PORTLAND THEATER REVIEWS

This beautiful play wraps a history lesson about the social justice movement of the 1960s in a poignant family drama. Also, the final scene is one of the most beautiful expressions of joy I've ever seen on stage....

Kristoffer Diaz's play is one of those rare treats that is a heck of a lot of fun and also has something meaningful to say....

This play takes you into the darkest parts of human nature and doesn’t give you a path back out, and it forces you to think about what you would do in these situations, where every choice is a bad one. And because of that, it’s must-see theatre....

Families, amirite? And where better to experience the whole spectrum of family dynamics than at a funeral! In Douglas Lyons' comedy CHICKEN & BISCUITS, now running at Portland Playhouse, the Jenkins family is gathering for the funeral of their patriarch and pastor....

Excellent performances help mask the weaknesses of this not-particularly-romantic romantic comedy....

Every once in a while, a play completely renews my faith in humanity. Tony Meneses’ THE HOMBRES, now running at Artists Repertory Theatre, is such a play....

For the rest of this month, Sowelu is presenting a “mini-season,” which includes this program on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as readings and workshops. They’re one of those companies that doesn’t put on a ton of work, but what they do present is worth paying attention to....

Jonathan Larson's musical tells the story of an aspiring musical theatre writer having a quarter-life crisis. The reason to see this production in particular is Lauren Steele. A Drammy-winning actor (and also a massively talented singer-songwriter) with a powerhouse voice, Steele steals this show....

What did our critic think of HADESTOWN at Keller Auditorium?HADESTOWN, Anaïs Mitchell’s terrific Tony- and Grammy-winning musical now on national tour, urges us to have hope that if we can imagine a better world, we can create one…even if the odds (and the gods) are against us. ...

Funny, poignant, weird – Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble’s new take on THE CHERRY ORCHARD, translated by Štĕpán Šimek, is a vehicle to showcase what both Chekhov and PETE do best....

Corrib’s production, directed by Tracy Cameron Francis, uses movement and visual effects to bring the magical, mystical nature of fairy tales to the forefront, while also reinforcing that these are real people dealing with real issues....

Director Chip Miller delivers a vibrant and touching production of musical theatre's most iconic shows....

Kirsten Childs’ 2016 musical, now running at Portland Playhouse, offers a new take on American folklore, featuring a new tall tale hero: Bella Patterson, “a woman of mythic proportions and heroic appeal.”...

APPROPRIATE is Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ genre-upending take on the great American family drama....

Ronán Noone's THE SMUGGLER, now running at Corrib Theatre, tells the harrowing and sympathetic tale of an Irish immigrant’s struggle to support his family....

Lucy Kirkwood's Tony-nominated play raises a lot of uncomfortable questions about morality, mortality, and what we owe to other people....

Billed as “Fargo meets The Music Man (without the blood or the trombones),” DON’T HUG ME is a silly show about some residents of Bunyan Bay, Minnesota, whose lives get a jolt thanks to the appearance of a karaoke machine salesman....

The national tour of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s HAMILTON is once again at Keller Auditorium, and it’s just as much of a must-see as ever. Read our critic's review!...

FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME is a joyous celebration of music and life and the act of creating something together. Read our BWW critic's review. ...

Looking for a thrill? TITUS, Shakespeare’s bloodiest play, is now running at Portland Playhouse....

GEM OF THE OCEAN is one of the last plays August Wilson wrote, but it’s the first chronologically in his Century Cycle. Set in the 1900s, GEM OF THE OCEAN deals with questions of freedom and the balance between morality and law....

This new devised work from Shaking the Tree is exhilarating, thought-provoking, and necessary....

MAZ AND BRICKS is a tender two-hander about finding connection with unexpected people in unexpected places....

There are two big reasons to take in the national touring production of ANASTASIA, now running at Keller Auditorium: Kyla Stone (who plays the central character) and the visual spectacle....

Lauren Yee’s play, inspired in part by her father, is everything we’ve come to expect from this exceptional playwright – it’s gripping, funny, emotional, and will leave you with plenty to chew on....