Review Highlights: DANCE NATION - Valley Players

The Cast
Photo by Scotch & Cake Media

 

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through November 14

"Clare Barron's Dance Nation is a satirical and often provocative look at the lives of preteen girls competing on an ambitious dance team, capturing the insecurities, rivalries, and outsized dreams that accompany their transition from adolescence to young adults. The play offers plenty of intriguing observations about teenage angst, ambition, identity, and the pressures young individuals place on themselves and on one another. Valley Players' production features a cast and direction that are clearly invested in the material, bringing energy and commitment to its somewhat outrageous situations. However, while the piece is frequently evocative, funny, and thought-provoking, the fragmented storytelling and occasional confusing imagery keep it from being entirely cohesive or emotionally satisfying."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

"The play may be polarizing to audiences. Loud in its message, its description and openness about genitalia and the girls discovering their bodies use an in-your-face approach. The messages in the show about coming of age in that way are in no way subtle. Although this lack of subtlety is not negative, it may not resonate with audience members who cannot relate to it. However, for those who like a boisterous take and can relate to being a young woman, the message resonates well. Through its exaggerated portrayal of serious topics, DANCE NATION is like laughing off something you are not yet ready to process."   - Cheyenne Lewis, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: PROOF - Arizona Theatre Company

Kate Mansi and Scott Lowell
Photo by Tim Fuller

 

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through November 8

"David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize winning Proof is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonating drama that explores the intricate connections among mathematics, mental health, trust, and family relationships. At its heart, the play considers what it means to inherit not only a parent's brilliance, but also the fears, vulnerabilities, and emotional burdens that can accompany it. With sensitive direction and a compelling cast, including an emotionally searing performance from Kate Mansi, Arizona Theatre Company's superb production of the Tony-winning play brings these layered themes to life in a thoughtful and engaging way."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

"Arizona Theatre Company’s (ATC) season opener, “Proof,” brings multiple elements together to create an exciting and dynamic production.  First is the play, a 2000 Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award honoree David Auburn play about mathematicians working out theories within the context of solving complicated family and personal battles that have played out without resolutions for years. The play marks the ATC debut of acclaimed movie and television performer Kate Mansi portraying Catherine, the central character.  “Proof” also marks the return of longtime ATC artistic director David Ira Goldstein to brilliantly stage the production. These stellar elements combine to craft a winning creation of a popular and timely play that is rich artistically and leaves theatergoers thinking seriously about inner relationships among colleagues and relatives.  ATC’s “Proof” is outstanding and meaningful theater that deserves the attention of local theatergoers who cherish fine productions of significant plays."     -Chris Curcio, Curtain Up Phoenix (click here to read the complete review)

"Kate Mansi is extraordinary as Catherine, whose intelligence is matched by an emotional vulnerability that she cannot always explain, much less control. Having devoted years of her life to caring for her brilliant but increasingly troubled father, Catherine faces the unsettling possibility that she inherited her father’s gift and, with it, his illness."   - Herbert Paine, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: DON'T BOTHER ME, I CAN'T COPE - Black Theatre Troupe

The Cast
Photo by Tim Trumble

 

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through November 8

"With its infectious score, exuberant choreography, and spirited ensemble cast, The Black Theatre Troupe brings vibrant energy to its production of Micki Grant's Tony nominated Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope. A celebration of Black life, culture, and community, the show is filled with humor, social commentary, and music that moves from gospel and soul to jazz and funk. The entire cast embraces its joyful, unapologetic spirit, with the addition of sure-footed direction and wonderful choreography that creates a theatrical experience that feels both entertaining and deeply connected to the events and community it celebrates."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: ANNIE - Hale Centre Theatre

 Ryann Monn and Adam Guinn
Photo by Nick Woodward-Shaw

 

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Click here for more information on this production that runs through November 21

"With its memorable songs, heartwarming story, and hopeful message, Annie is a beloved musical that can, unfortunately, sometimes veer into overly sentimental territory. Thankfully, Hale Centre Theatre's production features a very talented cast who embrace the show's optimism without making its characters overly saccharine or cloying. The performers, including Ryann Moon who is fantastic in the title role, find the humanity beneath these familiar characters, allowing the humor, hardships, and heartfelt moments to shine. The end result is an incredibly solid production that delivers an entertaining and satisfying take on this enduring musical."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights - WATER FOR ELEPHANTS - National Tour/ASU Gammage

