PHOENIX THEATER REVIEWS

As multidimensional as is the landscape of the Southwest that so attracted Zane Grey, so too is the documentary that chronicles the creation of an epic opera, based on one of his most famous novels, RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE. Directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Kristin Atwell Ford (and produced...

Artists in the AZ Arias concert were internationally known  Brazilian baritone Paulo Szot, members of the Arizona Opera Orchestra led by Maestro Cal Stewart Kellogg, Head of Music, Christopher Cano, as well as studio members: sopranos Cheyanne Coss and Caitlin Gotimer, mezzo-soprano Mack Wolz, teno...

Elaine Romero’s HALSTED is a bold stroke of illumination ~ launching RomeroFest, a monthlong celebration of the playwright’s work ~ presented by Arizona Theatre Company and directed by Sean Daniels. Available for viewing online through March 14th....

BWW Review: CHARLEY'S AUNT at Hale Centre Theatre (Gold Cast)...

What happens when a world class theatre keeps the lights on, creating a comfortable and safe outdoor space during a world-wide pandemic? First, they hire top talent...and give them an award-winning murder mystery musical comedy ~ Kinosian and Blair's MURDER FOR TWO. featuring Seth Tucker and Toby Y...

Little y's first episode of a new series, BASEMENTS & BUGBEARS, sets The Table for what promises to be an engaging and compelling series dealing “with issues such as teen mental health, the complexities of exploring and accepting queer identity, and, ultimately, the good that gaming can bring to t...

FATAL DISTRACTION, Susan Morgan Cooper’s gripping documentary on a national crisis ~ hot car deaths ~ that begs for resolution....

On Saturday evening, December 19, 2020,  Arizona Opera premiered its third  Studio Spotlight Series Concert online at no charge. The first part of the program featured tenor Bille Bruley, soprano Kaitlyn Johnson, and bass-baritone Brandon Morales singing opera arias. The second part was a performa...

Faced with the inability to perform live opera because of COVID, Opera San Jose opted to film an opera that could be made to fit California health regulations in its new Fred Heiman Digital Media Studio. General director Khori Dastoor chose Jake Heggie’s three-person chamber opera, Three Decembers...

UNWRAPPED: An Original Christmas Revue not only represents the topnotch entertainment and production quality we’ve come to expect from The Phoenix Theatre Company (TPTC), but this unique partnership with Brock Pro Entertainment (BPE) also offers a glimpse into the role collaboration may play in re...

How do you prove you aren't a murderer when the whole town is against you?...

Richard Hannay is tired of his boring life. It becomes far from boring after meeting a dark stranger. Murder, mayhem, and hilarity ensue....

Cheyanne Coss opened with “Qui la voce,”  Elvira’s mad scene from Bellini’s bel canto opera, I Puritani. Elvira lived in a time when women had no rights, so in opera madness allowed her to proclaim her true feelings. Coss expressed them most eloquently. Terrence Chin-Loy as Des Grieux sang ...

With a few streaming exceptions, including some political fundraisers, it looks like Broadway will remain dark through May of 2021 thanks to the pandemic. ...

TRIPLE THREAT, Stacey Maltina??s first feature film as a director, is a beautifully crafted and finely acted ode to theatre and the dreams and realities that imbue it with energy and vitality. Scheduled for screening at BelAire Diner Drive-In (31-91 21st Street, Astoria, New York) on October 11th....

On October 5, 2020, I listened to Arizona Operaa??s Studio Spotlight Series online concert held in the newly named the Shoshana B. and Robert S. Tancer Plaza adjoining the companya??s building on Central Avenue in Phoenix. General Director Joseph Spector greeted the tiny audience of donors and the m...

WEEZY GOES OUTSIDE is a delightful cine-epiphany about fidelity, love, and eternal life ~ produced by Little y and featuring a sterling performance by Heloise Wilson. One of the Comedy Shorts to be screened at the Coney Island Film Festival and available for virtual screening between September 22nd ...

Wendy MacLeod's hilarious comedy, SLOW FOOD, is the latest in Arizona Theatre Companya's series of online digital play readings, this one co-directed by the company's Artistic and Associate Artistic Directors, Sean Daniels and Chanel Bragg. Featuring delightful performances by Daina Griffith, Joel V...

In WOODEN NICKELS, holistic healer and playwright Devorah Medwin has crafted a unique theatrical approach to exploring aging and dying with dignity. Bristling with the emotion of a family facing questions of filial fidelity and quality of life choices, the delivery of the play is blessed and enhance...

Arizona Theatre Company's production of Benjamin Bennea??s emotion-laden drama, ALMA (livestreaming through August 22nd, at 5:00 p.m.PT/8:00 p.m. ET), while promoted as an online reading, is something far more. Directed by Catherine María Rodríguez and featuring riveting performances by Danaya Esp...

THE ISOLATION PROJECT is two one-acts told through a series of Zoom chats between teenage friends (and frenemies), both set during the current health crisis....

The a?oeBroadway Drive-In Theatrea?? at Fountain Hills Theater (FHT) is a significant step for the performing arts and a largely successful early attempt to recapture the magic of live performance....

LIVE BENEFIT READING OF SEAN DANIELS' THE WHIT CHIP at Arizona Theatre Company, to be broadcast at 5:00 p.m. (Pacific/Arizona Time) / 8 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), Monday, May 11th, simultaneously on Arizona Theatre Company's Facebook page and YouTube channel....

If I could just write a?oeThis show was perfect. The enda?? for this production, I would. It would be the simple truth for a show so breathtaking, that trying to put words on this page is near impossible. There are no words that I could type that would truly encompass what is the Magnificence of ONC...

Richard II was crowned King at a young age and his immaturity ultimately causes his downfall when his Crown is threatened by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke....