Broadway Show Reviews & Critics' Ratings

What did our critic think of LESLIE ODOM JR. - THE CHRISTMAS TOUR at Fox Cities Performing Arts Center?

QUATTRO MAMME SCELTE A CASO al TEATROSOPHIA NAPOLI E MATERNITA', UN DUO IMPRESCINDIBILE

What did our critic think of LIT! A FESTIVE HOLIDAY MIX STARRING BROADWAY STAR MANDY GONZALEZ at Sheldon Theatre?

What did our critic think of RING OF FIRE: THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH at Merrimack Repertory Theatre?

At a time in which it is easy to feel like who you are is not enough, this production reminds us all that we never have to be anyone other than who we are. What a beautiful message for us all to keep in our hearts. Gettysburg Community Theatre’s Penguin Project is a gift to the actors, the production team, the audience, and the community.

What did our critic think of CINDERELLA at Hillbarn Theatre?

John Hughes Your Own Adventure - LIVE is a whole lot of fun for anyone familiar with Hughes work. Hughes enthusiasts and aficionados will be laughing through their tears. The sold-out runaway hit was the headliner at STL Fringe and one of last summer’s hottest theater tickets. St. Louis Fringe and Cherokee Street Theatre Co. are reprising the outrageous satire at the Kranzberg Black Box. Twelve actors, supported by an offstage announcer (billed as The Voice of God), are hurling themselves about the stage in their homage to John Hughes and his classic films.

To Kill a Mockingbird' at the VST is a potent and timely revival of a classic story. With sharp direction and a deeply affecting performance by the cast, this production brings Harper Lee's tale of justice, prejudice, and childhood innocence vividly to life. It is a stirring courtroom drama and a powerful reminder of the courage it takes to stand up for what is right.

Rollerskates, Elaine Page, ducks, puppets, corpses, puppet corpses, and a DJing Andrew Lloyd Webber. Evita Too is worlds away from the Jamie Lloyd hit that swept London this summer, but it has just as much to say, if not more.

A mountain of discarded wrapping. A lonely child with an active imagination. It’s often the cardboard boxes, not the gifts inside that are the most fun. Is the true gift the joy that can come from the imagination?

Newport Performing Arts Theater has been transformed into a fantastical swamp teeming with color, laughter, and heart.

Cozy, cute, and full of Christmas cheer. That’s what you get with Miracle on 34th Street. That was abound and aplenty at the Connecticut Theatre Company’s production of the motion picture classic! CTC’s production of Miracle on 34th Street kept the joy of the season at the heart of this production, right where it belongs.

What did our critic think of A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS at Olney Theatre? Olney Theatre continues its lovely tradition of its annual rendering of Paul Morella’s one-person adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas.” Now in its 16th year, this rendition of the classic continues to delight audiences. For the second year, DC area veteran actor Michael Russotto masterfully performs all of the almost-fifty characters in the story. This production not only features a fine adaptation of the novella and a stellar performance by Mr. Russotto but also top-notch productions values. The show is full of humor, pathos, charm and fun.

The event was a strong representation of the transformative power of the arts and the importance of creating platforms for Black playwrights and performers.

The movie Elf is one of those films that sticks with you throughout your life; you remember the spaghetti, the syrup, and the unrivaled holiday cheer from the unique story. It’s only natural that a story full of this much nostalgia takes on a new life that honors its legacy. Enter Elf: The Musical. All of the magic of the original movie is packed into a stage show with dancing Santas, larger-than-life Christmas trees, and onstage skating that makes you want to join the fun. Seattle has been gifted its very own production this holiday season at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Elf: The Musical, directed and choreographed by Denis Jones, is now running downtown. 

Director Will Bonfiglio, Music Director Larry D. Pry, Choreogrpaher Jo Palisoc, and the entire company deserve a lot of credit for their all in committed, peppy, and high-spirited production of a marginal show that is staged as a pet project far too often. There are thousands of musical theater assets that have arguably better books and scores that are rarely produced. Legally Blonde the Musical is like a pink piece of bubblegum. At first it sounds appealing, but the flavor does not last long.

Going into Irving Berlin’s WHITE CHRISTMAS, you already know what you are in for. Most people have seen the film starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen, released in 1954.

As the houselights dim at the Metropolitan Opera, the Julie Taymor–directed The Magic Flute transports viewers into a buoyant and kaleidoscopic fairy-tale dreamworld. This abridged, English-language production is a visually sumptuous version of Mozart's singspiel bathed in bold primary colors, shaped by ingenious Masonic-inspired geometric staging, and animated by exquisite puppetry.  

There are many museums dedicated to disaster, but only Britain could create one in which the exhibits are victims of its own fiscal policies. Museum of Austerity, revived at the Young Vic, is a cool, technologically-slick indictment, a moral subpoena served directly to your eyeballs through augmented-reality headsets. Grimmer than a midwinter funeral, the show is misnamed and flawed but serves as a salient reminder of how man’s inhumanity to man never ceases to beggar the imagination. 

The biggest issues with the musical adaptation of 'Water for Elephants' is that it doesn’t seem to know what it’s trying to be, and the choreographic and performance talent in this tour would be better served by stronger material.