Zachary Keller and Helen Krushinski 
Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through November 1

"With its combination of romance, drama, and high-flying acrobatics, the musical Water for Elephants delivers a bright theatrical experience that brings the colorful yet often harsh world of a Depression-era traveling circus to life on stage. Based on Sara Gruen's bestselling novel of the same name, the national tour production features an appealing cast, imaginative staging, and impressive physical performances. While the storytelling and score do not always reach the same heights as the production's visual and athletic artistry, the end result is still engaging and filled with theatrical magic."  - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

"When the show builds toward its climactic circus chaos, the theatrical machinery roars thrillingly to life. The final upheaval, part spectacle, part emotional release, delivers the kind of pulse-quickening moment that reminds you why live theater can feel more electric than any other forum for telling a story. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS may not be a perfectly balanced musical, but as a piece of theatrical spectacle where acrobats fly and a circus flickers into life, it offers something undeniably magical. And if, as a child, you’d ever felt the urge to run away and join the circus, or at least spend two hours pretending you did, this touring production offers a generous invitation."   - David Appleford, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)

REVIEW: MAN OF LA MANCHA - Arizona Musicfest/Herberger Theater Center

Paulo Szot
Photo by Tim Trumble

by Gil Benbrook

Arizona Musicfest/Herberger Theater Center's fully staged concert production of Man of La Mancha brings fresh life to the classic musical, combining a talented cast led by Tony winner Paulo Szot with the glorious sound of a large orchestra performing Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion's memorable score. While the ending is emotionally powerful but relentlessly bleak, the performances capture the show's humor, idealism, and emotional depth that have made this show so beloved for over 60 years. Hearing the sweeping orchestrations live adds richness to the familiar songs, making this an especially rewarding production of a musical whose message of hope continues to resonate.

The story unfolds in a Spanish prison during the Inquisition, where playwright Miguel de Cervantes and his servant are imprisoned while awaiting a hearing. To defend himself against fellow prisoners who threaten to confiscate his belongings, Cervantes stages a play within the play, transforming himself into the idealistic Don Quixote. Joined by his loyal companion, Sancho Panza, Quixote sets out to right wrongs and pursue an impossible dream, seeing beauty and nobility where others see only harsh reality. His encounters with Aldonza, a serving woman whom he regards as the noble Dulcinea, reveal both the power and the fantastical nature of his idealism.

Mitch Leigh's score, with lyrics by Joe Darion, includes many well-known songs, including one of musical theatre's best: "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)." Dale Wasserman's book sets Cervante's 17th century novel "Don Quixote" as a play within a play during the Inquisition. The musical was based on Wasserman's teleplay, "I, Don Quixote," and his idea to use Cervante's himself as the character who tells the tale of the story he wrote, while he's waiting trial, is a master stroke in finding a way to pull the audience into the fantasy and idealism of "Don Quixote." However, the musical is episodic in nature, so it does have some detractions as it weaves back and forth between the tale of Quixote and the trials and tribulations of Cervantes. However, the sense of idealism and hope in the show is so strong and powerful that it just about makes up for any if its shortcomings.

As Cervantes and Don Quixote, Paulo Szot gives the production a commanding center. He brings dignity, warmth, and a touch of delightful eccentricity to the dreamer, making his devotion to chivalry feel sincere rather than merely comical. Szot's clear, resonant baritone singing voice excels throughout the score, particularly in the soaring anthem "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)," which becomes a stirring expression of the character's unwavering belief in a better world. Szot's larger than life operatic nature provides a powerful base for the character yet he also finds the humanity beneath Quixote's grand gestures, giving the role an emotional depth that makes the musical's poignant moments especially affecting.

Maria Bilbao brings strength and vulnerability to Aldonza, conveying the character's fierce independence while allowing glimpses of the wounded woman beneath her tough exterior. As Sancho Panza, David Josefsberg provides warm comic relief and steadfast loyalty, creating an appealing counterbalance to Quixote's lofty aspirations. Tyler Thompson offers a compassionate performance as the Padre; his solo of "To Each His Dulcinea" is gorgeous. Ivana Martinic and James Zannelli as Antonia and Carrasco, respectively, bring contrasting perspectives to Quixote's idealism. Thompson, Martinic and Allison Graham deliver a lovely rendition of the "I'm Only Thinking of Him" trio.

