Rick Mauch — Theater Critic

As for the music, well, like the story around it, it is filled with frolicking fantasy and a snub of its nose at reality. Don’t be surprised if, after seeing the show, you find yourself humming the ditty “I’m Not Dead Yet” or the jovial “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life” when no one’s looking.

A must for stories such as this to click at the highest level is chemistry – most notably between the stars. Many great movies and stage presentations have fallen flat because something just didn’t connect between the main characters. The chemistry between Loehr and Kordell works wonderfully. Their tap dancing routine in “You Can’t Have Me (If You Don’t Have Him)” is both stunning and flawless.

And while I must confess, being a fan of the film trilogy, I entered the theater wondering where the stage version would land in the scheme of BTF lore. I left having seen what might well be one of the best shows ever at Bass Hall.

The children in the show are simply wonderful, led by Mularski, a sixth-grader from Illinois making his professional debut. They are mischevious, full of wonder, and all the things that remind us of the magic of childhood - even with its many challenges. And they harmonize and dance in sync fantastically.

‘& Juliet’ provides a zesty new twist on what history has labeled the greatest love story ever told. And it does so with a fiery mix of humor, uptempo music, sparkling choreography and a performance by 18-year-old Fabioloa Caraballo Quijada as Juliet in her first professional role that indicates a fabulous future in the spotlight.

Chemistry and timing have been a consistent success throughout all the years for the Addams family. It starts with the delightfully over-the-top passion of Gomez and Morticia, pulled off with panache by Aragon and Koher.

Ultimately, “The Life of Pi” delivers a message that we never know what difficulties life will throw at us, and whatever they are we must do all we can to survive. As his father says to him early in the show, ‘Life will defend itself, no matter how small it is.’ It is a story of faith — both in oneself and a higher power and understanding that this combination can help us overcome virtually any challenge.

“Shucked” is, simply put, arguably the funniest comedy I have ever seen in a theater. At Tuesday’s opening night at Bass Hall I was laughing so hard that I almost apologized to the person sitting next to me for being so loud —until I realized they were laughing every bit as loud as me, as was the next person and so forth throughout the entire theater.

Ruffin’s update of the material makes the show feel more timeless, whereas William F. Brown’s script from the 1970s can clearly be connected to that time period. In fact, she reworked over 50% of his original script.

Again, this is not that show. This is the show about a tormented talent who escaped into his incredible music just as his fans did — and still can.

The show also brings the story into the 21st century, with technological updates that did not exist in the original version, such as cell phones, for example. Also, more recent pop culture references include Daniel responding sarcastically to Miranda about the party, “I’ll cancel Taylor Swift.” And Mrs. Doubtfire also asks Siri how to make a meal.

While this version is directed by Alex Timbers, with choreography from Connor Gallagher, with the exception of a few diversions, particularly in the second act, it stays mostly loyal to the subject matter of the original.

“Company” stands tall among Sondheim’s many great works, the likes of which also include “Sweeney Todd,” “West Side Story” and “Into the Woods.” Like those musicals, it continues to stand the test of time — and in this case, also adjusting to the times.