ORLANDO THEATER REVIEWS

As of last fall, JERSEY BOYS has been seen on the stage by more than 25 million people around the world. So, is it really that good? Tough question. My first instinct is to say JERSEY BOYS ain't all that. It's a backstage, jukebox, rise-and-fall musical, a combination that ought to be the broadest,...

Night after night, three dead-ringers for Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy rush from behind a cemetery gate to the front of the stage, the towering Cinderella Castle lit up in spooky candelabras (impressively projection mapped) behind them. Without fail, the crowd either gasps wi...

At the outset, it must be said that the Garden Theatre did all it could... It's just that THE BIRDS is a bust, and no one - not even Hitchcock - could save it....

My grandparents story, one I have heard many times, is etched into my heart. As a third generation Cuban American living in Miami, Florida, as soon as we start to crawl, you are listening to Cuban music, eating your grandmother's potage (a stew of lentil beans and rice) and hearing about the good ol...

Howls of laughter echoed down the halls of Orlando Shakes last weekend as the spooky satire, 'The Mystery of Irma Vep-A Penny Dreadful', opened just in time for the Halloween season. From the title alone, the expectations for a show filled to the brim with satire and comedy are fairly high. (If you'...

Sometimes the piano is front and center. Other times - often - it's forgotten altogether. The ole ivories are a mere MacGuffin, and not a particularly compelling one at that. The show isn't really here to tell us about a piano, or about the characters who buy and sell it......

But then I heard a big voice belt, 'IT'S SUNDAY!' and snapped to attention like it was time to get up and get to church. It was. With that crack of thunder, three tell-it-like-it-is church ladies led their ensemble to the stage......

But now I can add to that list Andrea Canny, the actress who originated Belle in Disney-MGM Studios' BEAUTY AND THE BEAST — LIVE ON STAGE some 27 years ago and who is currently making a holds-her-own-and-that's-saying-something turn as Mama Rose in Winter Garden every night through September 22....

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This little musical that could is now playing at the Titusville Playhouse through Sept. 9, and though on a more modest scale, maintains the intoxicating charm and heart of the original. Directed by Steven J. Heron, the dramatically fictionalized story of the real-life 1899 Newsboys Strike carries an...

Set against the backdrop of The Abbey-the perfectly unorthodox lounge in downtown Orlando which doubles as an intimate theatre-the zany and immersive 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' was brought to life on stage through Encore! Cast Performing-Arts this past weekend....

I have a confession to make. Though I have seen hundreds of plays and musicals since MAMMA MIA! premiered on Broadway in 2000, until I saw Riverside Theatre's giddily silly, yet oddly emotional production-running now through April 29- I had never seen this polarizing jukebox musical; neither on stag...

The current touring production of 'Waitress' is a musical best served to a full house and welcoming audience prepared to ride one rollercoaster of a show-exactly as it was Tuesday night at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts in downtown Orlando. The show itself dished out some serious laughs...

Since its debut on Broadway in 1959, GYPSY has been hailed as one of the most perfect examples of the musical theatre artform. From the lush score of Jule Styne to the inventive lyrics of a young Stephen Sondheim to the funny- and ultimately heartbreaking- book by Arthur Laurents, it is hard to find...

All it took was a single step through the front door of The Winter Park Playhouse to be immediately transported back into the golden years of Hollywood-and the days where Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney captivated audiences through their work on screens and stages of all sizes....

For 20 years the Irish step dancing troupe of RIVERDANCE has been bringing their 'modern' version of the art form to audiences around the world, including to Orlando's Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday. The tour setting up shop in Central Florida is billed as 'RIVERDANCE- Th...

Still shaking off the holidays? Well look no further than to rock into the new year with SCHOOL OF ROCK at the Dr. Phillips Center. Based off the 2003 movie starring Jack Black, this musical features new music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It plays like a rock concert that is fun for both families and adu...

Elder Price of 'The Book of Mormon' made it very clear that he loves Orlando during the musical's stop at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts this past Wednesday night-and Orlando made it known that it loved him right back....

Broadway's longest running musical, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has a sequel and this week it is in Orlando. With music written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, one would hope that the mysteries from the original finally resolve themselves. With every fiber of my being, I wanted to like this show; however, this...

DADDY LONG LEGS makes its Central Florida debut at Winter Park Playhouse. This charming newish musical is based on a novel by Jean Webster with music and lyrics by Paul Gordon. I found the music absolutely stunning. The two-person cast executed the piece beautifully in such a moving way; however, I ...

Then there is HAND TO GOD, a play that hit Broadway in 2015 and notably starred Bob Saget for a bit. It's raunchy, it's laugh out loud funny, and it's got a great cast, which makes for a crazy night out....

LIFE COULD BE A DREAM and is a dream at Winter Park Playhouse's latest revue. The music from this era is iconic, upbeat, and harkens back to a simpler time when dreams were made over the radio. The musical numbers are all instantly recognizable and make for a toe tapping enjoyable performance....

Ain't it a fine life?! sing the rag-tag group of boys of all ages, outfitted in worn boots, overalls, and dirty faces the instantly lovable gang of Newsies captures the hearts of audiences from the first time they run onstage....

The Garden Theatre kicks off it's 10th season with JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. This production features a number of actors who are debuting at the Garden for the first time and a number of returning faces who are all ready to rock. With a familiar story, a famous score, and great live musicians this pro...

On October 2, 2006, in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, a man entered an Amish schoolhouse and shot and killed five young girls. This was a day the Amish community, Pennsylvanians, and the world would never forget, and after seeing THE AMISH PROJECT it is one the audience will never forget as we...