Broadway Show Reviews & Critics' Ratings

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.

The Washington Ballet’s The Nutcracker was a faithful rendition of the holiday classic with a whimsical Washingtonian twist. When it comes to the ballet classic Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, you'll find that each company strives to find a way to make it new again.

What a remarkable and entertaining night of theatre. 'Be A Lion' was absolutely sensational. Based on a spinoff of The Wizard of Oz/The Wiz, 'Be A Lion' answers the proposed question, 'What happened to the Emerald City after 'The Wizard' left? What an incredible journey with sensational songs and glamourous costumes.

A festive whirlwind of skits, songs, jokes, and just enough dance to keep your toes tapping, A VERY MERRY MUSIC BOX CHRISTMAS is everything you want a holiday variety show to be—warm, silly, tuneful, and absolutely packed with personality.

On August 24, the theater production company Broadwayang put on their latest production, Mahar Kemerdekaan (“The Dowry of Independence”) at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta. It’s based on the true story of Indonesia’s founding fathers and how their love lives intertwine with the struggle for independence.

Considered the first Irish “state of the nation” play, it’s now turned into a historical vignette imbued with hoarse black comedy. Its long placid rests are interrupted regularly by blazes of humorous energy: it entertains, but the pacing is slightly too slow for it to be full-on engaging. It’s a worthy curiosity.

A spellbinding love story about the beautiful Princess Aurora banished to a faraway land to keep her safe from the wicked sorceress, Carabosse who places an evil curse on her that if she pricked her finger before her 21st birthday, she would die! Little did she know that the Queen cast a counter-spell to Carabosse’s curse, ensuring that if Aurora ever did prick her finger on a spindle, she wouldn’t die, but sleep peacefully until woken by true love’s kiss

What happens after Happily Ever After, after all? In Sondheim and Lapine’s beloved musical retelling of the Grimm classics, a parade of familiar folktale figures find their way “Into the Woods” and try to get home before dark—under the guidance of Mark Lamos, who dazzled us with A Little Night Music in 2008. What did the critics think of Jordan Fein's revival?

Alison Spittle: BIG begins with Spittle entering the stage wearing a costume made out of colourful loofahs, before pulling it off to reveal a sequined outfit underneath. But this isn’t just a costume reveal - Spittle confesses to the audience that, while she is still fat (and has been since she was eight), she has recently lost a considerable amount of weight. BIG is about not only the weight loss journey, but Spittle’s relationship with her body over the years.