Portland Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 17

BWW Review: Third Rail's MR. KOLPERT Takes Black Comedy to a Whole New Level
by Krista Garver - February 16, 2016

In his review of MR. KOLPERT's premiere at the Royal Court, London, in 2000, Michael Billington wrote: 'Comedy doesn't come much blacker or better than this.' IMO, he nailed it. MR. KOLPERT, now playing at Third Rail Repertory Theatre, is one of the best examples of very-funny-meets-very-disturbing ...

BWW Review: YOCTOTheatre's COCKTALES Takes a Funny, Sensitive Look at Male Identity
by Krista Garver - February 15, 2016

Sometimes a total sausage fest can be a really good thing! Like in YOCTOTheatre's COCKTALES, an evening of storytelling and theatre all about -- you guessed it -- the penis. Honestly, I was a little unsure when I saw the description of this one: 'Dink - Dork - Shlong - Dingdong - Swinging Fury - Jum...

BWW Review: Planned Parenthood Founder Margaret Sanger Becomes a Patron Saint in WHAT EVERY GIRL SHOULD KNOW at triangle productions!
by Krista Garver - February 11, 2016

As the lights come up (though only slightly) on Monica Byrne's WHAT EVERY GIRL SHOULD KNOW, we hear the moans of young women discovering their bodies. They record the results of their attempts in a log book. It's awkward and funny, and it sets the stage for this provocative dramedy about four girl...

BWW Review: Dael Orlandersmith Explores the Impact of Family -- Both Biological and Chosen -- in FOREVER, at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - February 10, 2016

As soon as Dael Orlandersmith walks into the room, you feel the force of her presence. This is despite, or perhaps because of, the fact that she's not even facing the audience, but rather examining a series of old photographs pinned to the wall. She makes her way around the room, eventually climbing...

BWW Review: YOU FOR ME FOR YOU is a Rich, Heart-Wrenching Play about Contrast and Sacrifice, at Portland Playhouse
by Krista Garver - February 09, 2016

In Mia Chung's YOU FOR ME FOR YOU, now in production at Portland Playhouse, trees have ears (literally), rice is a musical instrument, and bears can talk. And somehow it all makes as much sense as the modern world we live in. Or, perhaps, it's our modern world that makes no sense....

BWW Review: Art, Ethics Collide in Riveting World Premiere of I WANT TO DESTROY YOU, at Theatre Vertigo
by Krista Garver - February 02, 2016

Theatre Vertigo's world premiere of Rob Handel's I WANT TO DESTROY YOU is a riveting show about about art, danger, and being human....

BWW Review: THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Celebrates Misfits, Words, and Finding Your Way, at Broadway Rose
by Krista Garver - February 01, 2016

Broadway Rose's THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is full of humanity and heart....

BWW Review: Go Ahead. Have GREAT EXPECTATIONS. Portland Center Stage Won't Disappoint.
by Krista Garver - January 26, 2016

Don't miss Portland Center Stage's excellent production of Book-It Repertory Theatre's GREAT EXPECTATIONS....

BWW Review: Grace Carter Creeps Toward Insanity in CoHo's Chilling Adaptation of THE YELLOW WALLPAPER
by Krista Garver - January 20, 2016

CoHo Productions new adaptation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's THE YELLOW WALLPAPER is a disturbing portrait of a woman driven to madness by the very thing that is supposed to cure her....

BWW Review: Milagro's BROKEN PROMISES Takes on the Hidden Problem of Teen Prostitution
by Krista Garver - January 18, 2016

Portland has one of the highest rates of sex trafficking in the U.S. BROKEN PROMISES seeks to bring awareness of this problem to the teenagers who are most at risk....

BWW Review: Experience Captain Ahab's Madness in Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble's [OR, THE WHALE]
by Krista Garver - January 14, 2016

You're in for a wild ride! [OR THE WHALE] is the center of what Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble calls The Journey Play's the Whole Thing, a 'constellation of art objects, events, and experiences' around this play, which is based on Moby Dick....