As the Innkeeper who is somewhat confused by Quixote's lofty claims, Jesse Berger adds warmth and humor, including a lovely solo on "Night of the Woeful Countenance" assisted by Kathleen Berger. Chad Millar's lush vocals shine on a few small solo moments while CJ Blankenship, Tony Blosser, Tony Castellanos, Michael Paul Wallot and Rob Watson all do good work in a series of supporting roles. Together, the entire cast and the ensemble give the story energy and a nuanced sense of emotion throughout.

Mark Stoddard's direction and Kathleen Brazie's choreography keep the action lively and engaging without skirting the musical's more serious emotions. Although the production does not rely on elaborate scenery, a few large scenic elements and detailed period costumes help create a fully realized world. With the dramatic action unfolding mostly in front of the orchestra, along with a raised stage toward the back, it makes the musicians an integral part of the experience rather than a distraction under Josh Condon's expert music direction and conducting.

Due to its disjointed narrative and play within a play format, some may find the momentum of Man of La Mancha to have too many interruptions, but its score is glorious and the production at Arizona Musicfest/Herberger Theater Center succeeds through its strong performances, vibrant musical presentation, and heartfelt storytelling. It reminds us that pursuing an ideal is not foolish simply because success is uncertain, and that by having the courage to dream may be its own kind of victory.

Man of La Mancha runs through October 25, 2026 at Arizona Musicfest and the Herberger Theater Center, with performance at the Herberger Theater Center, 222 East Monroe St., Phoenix, AZ. For tickets and information, visit www.azmusicfest.org or call the Herberger Box Office 602-254-7399.

Music Director / Conductor: Josh Condon
Stage Director: Mark Stoddard
Assistant Director / Choreographer: Kathleen Brazie
Stage Manager: Courtney Kenyon
Costume Designer: Cheryl Bender
Costume Assistants: Joshua Morris, Laurena Kerber-Ketzel
Sound Designer: Brian Honsberger
Lighting Designer: Nathaniel White
Props Manager: Sarah Salmi
Audio Assistant: Matt Drui
Arizona Musicfest, Executive and Producing Director, CEO: Allan Naplan
Arizona Musicfest, Director of Concert Operations: Patrick Murphy
Herberger Theater Center, President & CEO: Mark Mettes
Herberger Theater Director of Production Services and Facilities: Nick Hutchinson

Cast: 
Don Quixote / Cervantes: Paulo Szot*
Aldonza / Dulcinea: Maria Bilbao*
Sancho Panza: David Josefsberg*
Innkeeper: Jesse Berger
Padre: Tyler Thompson
Dr. Carrasco / Knight of the Mirrors: James Zannelli
Antonia/Ensemble: Ivana Martinic
Tenorio / Ensemble: Raymond Barcelo
Maria: Kathleen Berger
Ensemble: Lauren Berman
Pedro: CJ Blankenship
Duke / Ensemble: Tony Blosser
Ensemble: Benjamin Cadriel
The Barber: Tony Castellanos
Ensemble: Aubrey Charee
Housekeeper / Ensemble: Allison Graham
Fermina / Ensemble: Mia Johnson
Anselmo: Chad Millar
Jose: Rashawn Mills
Ensemble: Lorin Mae Phillips
Ensemble: Cammie Roberts
Captain of the Inquisition / Ensemble: Michael Paul Wallot
Governor: Rob Watson

*Appears courtesy of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

Review Highlights: SUFFS - The Phoenix Theatre Company

Cassie Chilton and the Cast
Photo by Bailey Crawford

 

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through November 29

"The Tony Award-winning Suffs brings the long struggle for women's suffrage in America to the stage, beautifully combining stirring music, political conflict, and compelling personal stories to shed light on a pivotal chapter in history. With a strong cast and crisp direction, The Phoenix Theatre Company delivers a moving regional theatre premiere production that celebrates the determination of the women who fought for the right to vote while acknowledging the divisions and sacrifices that shaped their movement. The drive for equality is a subject that remains relevant today, and the show's combination of humor, passion, and hard-won progress makes for an engaging and thought-provoking experience."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

