Phoenix Metro Theater Reviews Page 2

Review: ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA at Southwest Shakespeare Company
by Herbert Paine - March 22, 2023

Southwest Shakespeare Company’s ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, co-directed by Producing Artistic Director Debra Ann Byrd and Tina Packer and featuring Cynnita Agent as the queen of the Nile, is a modest if uneven production, featuring periodic flashes of acting brilliance. Runs through April 1st at the Mesa ...

Review: Mimi Kennedy, Gordon Clapp Dazzle in World Premiere of PRU PAYNE at Arizona Theatre Company
by Robert Encila-Celdran - March 14, 2023

Mimi Kennedy renders an imperious and brassy Pru Payne (her public moniker). She's a renowned intellectual, feared for her trenchant criticism and scathing takedowns of mediocre aspirations (a faint redolence of critic Michiko Kakutani's public feuds with John Updike and Norman Mailer et al). Pru ex...

Review: School of Theatre, Film and Television Sets Shakespeare Tragedy in American South
by Robert Encila-Celdran - March 08, 2023

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Review: BRONTË Underscores Hardship and Genius of Literary Icons
by Robert Encila-Celdran - March 05, 2023

Teale's dramatic conceit - a seamless juxtaposition of present reality and childhood memories - makes for an engaging theatrical form that justifies the Brontës' epic narrative....

Review: DISNEY'S FROZEN NATIONAL TOUR at Gammage Auditorium
by Timothy Shawver - March 01, 2023

What did our critic think of DISNEY'S FROZEN NATIONAL TOUR at Gammage Auditorium?...

Review: Winding Road Theater Ensemble Flaunts Committed Cast with TICK, TICK...BOOM
by Robert Encila-Celdran - February 27, 2023

Staging choices notwithstanding, Winding Road's production is a moving personal encounter. It recalls the existential confrontation we tend to ignore until we come of age: Do we choose love or fear? What happens if we compromise our mission for comfort and security? The proverbial clock nears midnig...

Review: THE GLASS MENAGERIE at Arizona Theatre Company
by Herbert Paine - February 26, 2023

In its execution, a less than compelling and strategically misdirected production of Tennessee Williams's THE GLASS MENAGERIE is the current fare at Arizona Theatre Company....

Review: SILENT LIFE: THE STORY OF THE LADY IN BLACK at Sedona International Film Festival
by Herbert Paine - February 25, 2023

SILENT LIFE: THE STORY OF THE LADY IN BLACK is Vladislav Kozlov's sweet homage to the silent film era and Rudolph Valentino and features the brilliant return of Terry Moore to the screen. One of the hits at this year's Sedona International Film Festival....

Review: EXPOSURE at Sedona International Film Festival
by Herbert Paine - February 23, 2023

EXPOSURE, Holly Morris's visually stunning account of an 11-woman expedition to the North Pole is one of the featured documentaries at this year's Sedona International Film Festival....

Review: BEING MICHELLE at the 29th Sedona International Film Festival
by Herbert Paine - February 21, 2023

BEING MICHELLE, Atin Mehra's eye-opening documentary about the injustices and limitations of law enforcement in its treatment of people with disabilities. As seen through the experience of Michelle Ricks. Screening at this year's Sedona International Film Festival....

Review: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS At The Phoenix Theatre Company
by Angela Kabasan-Gonzalez - March 03, 2023

What did our critic think of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS at The Phoenix Theatre Company?...

Review: JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE at Black Theatre Troupe
by Nathaniel Jones - February 16, 2023

Black Theatre Troupe received The August Wilson American Century Cycle Award, as they do its namesake more than justice. And in a time when representation is key, this theatre is and has always answered the call....

Review: PATRICK AND THE WHALE at Sedona International Film Festival
by Herbert Paine - February 15, 2023

PATRICK AND THE WHALE, one of the featured documentaries at this year's Sedona International Film Festival, is an inspired and revelatory film about the unique attributes of the great Cetacean. It is a virtual feast of spectacular cinematography and sound recording that captures the gentle giants of...

