Phoenix Metro Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 14

BWW Review: Appleford On PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES
by Herbert Paine - July 24, 2021

Welcoming guest contributor David Appleford to review The Phoenix Theatre Company's production of PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES. Runs through August 23rd....

BWW Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Arizona Broadway Theatre
by Nathaniel Jones - July 20, 2021

Every theatre patron has a show that they may consider one of their all-time favorites. For each individual the reason is different, whether that be in the perspective of a performer turned patron that may have experienced performing in a production previously, or someone that may reminisce of a tim...

BWW Review: STEEL MAGNOLIAS at Hale Centre Theatre
by Emily Noxon - July 09, 2021

Six ladies find strength in their friendship through good times and bad....

BWW Review: The Phoenix Theatre Company Presents DADDY LONG LEGS
by Herbert Paine - June 28, 2021

Thoroughly charming performances by Kathlynn Rodin and James D. Gish highlight The Phoenix Theatre Company's production of DADDY LONG LEGS, running through July 18th....

BWW Review: Sedona International Film Festival Presents ON OUR OWN ISLAND
by Herbert Paine - June 17, 2021

Vivid, lyrical, and loving! Ellie Dylan and Sky Dylan-Robbins's ON OUR OWN ISLAND steps courageously into the domain of dying and death. A film that is both an endearing and emotional homage to a husband and a father by his wife and daughter and a deep dive into a process that for many remains daunt...

BWW Review: Sedona International Film Festival Features END OF THE LINE: THE WOMEN OF STANDING ROCK
by Herbert Paine - June 15, 2021

In a compelling and consciousness- (and conscience-) raising documentary, Emmy-winning film maker Shannon Kring's END OF THE LINE: THE WOMEN OF STANDING ROCK chronicles the courage and years-long ordeal and unwavering determination of the women of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation to protest the p...

BWW Review: A LIFE IN THE THEATRE PROVES ALTERNATELY CHEERFUL AND SENTIMENTAL at Live Theatre Workshop
by Robert Encila-Celdran - June 15, 2021

Originally produced in 1977, the play catalogs the common acting adventures and technical mishaps that continue to age well: incidents and anecdotes on and off the stage that only seasoned thespians can truly appreciate. Nevertheless, it serves audiences a healthy dollop of good-natured laughs, than...

BWW Review: QUEEN BEES at Sedona International Film Festival
by Herbert Paine - June 14, 2021

In QUEEN BEES, director Michael Lembeck has translated producer Harrison Powell’s and writer Donald Martin’s vision into a work that buzzes with a smooth and gentle tone of familiarity and romance. A thriving honeycomb of performances, thanks to the presence of veteran actors Ellen Burstyn, Ann- Mar...

BWW Review: Sedona International Film Festival Features VOODOO MACBETH
by Herbert Paine - June 12, 2021

A bold and refreshing initiative by USC School of Cinematic Arts claims the title of Welles’s legendary stage production, VOODOO MACBETH, for a full-length film that chronicles the making of the staging. The film is scheduled for showing at the Sedona International Film Festival (June 12th-20th)....

BWW Review: Sedona International Film Festival Features The Parkland Project's THE CHILDREN WILL LEAD THE WAY
by Herbert Paine - June 11, 2021

THE CHILDREN WILL LEAD THE WAY is The Parkland Project's emotionally powerful, emotionally charged, and illuminating testimonial to a new generation of leadership committed to social change. Scheduled for screening on June 13th at the Sedona International Film Festival ~ at Sedona Performing Arts Ce...

BWW Review: BECOMING DR. RUTH: A TIMELY TALE OF COURAGE AND HOPE at The Phoenix Theatre Company
by Robert Encila-Celdran - June 08, 2021

The Phoenix Theatre Company’s production is buttressed by a solid technical crew. It’s cohesive enough to support the herculean effort of Ms. Debra K. Stevens, who wields an impressive command of a voluminous text while practically staging a tutorial on how storytelling ought to be paced. She gives ...

BWW Review: Sedona International Film Festival Features Award Winning Film on Autism ~ IN A DIFFERENT KEY
by Herbert Paine - June 03, 2021

Caren Zucker and John Donvan's IN A DIFFERENT KEY strikes chords of compassion that elevate understanding of and connection with the autistic community. Official Selection at the 2021 Sedona International Film Festival....

BWW Review: DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS at Hale Centre Theatre
by Timothy Shawver - May 19, 2021

With DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, Hale Centre Theatre treats the East Valley to an exquisite production of a rarely produced musical gem. It's delightful from moment one and impeccably staged by director/choreographer Cambrian James. It's full of skilled performances, but the design elements might be th...