"Getting women the vote in this country wasn’t easy and in the early 20th century the right became a major issue until it finally came. This long-fought battle is brilliantly outlined and thoroughly explained in “Suffs,” by Shaina Taub who wrote the entire musical including a pleasing score and insightful historical details.  The show is brought to sparkling life in The Phoenix Theatre Company (TPTC) sharply energetic Chelsea Anderson staging.  The production is enhanced by a superlative cast who bring each woman who played a role in the fight to throbbing life."    -Chris Curcio, Curtain Up Phoenix (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: RICHARD III - Southwest Shakespeare Company

Keath Hall and Owen Rapkoch
Photo by Devon C. Adams

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 24

"Like most of Shakespeare's works, Richard III can be a demanding piece, for both a production's cast and the audience. While it's set over 600 years ago, and filled with political maneuvering and plenty of deception, Southwest Shakespeare Company's production makes it all feel remarkably accessible. The cast, led by Keath Hall as Richard, operates like a well-oiled machine, delivering Shakespeare's prose with clarity while creating identifiable characters whose ambitions, fears, and personal conflicts keep the drama engaging. The result is an incredibly solid production that balances the play's historical weight with the excitement, dark humor, and suspense that make Shakespeare's works so enduring."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: THE PILLOWMAN - Fifth Wall Playhouse

Marcel Williams, Melody Knudson, and CJ Mascarelli
Photo by Jason Walz

 

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 18

"While the subject matter of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman is dark and filled with shocking stories and unsettling violence, Fifth Wall Playhouse's production keeps the material intriguing from beginning to end. Strong performances and assured direction draw the audience into the increasingly disturbing circumstances, which make this production of McDonagh's award-winning play both thought provoking and difficult to look away from. Although the play explores some uncomfortable territory, its blend of psychological suspense, dark humor, and unexpected revelations makes for an incredibly compelling drama."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: EUREKA DAY - Stray Cat Theatre

Tony Latham, Jon Gentry, Felicia Penza, Willa Eigo, and Bonnie Beus Romney
Photo by John Groseclose

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 17

"Jonathan Spector's Eureka Day is an intriguing play that explores the often combative debate over childhood vaccinations through a group of parents and school administrators whose differing beliefs bring questions of parental responsibility, scientific evidence, and community accountability to the forefront. The cast of Stray Cat Theatre's production does an excellent job breathing life into the play's varied characters, portraying their conflicting perspectives, personal convictions, and emotional struggles with authenticity and nuance. As the views of the character's collide, the play challenges audiences to consider how fear, trust, misinformation, and deeply held convictions shape decisions that can affect far more than one family while also encouraging audiences to examine their own beliefs."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

"As our society confronts multi-faceted challenges, the problems invite a variety of possible answers.  Because complex issues often have multiple solutions debates begin as people fall sway to specific responses that result in heated discussions. Playwright Jonathan Spector explores this debate with sharp wit and clever arguments in his Tony Award-winning play “Eureka Day.”  Stray Cat Theatre is presenting the play’s local premiere in what unfortunately is one of the troupe’s weakest presentations.  The plodding production staged by Louis Farber muddles the play as it meanders instead of becoming a gripping and stimulating piece that brings Spector’s play to vibrant life.  Most distressing in this mediocre production is an acting ensemble who, with only one exception, fails to make Spector’s rich dialogue understandable."    -Chris Curcio, Curtain Up Phoenix (click here to read the complete review)

" Some of the humor lands exactly where you expect it to. But the writer’s observations, coupled with (Louis)  Farber’s sure handling of an excellent Stray Cat ensemble keep the satire from settling too comfortably into anything resembling superiority. The real drama is in what happens when beliefs become inseparable from personal identity....Stray Cat Theatre’s incisive production of EUREKA DAY offers no convenient prescription. Instead, it leaves you with the uncomfortable business of deciding what it means to listen when listening alone is no longer enough."   - David Appleford, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: PIPPIN - Arizona Broadway Theatre

