Portland Theater Reviews

Review: THE MERRY WIDOW at Portland State University Opera
by Krista Garver - April 26, 2024

This production is full of physical comedy and solid acting. In addition to singing beautifully, this cast has embraced the theatricality of the art form, and the result is a heck of a lot of fun....

Review: THE BROTHER AND THE BIRD at Shaking The Tree
by Krista Garver - April 25, 2024

I’ve seen a lot of extraordinary theatre at Shaking the Tree. This spine-tingling production just might be the best so far....

FERTILE GROUND ROUNDUP #2
by Krista Garver - April 24, 2024

Portland’s 2024 Fertile Ground Festival of New Works is officially over. What a great festival it was! I enjoyed everything I saw, and there are several that I believe merit full productions....

Review: THE PLAY ABOUT MY FATHER at Fuse Theatre Ensemble
by Krista Garver - April 22, 2024

THE PLAY ABOUT MY FATHER is a warm and compassionate play that demonstrates the power of kindness to lift people up in their moments of greatest need and, in doing so, impact the rest of their lives....

FERTILE GROUND ROUNDUP #1
by Krista Garver - April 17, 2024

We are halfway through Portland’s 2024 Fertile Ground Festival of New Works, and every show I’ve seen so far has reminded me why this is my favorite 11 days of the year....

Review: BEETLEJUICE at Keller Auditorium
by Krista Garver - April 11, 2024

If you like musicals, or the original movie, or just fun in general, don’t miss BEETLEJUICE....

Review: SH-BOOM! LIFE COULD BE A DREAM at Broadway Rose
by Krista Garver - April 11, 2024

SH-BOOM! LIFE COULD BE A DREAM is a huge dose of 1950s nostalgia that anyone of any age will enjoy....

Review: NASSIM at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - April 09, 2024

NASSIM is more than an incredible piece of theatre. It’s an incredible experience. And one I recommend to anyone and everyone, especially if you’re feeling a little lonely and in need of some community....

Review: QUIXOTE NUEVO at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - March 23, 2024

This gorgeous show is exactly the kind of thing we need more of right now – a celebration of the indomitable human spirit and a challenge to us all to not just imagine a better world but to make that world a reality....

Review: PORT AUTHORITY at Imago Theatre
by Krista Garver - March 14, 2024

PORT AUTHORITY reels you in and makes you care deeply about simple, ordinary, broken people. If you’re a fan of monologues, this is one you’ll definitely want to see....

Review: WE WROTE THIS WITH YOU IN MIND at Shaking The Tree
by Krista Garver - February 21, 2024

The play, directed by Rebby Yuer Foster, is like a dream that exists in that space in between sleeping and waking. It speaks to the part of the brain that processes emotions and memory below the level of consciousness....

Review: THE DOUBLE-THREAT TRIO at Broadway Rose
by Krista Garver - February 01, 2024

In Adam Overett’s THE DOUBLE-THREAT TRIO, now playing at Broadway Rose, the question is, can three double-threats make it to Broadway?...

Review: WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - February 01, 2024

Especially in an election year, this play isn’t just a must-see, but a civic duty....

Review: THE LION KING at Keller Auditorium
by Krista Garver - January 12, 2024

The reason this musical is the third-longest running in Broadway history (and that its Portland tour stop is three weeks rather than the typical one week) is because it’s truly magical....

Review: DRACULA, A FEMINIST REVENGE FANTASY, REALLY at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - December 15, 2023

If you don't want to hear another Christmas carol, DRACULA, A FEMINIST REVENGE FANTASY, REALLY may be the wild and refreshing alternative you’re looking for....

Review: SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE FALLEN GIANT at Portland State University Opera
by Krista Garver - December 08, 2023

Appropriate for opera newbies, opera aficionados, and all the rest of us in between, this classic detective-story-meets-fairy-tale opera composed by Evan Meier with libretto by E.M. Lewis truly has something for everyone....

Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Portland Playhouse
by Krista Garver - November 30, 2023

There is no better way to get into the holiday spirit than this beautiful production of a timeless classic....

Review: LIBERACE & LIZA: HOLIDAY AT THE MANSION (A TRIBUTE) at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - November 22, 2023

This show, starring Portland’s fabulous Liberace and Liza Minnelli impersonators, David Saffert and Jillian Snow, is a delight not to be missed....

Review: SPIDER, from the Young Professionals Company at Oregon Children's Theatre
by Krista Garver - October 31, 2023

If you are a teenager, have a teenager, or want to know more about what it’s like to be a teenager right now, definitely go see this play....

Review: BLOOD WEDDING at Shaking The Tree
by Krista Garver - October 24, 2023

Every time I go to Shaking the Tree, I wonder what surprises, delights, and disturbances artistic director Samantha Van Der Merwe and her highly creative crew have in store for us. Federico García Lorca's BLOOD WEDDING, now on stage, has its fair share of all three....

Review: MATILDA THE MUSICAL at Portland Playhouse
by Krista Garver - October 20, 2023

This ambitious production – a cast of nearly 20, including 10 children! – is totally enchanting....

Review: MY BEDROOM IS AN INSTALLATION at Imago Theatre
by Krista Garver - October 13, 2023

What did our critic think of MY BEDROOM IS AN INSTALLATION at Imago Theatre?...

Review: HAIR at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - October 12, 2023

Go for the nostalgia, the music, and above all the great performances....

Review: AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' at Broadway Rose
by Krista Garver - October 04, 2023

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ is a great musical showcase, as well as a much-needed diversion. The hooting, hollering, clapping, and toe-tapping audience seemed to agree....

Review: HAPPY DAYS at Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative
by Krista Garver - August 22, 2023

Samuel Beckett’s 1961 masterpiece HAPPY DAYS, now being presented by the Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative, is a tragicomic meditation on how to hang onto our humanity as time marches us slowly toward death. It’s equal parts LOL funny and deeply depressing, and it’s eerily relevant to our cu...