Portland Theater Reviews
View the latest BroadwayWorld reviews of live + streaming theatre in Portland.
Review: MS. HOLMES & MS. WATSON – APT 2B at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - January 26, 2023
MS. HOLMES & MS. WATSON – APT 2B simultaneously plays homage to and flips on its head the detective story tropes to show what happens when women are in charge....
Review: MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL at Keller Auditorium
by Krista Garver - January 10, 2023
The national tour of this Broadway hit, now running at Keller Auditorium, literally defines the word spectacular. It’s dazzlingly gorgeous and also oh-so-much fun!...
Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Portland Playhouse
by Krista Garver - December 16, 2022
I count on Portland Playhouse's A CHRISTMAS CAROL every year to get me into the holiday spirit, and it has never failed. It will work for you too....
Review: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - December 09, 2022
What did our critic think of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY at Portland Center Stage? It's the theatrical equivalent of hot cocoa with whipped cream....
Review: KRISTINA WONG, SWEATSHOP OVERLORD at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - November 18, 2022
Amed with fabric, scissors, and a sewing machine, Kristina Wong goes to war against COVID with her squad of mask-sewing Aunties. Catch her show KRISTINA WONG, SWEATSHOP OVERLORD at Portland Center Stage....
Review: KING OF THE YEES at Profile Theatre
by Krista Garver - November 09, 2022
KING OF THE YEES combines biting humor, keen social commentary, and the thrill of discovery into a touching and also wildly entertaining package....
Review: LAUGHING WILD at 21ten Theatre
by Krista Garver - October 19, 2022
Through two unnamed characters – lonely people struggling to find purpose and connection – the play explores how fundamental empathy is to our existence. I give this production my absolute highest recommendation....
Review: THE RIPPLE, THE WAVE THAT CARRIED ME HOME at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - October 18, 2022
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....
Review: THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY at Profile Theatre
by Krista Garver - October 14, 2022
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....
Review: F-ING A at Shaking The Tree
by Krista Garver - October 14, 2022
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....
Review: CHICKEN & BISCUITS at Portland Playhouse
by Krista Garver - October 06, 2022
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....
Review: THE EVOLUTION OF MANN at Broadway Rose
by Krista Garver - September 30, 2022
Excellent performances help mask the weaknesses of this not-particularly-romantic romantic comedy....
Review: THE HOMBRES at Artists Repertory Theatre
by Krista Garver - September 20, 2022
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....
Review: AN EVENING OF SHORTS at Sowelu Dramatic
by Krista Garver - September 15, 2022
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....
Review: TICK, TICK...BOOM! at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - August 31, 2022
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....
Review: HADESTOWN at Keller Auditorium
by Krista Garver - July 21, 2022
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. ...
Review: THE CHERRY ORCHARD at Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble
by Krista Garver - July 01, 2022
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....
Review: KISSING THE WITCH at Corrib Theatre
by Krista Garver - June 21, 2022
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....
Review: RENT at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - June 16, 2022
Director Chip Miller delivers a vibrant and touching production of musical theatre's most iconic shows....
BWW Review: BELLA: AN AMERICAN TALL TALE at Portland Playhouse
by Krista Garver - May 20, 2022
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.”...
BWW Review: APPROPRIATE at Profile Theatre
by Krista Garver - May 16, 2022
APPROPRIATE is Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ genre-upending take on the great American family drama....
BWW Review: THE SMUGGLER at Corrib Theatre
by Krista Garver - May 11, 2022
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....
BWW Review: THE CHILDREN at Artists Repertory Theatre
by Krista Garver - April 22, 2022
Lucy Kirkwood's Tony-nominated play raises a lot of uncomfortable questions about morality, mortality, and what we owe to other people....
BWW Review: DON'T HUG ME at Broadway Rose
by Krista Garver - April 21, 2022
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....
BWW Review: HAMILTON at Keller Auditorium
by Krista Garver - April 15, 2022
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!...