Matthew Richards Jr. and Jazmin Noel Moehring
Photo by Alexxis Grant, Timeless Present Photos

 

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through November 8

"There is a lot to enjoy in Pippin, Stephen Schwartz (score) and Roger O. Hirson's (book) slightly unconventional musical about a young man searching for meaning, purpose, and his own place in the world. Arizona Broadway Theatre's production benefits from energetic direction, inventive choreography, and a talented cast who embrace the show's theatricality. While Schwartz's score remains fantastic, with several songs that have become musical theatre standards, the slightly klunky book occasionally keeps Pippin from rising to the extraordinary....Lynzee Foreman's direction and the choreography by Catrina Teresa Contini maintain a nearly seamless flow of energy and enthusiasm while bringing a sense of mystery and suspense to the production...Matthew Richards Jr. effectively conveys Pippin's youthful uncertainty and growing desire to find something more meaningful than the life chosen for him. As the Leading Player, Jazmin Noel Moehring brings the necessary combination of charm, mystery, and menace, along with sleek and impressive dance moves, making the character an alluring guide whose intentions become increasingly questionable. Richards and Moehring have fantastic singing voices that impressively deliver soaring versions of many of Schwartz's beloved songs."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

"There is something wonderfully deceptive about PIPPIN. On the surface, it’s a musical about a young prince who wants to do something extraordinary with his life. It gives him wars to fight, kingdoms to conquer, women to pursue, a father to challenge…and, in Arizona Broadway Theatre’s exhilarating new production, a theatrical universe in which meaning and gravity seem negotiable." 

  - Herbert Paine, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: THE CRUCIBLE - Actors PLAYground Theater Company

Anora Biggs and Brian Fleisch
Photo courtesy of Actors PLAYground Theater Company

 

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 11

"Arthur Miller's The Crucible remains one of the most powerful dramatic depictions of fear, hysteria, and the dangerous consequences of allowing accusations to replace evidence. Though written more than 70 years ago, Miller's excellent play still feels remarkably relevant today, when anxiety, misinformation, and the rush to condemn others can spread with alarming speed. With a fantastic cast and precise direction, Actors PLAYground Theater Company's production captures the play's intensity while reminding us why Miller's chilling warning continues to resonate....Amber Ryan's direction handles the play's dramatic tension exceptionally well, building steadily toward the explosive confrontations and chilling moments when the girls claim to be possessed. Those scenes are staged with perfect results, making their increasingly elaborate accusations both disturbing and compelling."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: JEKYLL & HYDE - Emerald City Players

Derek Neumann and Zeke Collins
Photo by Kristy Velesko

 

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 11

"With its gothic atmosphere, soaring musical numbers, and exploration of the duality of human nature, the musical Jekyll & Hyde provides plenty of theatrical thrills. Emerald City Player's current production adds an intriguing gender-bending twist by casting a male actor as Lucy, one of the musical's central characters. Although this choice creates some interpretive complications, the three leads deliver strong performances, and the direction establishes an appropriately eerie and moody atmosphere that complements the material while offering a dark and intriguing take on this classic tale....As Jekyll and Hyde, Derek Neumann is excellent, creating a compelling distinction between the doctor's earnest idealism and his alter ego's menacing brutality. His performance gives the central conflict an immediacy that anchors the production. Neumann's voice soars on his many songs and he does a great job creating two distinct personalities for Jekyll and Hyde by simply altering his posture and voice.Zeke Collins is equally effective as Lucy, projecting just the right balance of strength and fragility while making the character's vulnerability and resilience equally apparent. Collins' portrayal never panders to caricature or stereotype, instead creating a layered, nuanced depiction of, assumedly, a young gay man who has found himself at the bottom of the barrel, performing in a seedy London club but looking for a way out to a better life. "   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: THE NERD - Order Chaos Theater Company