BWW Review: SOMEWHERE OVER THE BORDER at Arizona Theatre Company
by Lee Cooley - May 07, 2021

This factual and fantastical online production from @arizonatheatre ends all too soon. #catchit https://bit.ly/3uvLpj4...

BWW Review: ORSON WELLES at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre
by Tim Shawver - May 05, 2021

Don Bluth Front Row Theatre debuts their new venue with ORSON WELLES, a one-man theatrical biography of the acclaimed actor/filmmaker. It’s a pleasant 80 minutes featuring Keath Hall’s expert performance of an unambitious script. ...

BWW Review: SHINOBU
by Herbert Paine - May 03, 2021

In SHINOBU, Hsuan-Yu Pan gives vibrant sound and imagery to the art form of flute-making. THe short focuses on the continuity of tradition over time and space in shaping not only one’s cultural identity but also the identity of the cultures of which they become a part. Since its premiere in 2018, th...

BWW Review: HEAR, EAT, HOME: KINAN'S VISION And MY MOTHER'S TABLE
by Herbert Paine - April 30, 2021

Is it not so that two of the key ingredients in shaping identity, building community, and cultivating civility are food and the arts? Indeed, the habits of the heart emanate from these divine humanistic expressions. Hsuan Yu Pan, a Taiwanese-raised, New York City-based documentarian, simply and exqu...

BWW Review: BRYAN HYMEL RECITAL FOR ARIZONA OPERA AND TUCSON DESERT SONG FESTIVAL
by Maria Nockin - April 29, 2021

On April 28, 2021, Arizona Opera, in partnership with Tucson Desert Song Festival, presented an online recital by dramatic tenor Bryan Hymel and pianist Michael Borowitz. They opened their streamed recital with the lyrical aria, 'Ombra mai fu” from Handel’s opera Xerxes. Sung by Xerxes I of Persia i...

BWW Review: NUNSENSE at Arizona Broadway Theatre
by Herbert Paine - April 29, 2021

In a show that may have worn out its Heavenly stage welcome, the Saving Grace of Arizona Broadway Theatre's production of NUNSENSE, is embodied in an ensemble of five artists who render performances that rise above the script. Thankfully, through the ninety-some minutes of show time, a heavenly host...

BWW Review: AS YOU LIKE IT Beguiles and Delights at The Rogue Theatre
by Robert Encila-Celdran - April 25, 2021

Rogue Theatre's season finale, AS YOU LIKE IT, delivers old-fashioned comedic romp. In Tucson, runs through May 9th....

BWW Review: MY WAY at The Phoenix Theatre Company
by Herbert Paine - April 21, 2021

The Phoenix Theatre Company's production of MY WAY is music in the key of Sinatra ~ a show filled with vitality and class that flies one to the moon! Featuring commanding performances by Trisha Ditsworth, Matravius Avent, James Gish, and Jessie Jo Pauley. Runs through May 23rd....

BWW Review: THE GIRL SITTING HERE
by Herbert Paine - April 19, 2021

In THE GIRL SITTING HERE, writer and director Azadeh Nikzadeh gives a human face to the adverse consequences of a practice that has become a legal loophole for prostitution and sexual exploitation....

BWW Review: THE RAINMAKER at Hale Centre Theatre
by Timothy Shawver - April 16, 2021

The impact on American theatre of N. Richard Nash's THE RAINMAKER, a mid-century, self-described Romantic Comedy, is primarily found in its formidable presence (exceeded only by OUR TOWN) in any and all monologue and scene-study books. The leads, 'Lizzie' and 'Starbuck', are ever present at audition...

BWW Review: Lauren Gunderson's THE HEATH at Arizona Theatre Company Is A Masterpiece That Must Be Heard To Be Seen
by Herbert Paine - April 14, 2021

Arizona Theatre Company presents Lauren Gunderson's autobiographical tour de force, THE HEATH, under the direction of Sean Daniels and featuring Gunderson and John Larroquette. THE HEATH is a play that must be heard to be seen for the fulness of its lyricism, revelatory power, and humanity....

BWW Review: THE ODD COUPLE At Desert Stages Theatre
by Herbert Paine - April 14, 2021

Chemistry and balance! Two key ingredients that are (oddly!) in short supply in Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre’s current production of THE ODD COUPLE, directed by Virginia Olivieri. Simon’s brilliant lines and zingers are there to be uttered, but the execution stumbles. The show runs through April...