RHODE ISLAND THEATER REVIEWS

Comedic and thought-provoking are both accurate terms for Epic Theatre Company's Rhode Island premiere of Lauren Gunderson's 2018 play, THE REVOLUTIONISTS....

From the moment you enter the theater - through a narrow hallway lit an antiseptic white - you are plunged into an immersive and disorienting experience in OUT LOUD's new one-act, CREATION X. The one-hour show, an intense character study of a scientist and 'monster,' is by turns enigmatic, thought...

TrinityRep's Macbeth is full of surprises...

"Every time I sing this song, I hope it's the last time," states the Poet, our guide through the one-man show AN ILIAD, currently playing at Trinity Rep....

As a massive Roald Dahl fan, this reviewer secretly hopes his entire catalog will wind up as Broadway shows someday. For now, we have Matilda The Musical (London 2010, Broadway 2013) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (London 2013, Broadway 2017). The stage version of the 1964 novel that has ha...

It's clear Ajijaak on Turtle Island will go on to win hearts and fans for years to come....

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The national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical CATS has kicked off in Providence and, based on Thursday night's performance, this revival is in exceedingly fine form....

The Night Watch runs until February 10 at the Gamm Theatre in Warwick, RI....

HEDWIG is one of those musicals that is a perfect balance of humor and tragedy with absolutely fantastic songs. The production currently at Academy Players, directed by Ted Clement is so satisfying to watch, and is an overwhelming spectacle of music with an incredibly talented cast. Kevin Broccoli...

The Burn runs until February 3 at the The Wilbury Theatre Group in Providence, R.I....

THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA is one of those deliciously sinister plays that unpacks social mores, female relationships, self destruction and repression in a way that is eminently watchable. The current production at Epic Theatre features Michelle L. Walker as Bernarda Alba, a part so perfectly cast ...

The Homeric epic The Odyssey, is at its core, a story of a man trying to return home after a war. black odyssey is much the same, but instead of Odysseus, hero of the Trojan war, we follow Ulysses Lincoln, a black man who joined the army to earn some money for his young family, but who was pulled i...

Festival Ballet Providence's annual production of THE NUTCRACKER is a highlight of the Christmas season. Although some aspects of the production remain the same from one year to the next, there are always some small changes, and the show is no less affecting upon repeated viewings....

If you took two plutonium hemispheres labeled 'American folk tradition' and 'cerebral poetry' and smashed them together in a critical mass, the musical 'Futurity' would be the resulting atomic explosion. The Wilbury Theatre Group in Providence has captured the chaotic energy of this show in a produ...

In the 175 years since Charles Dickens penned 'A Christmas Carol,' there have been countless productions, featuring everyone from Patrick Stewart to Mr. Magoo. The Contemporary Theater Company (CTC) of Wakefield, RI has managed a holiday miracle: a highly theatrical version, enjoyable by the whole f...

ANASTASIA, based on the 1997 animated musical film of the same name, tells the tale of the supposed daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, who was alleged to have escaped her family's execution. Though the plot is based on historical events, it's not necessarily historically accurate, preferring instead to ...

Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins seems like a man who likes to make theatre audiences uncomfortable, and make them question their most basic reactions. Rhode Islanders will be familiar with his play Appropriate, which was at Trinity Rep in 2016, and may have left many scratching their heads in a '...

Trinity Rep's annual A CHRISTMAS CAROL production is always delightful in new and exciting ways. This year, they've partnered with 56 choirs from Rhode Island (and a few from Massachusetts) to make each show unique and feature even more local talent. This is a lovely addition to the classic story,...

Sunday evening your intrepid correspondent headed to Veterans Auditorium to catch a band called LAKE STREET DIVE. I had seen the group perform on Colbert twice and thought, 'Well, that's pretty interesting.' So when I heard they were coming to the Veterans Auditorium in Providence, I decided to go. ...

Festival Ballet's UP CLOSE ON HOPE series is always an opportunity for the company to branch out from the classical ballet most are familiar with to really show the range and talent of the dancers and choreographers.  This fall program features five world premiere pieces largely in a more modern st...

When it comes to Halloween season musicals, few are as appropriate as LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS - an ever growing plant with a taste for human blood, a sadistic dentist, and the potential loss of everything you've ever dreamed of? There's plenty to feel uneasy about. Fortunately the show balances out t...

In the interest of full disclosure, what I know about modern dance could fit in a thimble. In addition, I am a Boston Red Sox fan of the first magnitude, back to the days of Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski. So what was I doing out at Veterans Auditorium on a Friday night when game three of the Wor...

Sit, stay...see Sylvia at the Newport Playhouse....

THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA is among Tennessee Williams' least-know plays, but still one that resulted in over 300 performances on Broadway and a 1964 film version starring Richard Burton and directed by John Huston. Unlike Williams' more famous works, it's likely that audiences don't know much about t...