Review: MAMMA MIA! at Keller Auditorium
by Krista Garver - June 03, 2026
A jukebox musical based on the music of ABBA, MAMMA MIA! knows exactly what it is and makes absolutely no apologies for it. It’s fun!...
Review: ONCE UPON A MATTRESS at Broadway Rose
by Krista Garver - May 29, 2026
With music by Mary Rodgers and lyrics by Marshall Barer, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS is a comedic musical romp based on the fairy tale 'The Princess and the Pea.' The kingdom is in crisis: Queen Aggravain has decreed that no one may marry until her son, the sweet but hapless Prince Dauntless, weds first. A...
Review: X at Third Rail Repertory Theatre
by Krista Garver - May 28, 2026
X is not the type of show you sit back and enjoy. It will put you on edge, drag you into dark places, and leave you thinking for days. If you're the kind of theatergoer who considers that a feature rather than a bug, this one's for you....
Review: THE PAVILLION at 100 Lives Repertory
by Krista Garver - May 20, 2026
Now onstage at 100 Lives Repertory, THE PAVILION is a play about time – the Narrator will tell you so at the outset. It’s also a play about scope. Craig Wright's poetic script opens with the creation of the universe and narrows, with breathtaking precision, to the story of two people at their 20...
Review: THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL at Portland Playhouse
by Krista Garver - May 07, 2026
When I saw Portland Playhouse's 2025–2026 season announced, the show I was most irrationally excited about was THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL. I’m far from an expert on the SpongeBob SquarePants universe, but I've watched enough episodes to have completely fallen for the little yellow sponge in square pa...
Review: DOCTOR FAUSTUS at The Canon Shakespeare Company
by Krista Garver - May 07, 2026
You don't often get the chance to see DOCTOR FAUSTUS on stage. Christopher Marlowe's early 1600s masterwork is the ur-text of the Faustian bargain, the template for everything from the musical Damn Yankees to the Al Pacino-Keanu Reeves film The Devil's Advocate. And yet it rarely gets produced. Than...
Review: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at Keller Auditorium
by Krista Garver - May 04, 2026
Nearly 40 years after its Broadway premiere, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA continues to cast its spell. I saw proof of that everywhere at the packed Keller Auditorium, including a young girl clutching a teddy bear wearing a tiny Phantom mask. The now and future PHANTOM fandom is in excellent hands....
Review: FUNNY GIRL at Lakewood Theatre
by Dawn Sellers - May 03, 2026
Hello Gorgeous! Lakewood Theatre brings the curtain down on its 73rd season in spectacular fashion with the heartfelt, funny, and moving musical comedy Funny Girl. What a way to say goodbye to a landmark season. Get tix https://lakewood-center.org/...
Review: FAT HAM at Portland Center Stage And Portland Playhouse
by Krista Garver - April 30, 2026
Confession time: I saw the original production of FAT HAM on Broadway, and I thought “meh.” Clearly, I just didn’t get it. Now, after seeing this stunning co-production between Portland Center Stage and Portland Playhouse, directed by Charles Grant, I finally understand....