Broadway Show Reviews & Critics' Ratings

Just in time for Mental Health Awareness month, Newport Contemporary Ballet presents a captivating evening of three mind-focused pieces, FRAMES OF MIND, at Providence’s WaterFire Arts Center.

BIG FISH is perhaps the ultimate Father’s Day musical, which is why I found it so ironic that I saw the Arts in Motion production of it the day before Mother’s Day. 

A moody dramatic dive into the life of a violinist whose celebrated waltz got him mistaken for Strauss. As lovely as Alberto Barboza’s production looks on stage at the Los Angeles Theatre Center – and as melodic as it often sounds – GHOST WALTZ’s impact is as fleeting as the spirits who populate it.

Santa Fe Playhouse in coming into its own as the theater company most likely to succeed in Santa Fe. The past two seasons have showcased new talent, new and provocative works and productions that have both wide appeal and thought-provoking messages. Their latest offering, What the Constitution Means to Me, is no exception. Directed with precision by Lynn Godwin, the Playhouse production adds one more hit to their incredible run of the past few years.

Get ready to experience the beloved story of MRS. DOUBTFIRE like never before in this heartwarming and hilarious musical adaptation.

You have until Sunday May 19th to make your way to catch jazz delight Jane Monheit sing with her small but very mighty band at Smoke Jazz & Supper Club. Monheit's singing is heavenly.

In performance now through June 2 is HOT THE MUSICAL, an entertaining and original new take on the Greek Mythology surrounding Helen of Troy and the Trojan Wars. The show is staged at Unicorn Theatre on Main Street. This one is definitely worth your time.

PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS is the latest offering from TAZ Theatre Company. It is a bold, astonishing, and urgent work that demands to be seen. Written by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Robert Encila, the play gives the audience a front row seat to the devastating effects of drug addiction. PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS features a knockout performance by Taigé Lauren as Emma. The play is surreal and minimalist in nature and does an effective job bringing the audience into Emma's world from beginning to end. And what a world it is!

Shimmying into Crown Theatre this month is ELVIS: A MUSICAL REVOLUTION, celebrating the life and art of the king of rock n roll. Featuring over 40 songs and a talented cast, not to mention choreography that does so much more than just complement the soundtrack, the show has plenty to offer everyone.

In this second installment of Lanre Malaolu’s trilogy (following SAMSKARA, The Yard Theatre), Now, I  See shines a light on how the physical body holds grief and the ways in which this manifests in the lives of black British men. As two brothers reunite at their late sibling’s celebration of remembrance, they are forced to rebuild connection after their long-standing estrangement and own up to the redemption they seek.

Based on Disney’s 1994 animated film musical of the same name, The Lion King tells the story of Simba, a young lion who is supposed to succeed his father, Mufasa, as King of Pride Rock. But when Simba's uncle, Scar, kills Mufasa, Simba runs away from home after being tricked into thinking that he was responsible. As he comes of age, Simba learns some valuable perspective to go back and take his rightful place as King.

The story of Avital Ash: Workshops Her Suicide Note begins with some context for the audience. Ash’s mother committed suicide when Ash was only an infant and her father remarried, never telling his daughter that her mother was not actually her birth mother.

What did our critic think of COWARDY, COWARDY, CUSTARD at The Arch, Holden Street Theatres?

It is a triumph, a tour de force.

What did our critic think of THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK at Kailash Mital Theatre?

There are countless modern retellings of historical events out there, I could name twenty right now, but Unrivaled does it differently, in a fresh way that deserves to be talked about. The co-production from Seattle Public Theater and SIS Productions is running from now until June 2 at Seattle Public Theater.

What did our critic think of GALILEO at Berkeley Repertory Theatre?

This reviewer says “Bravo” and looking forward to more Pop Sings 54 gala shows! The May 15th show benefitted a very good cause, namely to aid Experience Camps, the national non-profit that helps grieving children who have lost a parent, guardian or sibling, to enjoy a full life. The audience was treated to a smorgasbord of singers and dancers.

The Body’s Midnight is a brilliant, meditative, fiercely funny and brutally heartrending world premiere drama at Boston Court Pasadena.  It is a hard play to capture its essence, both explosively hilarious and lyrical, surreal, and profoundly mournful, a ferocious elegy to all the things that are disappearing.

Blank Theatre’s ON THE 20TH CENTURY makes for a delightful ride through a farcical facsimile of Broadway’s Silver Age, if one can accommodate a few bumps along the way.