Review: LISSA'S TRIP at Sedona International Film Festival
by Herbert Paine - February 10, 2023

Jeffery Lando's “psychedelic independent film,” LISSA’S TRIP, boldly incorporates new AI technologies and reflects dramatically on the individual’s quest for purpose in a milieu that challenges one’s relevance. The film is one of the features at the Sedona International Film Festival, which returns ...

Review: UNVEILED: JOYCE TENNESON AND THE HEROINE'S JOURNEY at Sedona International Film Festival
by Herbert Paine - February 05, 2023

An absorbing portrait of one of the most influential women photographers in the history of photography, UNVEILED: JOYCE TENNESON AND THE HEROINE’S JOURNEY is one of the featured films at this year's Sedona International Film Festival....

Review: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR 50th Anniversary Tour at ASU Gammage
by Herbert Paine - February 01, 2023

The 50TH Anniversary Tour of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR ~ presented as a rock concert, with moments that truly excite and exhilarate, to be experienced in the way Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber had always wanted. At ASU Gammage in Tempe AZ through February 5th....

Review: ATC Production Breaks More Than Glass Figurines
by Robert Encila-Celdran - January 31, 2023

For the record, director Chanel Bragg didn't have to secure a movie star to manifest a compelling production of her own. She features a charismatic powerhouse in Lillie Richardson, who submits a resounding performance as the flamboyant matriarch. Ms. Richardson strides with regal confidence and spea...

Review: THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT at Theatre Artists Studio ~ A Work of Timely Importance
by Herbert Paine - January 24, 2023

THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT ~ a play of consequence, superbly directed by Richard Powers Hardt and featuring stellar performances by Tom Koelbel, Jake Nichols, and Debra Rich, runs through February 5th at Theatre Artists Studio in Scottsdale AZ....

Review: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at Gammage Auditorium
by Timothy Shawver - December 09, 2022

Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's classic novel TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is playing at Gammage Auditorium through December 6th. The book has been re-imagined by the Academy Award winning screenwriter. He's crafted a satisfying theatre experience with his trademark crackling dialogue servi...

Review: LA RUTA at Stray Cat Theatre
by Herbert Paine - December 05, 2022

The importance of LA RUTA's subject needs to be seen and the story it tells needs to be known. Stray Cat Theatre presents this stunning and disturbing production through December 17th at Tempe Center for the Arts....

Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Hale Centre Theatre
by Herbert Paine - December 02, 2022

The full experience of Hale Centre Theatre's production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL is captured in this review. Runs through December 26th....

Review: A FUNNY THING Happened in a Relatively Short Play with the Unspeakably Long Title
by Robert Encila-Celdran - November 27, 2022

So here we are with a loud reminder of our mortal limits - not to mention the 'acceptable' limits of a public joke and a brazen sexual encounter - as Ms. Feiffer regards our presumed taboos with a shrewd riposte. I'm reminded of H.G. Wells' famous denouncement of the 'irreverent laugh,' man's presum...

Review: The Phoenix Theatre Company Presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's CINDERELLA
by Herbert Paine - November 20, 2022

Chosen as its holiday season family special, this regional production of CINDERELLA, directed by Michael Barnard, is a prime example of the excellence that The Phoenix Theatre Company has developed over the years. Runs through January 1st....

Review: Douglas Morrione's FAIRWAYS TO HAPPINESS Goes Online
by Herbert Paine - October 27, 2022

FAIRWAYS TO HAPPINESS is Doug Morrione's intriguing documentary that opens wider the doors of perception about happiness and the pathways to realizing it. The film goes online (iTunes, Amazon, Google Play) on November 17th....

Review: The Black Theatre Troupe Presents Robert O'Hara's BARBECUE
by Herbert Paine - October 24, 2022

Directed by Ron May and featuring a pitch-perfect cast, The Black Theatre Troupe's production of Robert O'Hara's BARBECUE is a richly intelligent play and a definite must-see. Runs through November 6th....