CENTRAL VIRGINIA THEATER REVIEWS

NETworks Presentations' production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved classic, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, is nearly pitch perfect thanks to brilliant, refreshing new direction from Jack O'Brien, and standout performances by several cast members. Playing through Sunday at the Altria Theatre in Richmond, t...

Everyone's favorite Nanny has landed, with 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' magic in tow, at Virginia Repertory Theatre. Based on the 1934 P.L. Travers series and subsequent Disney film, the Tony-nominated MARY POPPINS has been extended through January 7 at the November Theatre due to popular de...

HILLARY AND CLINTON, a kind of seriocomedy written by Lucas Hnath, is about the Clintons... and yet it isn't. This piece is an interesting amalgamation of political intrigue and a science-fiction contrivance that takes us quite-literally out of this world....

True to their slogan 'Theatre Beyond Boundaries,' director Lucian Restivo and the personnel at 5th Wall have executed (pun intended) a distinctly immersive theatrical gambit with pulverizing marks. By staging Murder Ballad entirely within the confines of the main room at Club Infuzion in Scott's Add...

For those unfamiliar with Eugene O'Neill's stark allegory of a poor family's struggle against the stagnant days of the Great Depression: don't let anyone (the internet included) spoil it for you! Not even me; and I'll keep things brief here, too. Yes, go in to see Desire Under The Elms with a clean ...

CLOUD 9 is a charmingly funny but introspective head-scratcher of a play that shouldn't be missed. The entire company, production team, and everyone at Richmond Triangle Players have delivered a solid piece of theatre....

Plays at the Libby S. Gottwald Playhouse in the Dominion Arts Center through the 14th of October, 2017....

It is this reviewer's exultant onus to relay that in the case of TheatreLAB and YES, AND's production of THE LAST FIVE YEARS, director Chelsea Burke and her team have pulled out all of the stops to give the audience an unforgettable experience, with the technical follow-through and musical polish to...

Virginia Repertory Theatre's production of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is first-rate entertainment that will keep audiences smiling through the final curtain. I loved it....

FUN HOME looks and sounds great, and has many, many moments of brilliance....

The images are haunting. Their stories are heartbreaking. Prior to the Pulse nightclub tragedy, it was the most deadly attack against the LGBT community. The arson at the UpStairs Lounge in the French Quarter of New Orleans is at the center of Richmond Triangle Players' entertaining and moving seaso...

Under the imaginative hand of Adam Ferguson, The Basement is transformed into a 360-degree Wonderland. Serving as the director, scenic designer and props master, Ferguson displays the kind of vision and talent that take years to hone....

Virginia Repertory Theatre's intimate space at the Hanover Tavern is the perfect venue for Hugh Leonard's Drama Circle and Tony Award-winning play, DA. Set in Ireland in the 1960s, the production is equal parts memory play and Irish comedy....

The Hampton Roads theatre scene is bursting with talent, and some of it is on display in Peninsula Community Theatre's enjoyable production of RAGTIME. The production follows three distinct societal classes in New York at the turn of the 20th century. Exploring themes of racism, anti-Semitism, anti-...

For two nights only, the 'Farewell Tour' of MAMMA MIA brings the beloved jukebox musical back to Richmond. The Altria Theater is the second to last stop on the 10-month 'final' American tour for this crowd-pleasing production....

NEXT TO NORMAL is an emotional roller coaster that's unlike anything in the Broadway archives. It's an important story and the kind of powerful theatre that changes people to the core. The Williamsburg Players' production is not to be missed. It runs through July 16 at the James York Playhouse....

Not since Virginia Repertory Theatre's acclaimed staging of Spring Awakening has there been so much teen angst on one stage in Richmond. Like the aforementioned production, the young, spry cast of TheatreLAB's and Firehouse Theatre's Heathers: The Musical brings tenacity, rockin' vocals and an abund...

IN THE HEIGHTS is a universal story of life, hope and new beginnings; and with this pitch-perfect, dynamic production that transcends generational and cultural boundaries, Virginia Repertory Theatre breaks new ground. IN THE HEIGHTS is on stage at the November Theatre now through July 30....

IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU isn't smart and doesn't have a lot of artistic merit, but it's thoroughly entertaining and offers the kind of trivial comedy audiences need right now. The production runs through July 1 at the Robert B. Moss Theatre....

Attention must be paid once again to Arthur Miller's DEATH OF A SALESMAN. One of Charlottesville's premier theatres is presenting the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama with a strong cast of leading players and impeccably directed by William Rough. An all-volunteer organization, LiveArts has a strong repu...

Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, KINKY BOOTS runs at the Altria Theater through Sunday, June 4....

Tom Prewitt, Avant Bard's current artistic director, knew who he wanted to take on this monumental role: Rick Foucheux. A 35-year veteran of stages large and small in the Washington, DC area, Foucheux has played everything from realism to the avant garde; modern and the classics. Capping off his sto...

The Jewish Family Theatre encore presentation of Joshua Harmon's sharp and penetrating comedy, BAD JEWS, runs at the Weinstein Jewish Community Center through May 14....

The Rooftop Productions effort does well by the Gesner and Schulz creation. Director Ted Ballard keeps things simple, just as Schulz presented his characters in pen and ink. Coupled with identifiably perfect costumes by Mandy Ken, and cartoon inspired, primary-colored set pieces designed by Dale Wal...

'Things just aren't nice anymore.' People have different coping mechanisms for grief, a message that is profoundly on display in Cadence Theatre's production of David Lindsay Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama RABBIT HOLE. The show runs through May 20 at Virginia Repertory Theatre....