RHODE ISLAND THEATER REVIEWS

Playwright Shey Rivera Ríos has vividly refreshed this work as a story for our time and AntigonX, at the Wilbury Theatre, is vibrant and visually stunning....

It begins with a painted door labeled 'Here,' and a giant groaning ear spitting out the names of current conflict hotspots. For the next hour and a half, the iconic Bread and Puppet Theater combines spoken word, movement, music, banners -- and, of course, puppets -- in an evening of powerful, engagi...

Warning: this is not your traditional version of OKLAHOMA!, and good riddance. Without changing a word of the book or lyrics, director Daniel Fish has created a revival of the 1943 musical that highlights different aspects of the material simply by changing the tone in which scenes are presented. T...

Down-on-their luck Broadway stars swoop down on an Indiana town to take up the cause of a high-school student who can't take her girlfriend to the prom. A promising premise, and this first national tour of the award-winning musical delivers all the laughs and spectacle with a knowing wink, while nev...

The multiverse is everywhere now, replete with comic-book heroes and supervillain finger snaps, but in 2014, when British playwright Nick Payne wrote 'Constellations,' it was still pretty edgy. The Brown/Trinity MFA production captures the exciting energy of his vision with two fine performances and...

Providence's Trinity Rep has come roaring back from a two-year pandemic hiatus with a stunning production of August Wilson's 'Gem of the Ocean.' Compelling performances from a cast that includes some of Rhode Island's finest actors at the top of their form make this the must-see theatrical event of ...

The movie An Officer and a Gentleman came out in 1982 to both critical and popular acclaim, but turning this story into a jukebox musical many years later seems like a strange choice.  The cast in this touring production are across the board excellent, but some of the musical choices seem forced, a...

If a tree falls in Brookline, does anybody laugh? That's the question asked by the world-premiere Community Players production of South County playwright David Christner's latest full-length comedy. Sadly, the answer on opening night was 'not very often.'...

Festival Ballet Providence’s popular UP CLOSE ON HOPE series returns to their black box theatre. This innovative program is comprised of four unrelated pieces – two contemporary, one neoclassical, and one romantic, two of which are world-premieres. These shows are the perfect way for audiences t...

In AN OCTOROON, Jacobs-Jenkins seems to delight in taking audiences on a shock-and-awe tour through America’s history and present. In turns horrifying and hilarious, this work manages to elicit almost every emotion a human being can feel as it burrows into your psyche....

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR landed at the Providence Performing Arts Center this week as part of its 50th anniversary tour, and the show does not disappoint. Originally scheduled to visit Providence in 2020, the tour was cut short and delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, however, its return was triumphant a...

Festival Ballet Providence’s new version of THE NUTCRACKER contains new sets, new costumes, new roles, new choreography, and even a new venue, but retains its charm while being exactly the shake-up this Rhode Island tradition needed....

In a recent interview with CNBC, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the highly acclaimed composer and lyricist of HAMILTON, stated how the live show is as popular as ever due to the filmed stage version that has been available on Disney+ since July 2020. That certainly seemed to be true on Wednesday evening, based...

A pair of stimulating, rarely heard pieces — not to mention a pair of young, energetic guest artists — made for a refreshing, unexpected and exhilarating evening at the VETS....

This year marks not only Trinity Repertory Company’s 45th annual production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, but also the company’s return to live theatre after nearly two years - and what a return it is! This production feels particularly joyous, and, as directed by resident company member Joe Wilson, Jr...

The Contemporary Theater Company has crafted a compelling outdoor production that is visually stunning, packed with beautiful musical motifs, and full of powerful performances....

A LIE AGREED UPON is an excellent rewrite of Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 play, AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, and the performances are more than equal to the bold material....

The CTC delivers a perfect union of story and space in this finely polished 90-minutes of intersecting vignettes about an ill-fated park and the people who meet there....

The Rhode Island Philharmonic teamed up with world-famous pianist Emanuel Ax for a performance of Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ concerto, played before the largest in-person crowd the VETS has seen in 16 months....

The Rhode Island Philharmonic’s chamber ensemble had a spring in its step at its last subscription concert of the 2020-21 season....

In A CHRISTMAS CAROL ONLINE, Trinity Rep combines invention and tradition in a celebration of innovative spirit and holiday cheer....

ASSASSINS, the 1990 Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman show featuring the stories of nine successful and would-be presidential assassins, may seem like an odd choice of subject for a musical, particularly as the first musical in the Gamm Theatre's 35 season history. However, with inventive staging an...

HELLO DOLLY first landed on Broadway in 1964, and the current (2017) revival, playing at Providence Performing Arts Center through March 8, won the Tony Award for Best Revival and Best Actress for Bette Midler. While those who have nostalgia for this show will no doubt think it's fun, the uninitia...

Providence theatre-goers have the opportunity to spend considerable time in 18th century France this spring--both at Trinity Rep's A Tale of Two Cities, and now at Brown/Trinity's MFA production of MARIE ANTOINETTE.  Seeing both productions back-to-back makes for an interesting juxtaposition as Tal...

In Tim Firth's Calendar Girls, now being performed by Pawtucket's Community Players, an unlikely group of women bares it all for a charity calendar a?" and learns what each of them is made of in the process....