ORLANDO THEATER REVIEWS

Can you kill a mockingbird today without overkilling it? Sixty-three years after Harper Lee's iconic American novel released to instant controversy and enduring acclaim - nary a high schooler gets to cap or gown without an essay on it - this is the challenge confronting playwright Aaron Sorkin. Wor...

One of the things I love about musical theatre is how it can be so many different things all at once. Shows that tackle a deep subject or address a serious social topic sit next to light and fun stories of queens and knights in shining armor, and all make great musicals. And some shows, like PRISCIL...

Who is creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky and altogether ooky? It’s the Addams family of course! This iconic, weird and wacky family first graced the pages of the New Yorker in a comic strip by Charles Addams 85 years ago and since then have spawned a fan-favorite 1960’s TV show, a series of film...

“I haven’t laughed so much in my life,” the audience member me behind remarked as curtains drew to a close. A fellow patron to my right turned around and declared, “Neither have I!” The two instantly bonded over how much they loved SORDID LIVES, a self-proclaimed “black comedy about whit...

Getting to see a newer musical produced for the first time in the area by a local theatre is a particular thrill. That is especially the case for a musical like THE PROM, which has built a following due to it’s popular Broadway run and the recent musical film on Netflix. And in the hands of the sk...

Experiencing something familiar through a new lens can be particularly thrilling. Whether that be a story brought to the stage from a beloved book or film, an untold side of a familiar tale or a modern take on a classic – experiencing something old in a new and different way is exciting. That was ...

WICKED is a wily piece of pop. It turns 20 this year, but you'd never know that sitting in Dr. Phillips Center for the show's third tour stop in Orlando. Its shrewd indictment of society's worst instincts and most seductive assumptions still tear through a room like a twister......

Clue has evolved over the years beyond the dining room table and has since inspired a musical, several books and video games, and a 1985 film. It is this camp classic film that serves as the basis for CLUE ON STAGE, a theatrical mounting of the movie, which is now being lovingly and hilariously perf...

What do you get when you build a musical around the catalog of hit music from an immensely popular artist with over 60 albums and 67 singles over the last 53 years? You get Jimmy Buffett’s ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE – a colorful, tune-filled romp which is light on plot but heavy on fun all set in ...

Both the movie and the musical stand out because, while the rock legend ascends from rags to riches by the end, the story is less interested in Turner's journey to stardom than in her liberation from years of violent physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband and musical partner, Ike T...

Unlike the traditional figures in Greek mythology, Orpheus is a hero, but not a warrior. He's an artist, but not a celebrity. He's a man, just a man, and one whose entire literary journey is focused on the love of a woman. Compared to Perseus or Achilles or Jason, Orpheus's tale almost always depict...

The holidays are all about tradition. Hanging a familiar ornament on the tree, baking a special dish that is only made during this time of year, watching a favorite holiday movie or TV special in order to get into a festive mood, or yes, even the annual office holiday party. But in the world of musi...

'Please, sir. I want some more.' These words, spoken by Oliver Twist at the beginning of Lionel Bart's  musical OLIVER! kick off a tumultuous journey for the young boy, hurling him into a world destined to change his life forever. It’s a story familiar to many, and one that continues to inspire, ...

Behind the spectacle, sets, large casts and costumes of many classic musicals are the relatable, human stories, the conflict, the hope and the pure joy of life. Often, however, as audience members we don’t see those things as clearly when distracted by falling chandeliers or giant dance numbers. B...

The holidays are about traditions - that special dish on the table, the favorite decoration that was handmade by your child, or a familiar song playing on the radio. And for many, nothing says tradition like watching a classic holiday film. Even though we take comfort in watching these familiar stor...

The Disney Princesses were only five songs into their set when the iconic Jodi Benson made a surprise appearance on stage. The original voice behind Ariel in 1989's The Little Mermaid, Benson may be best known on screen as a princess, but to a crowd of theatre aficionados and adoring Disney fans, sh...

Much in the same way most students know about the Salem Witch Trials through the dramatization found in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, it’s safe to assume virtually every student of U.S. history from 2015 onward may better know the intimate details of this Founding Father through Lin-Manuel Miran...

An evening with 'Weird Al' on stage is always a blend of concert, comedy, and community. The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour feels like an opportunity to give back — letting Al show us everything else he can do while indulging our own inner geeks at t...

Although it’s been romanticized and idealized in sitcoms like “Friends,” the wilderness years of the modern twentysomething has been most accurately captured in Jonathan Larson’s seminal work RENT. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1996 and subsequently became a phenomenon that’s influe...

“Somebody loses, and somebody wins, and one day it’s kicks, then it’s kicks in the shins. But the planet spins. And the world goes ‘round and ‘round.” So goes the title song of the musical revue THE WORLD GOES ROUND – capturing the essence of life, love, loss and everything in between ...

As a concert, SIX maintains the momentum and energy for its audience with a consistently good set list of songs, the brazzle-dazzle of lights on the stage, and playful choreography that add up to an exciting ninety minutes of sheer, unadulterated fun....