BWW Review: Artists Rep's THE MIRACLE WORKER is a Beautiful Celebration of the Human Spirit
by Krista Garver - December 16, 2015

Artists Rep's THE MIRACLE WORKER is not your normal holiday fare, but it will leave you with a profound feeling of the power of language and of the resilience of the human spirit....

BWW Review: TWIST YOUR DICKENS Lovingly Lampoons All of the Christmas Traditions We Hold So Dear, at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - December 16, 2015

The Second City's TWIST YOUR DICKENS is a hilarious spoof on all things Christmas, now in its final year at Portland Center Stage....

BWW Review: Feel All the Feels of Christmas at THE SANTALAND DIARIES at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - December 10, 2015

Portland favorite Darius Pierce brings Crumpet the Elf to life in THE SANTALAND DIARIES, a funny, touching adaptation of an essay by David Sedaris....

BWW Review: Hello! THE BOOK OF MERMAN's Coming Up Roses, at Triangle Productions!
by Krista Garver - December 07, 2015

What could be better than a THE BOOK OF MORMON parody featuring Ethel Merman? If you said 'nothing,' you're right! triangle productions! THE BOOK OF MERMAN is pure joy....

BWW Review: Get into the Holiday Spirit with A TAFFETA CHRISTMAS, at Broadway Rose
by Krista Garver - December 07, 2015

Get out your Christmas sweater, fill your glass with mulled wine, and let Broadway Rose's A TAFFETA CHRISTMAS get you into the spirit of the season....

BWW Review: Post5's BITE ME (A LITTLE) Proves There is No Such Thing as Too Much Camp
by Krista Garver - November 27, 2015

Imagine The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and [insert your favorite vampire movie/TV show here] had a baby. That fun, disturbing, and ultra-campy lovechild would be BITE ME (A LITTLE)....

BWW Review: Vana O'Brien is a Witch to be Reckoned with in BROOMSTICK, at Artists Rep
by Krista Garver - November 11, 2015

What is a witch? Artists Rep's BROOMSTICK explores the history and mythology of The Witch....

BWW Review: With AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', Portland Center Stage is Really Jumpin'!
by Krista Garver - November 09, 2015

Portland Center Stage hits a home run with fantastic, high-energy production of AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'....

BWW Review: Tiempo Libre's Music is the Star of Artist Rep's World Premiere Musical CUBA LIBRE
by Krista Garver - November 04, 2015

Loosen your hips, get out your dancing shoes, and get ready to salsa at Artists Rep's world premiere musical CUBA LIBRE....

BWW Review: Plunge into Darkness in PETE's Gripping Fully Immersive Performance ALL WELL
by Krista Garver - October 29, 2015

PETE's ALL WELL, described as a 'sightless play,' is completely different from any experience you've had before. Get your tickets, because it will sell out!...

BWW Review: Religion, Politics, Baseball - America's Favorite Pastimes Come Under the Microscope in Shaking the Tree's Gorgeous PASSION PLAY PART III
by Krista Garver - October 01, 2015

Shaking the Tree's PASSION PLAY is an intense and beautiful work....

BWW Review: Live on Stage's FALSETTOS is Somewhat Chaotic, Very Well Dressed
by Krista Garver - September 29, 2015

Live On Stage's FALSETTOS is a mixed bag, but the costumes are fabulous!...

BWW Review: No Second String Players Here! Artists Rep Starts the Season Strong with THE UNDERSTUDY
by Krista Garver - September 18, 2015

In THE UNDERSTUDY, Artists Rep takes on the intensely personal, and totally relative meaning of meaning....

BWW Review: Margie Boule Brings Tallulah Bankhead to Life in LOOPED, at Triangle Productions!
by Krista Garver - September 11, 2015

LOOPED is funny and sad (and often shocking -- Tallulah had a mouth that would make a sailor blush), and Boule's performance brings out these elements in this well-balanced, well-worth-seeing Triangle production....