, and unexpectedly emotional update on an American classic, based on the beloved 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films, that was developed by Disney Theatrical Productions expressly for licensing to theatres.   Freaky Friday is currently playing un...

Derek Hough wowed Detroit audiences with his first solo tour on Tuesday, April 30th at the Fox Theatre. The moment the Derek Hough - Live! the Tour began, it was a non-stop, high-octane show that had the crowd cheering and filled with excitement over the eight dancers and a live band on the stage. B...

In the days since seeing playwright Martin Zimmerman's On the Exhale, which is running at Slipstream Theatre Initiative in Ferndale through May 19th, I have been thinking a lot about the 1999 Columbine shooting, the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, and the 2018 Parkland shooting. Slipstream's one-woman ...

Waitress, is in Grand Rapids playing at DeVos Hall through Sunday March, 5th.  It is brought to life by a groundbreaking, all female creative team, this Tony Award-nominated hit features original music and lyrics by 7-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles ("Love Song" and "Brave"), a book by acclaimed...

The Martha Graham Dance Company began with its Executive Director, LaRue Allen, explaining the dances for that evening. In an era focused on making dance more accessible to a wider audience beyond New York, this was especially welcome....