Nat Tilden and Nick Philips
Photo by Jason Walz, Fourth Wall Photo Studio

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 4

"Larry Shue's The Nerd is a hilarious yet good-natured comedy that gets plenty of mileage from an increasingly outrageous situation. With a cast more than up to the challenges of Shue's zany script, and smart direction that leans into the wacky side of the plot and its eccentric characters, Order Chaos Theater Company's production embraces the play's larger-than-life humor while maintaining the warmth underneath....The cast is great. Nick Philips finds the humor in Rick Steadman's obliviousness without simply turning him into a cartoon character or a buffoon. Philips also fully commits to the character's bizarre behavior and obnoxious ways, delivering a performance that's wacky yet also endearing and creating a character he manages to make entirely lovable. Nat Tilden gives Willum Cubbert, the successful but somewhat socially awkward architect whose life is turned upside down by Rick's arrival, an appealing mixture of decency and exasperation which makes his growing frustration easy to identify with and understand."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: SHE LOVES ME - Don Bluth Front Row Theatre

Cody DeLisa, Reece Harris, Meg Faraoni, Katie Allen, Hector Coris,
Isaac Greenland, and Clay Sanderson
Photo by Mark Gluckman

 

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 31

"The comical, charming, and romantic elements that have made She Loves Me such a beloved musical comedy since it debuted over 60 years ago are on full display in Don Bluth Front Row Theatre's extremely likable production. Warmly directed and well cast, the musical captures the sweetness and humor, as well as the many complications of falling in love with a wonderfully appealing ensemble of actors who play the comical characters surrounding the show's central romantic couple. The result is a production that entirely embraces the show's old-fashioned charm."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: COME FROM AWAY - Fountain Hills Theater

The Cast
Photo by Patty Torrilhon

 

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 4

"About ten years ago, when I first heard that a musical about the events of September 11, 2001 was being developed and tried out at regional theatre companies, I was skeptical. I questioned why we needed a stage musical about such a painful and tragic moment in our history, and wondered what a musical could possibly add to our understanding of an event that had affected so many lives. I'm sure I wasn't alone in having those doubts. After having seen that show, Come from Away, on Broadway, on tour, in a regional production earlier this year, and on the 25th anniversary weekend of the event, it's understandable why this show has connected with so many. Instead of providing a salacious or sensationalized take on the events of what happened, it's a superb musical that focuses on people's compassion in times of need and the power of human kindness. Fountain Hills Theater's production of this Tony Award winning show has a lovely cast and rich direction that beautifully hits all of the highs and lows in the story and results in a moving, cathartic, and emotionally joyous celebration of life."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: THE EXONERATED - The Black Theatre Troupe

Ken Love and Cast
Photo by Tim Trumble

  

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through September 27

"The Exonerated is an intriguing and thought-provoking play that demonstrates the human cost of our flawed justice system. Written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, this compelling documentary-style drama gives voice to people who were convicted of crimes they did not commit and who spent years behind bars before being exonerated. In The Black Theatre Troupe's incredibly powerful production, the strong cast and spot-on direction create more than just a series of courtroom stories, they deliver an intimate, moving examination of injustice, perseverance, hope, and redemption."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

"This is a production of real craft in service of real urgency: beautifully directed, powerfully acted, and unwilling to let its audience leave comfortable. THE EXONERATED asks hard questions about who our justice system prioritizes. Black Theatre Troupe answers with theatre that demands to be seen and with a force that leaves the audience shaken, grateful, and angry in roughly equal measure."   - Herbert Paine, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME: HIGH SCHOOL VERSION at Greasepaint Youth Theatre

 

Riley Gerkin and Rob Foley
Photo by Funny For a Girl Productions

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through September 20

"Once Upon a One More Time is a fun, upbeat musical that proves Britney Spears' catalog of pop songs can provide the tunestack for a surprisingly entertaining stage musical that revises familiar fairy tales with a modern sensibility. Featuring close to two dozen of Spears' songs, including all of her biggest hits, the show cleverly weaves tunes including "Oops!... I Did It Again," "Lucky," "Circus," "Toxic," and "Stronger" into an original story rather than simply stringing together these familiar numbers into a backstage tale about Spears' career. Greasepaint Youth Theatre's production of the high school version of the show, which uses the same script and songs as the Broadway version, features an energetic cast and warm direction that makes for a fun combination of pop concert, fairy-tale comedy, and feminist fable."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: SPINNING INTO BUTTER - Ghostlight Theatre

Kris McQuaid, Howie Johnson, Justin Harris, and Lynn Golden
Photo by Sheridan Wood

 

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through September 6

"Set on the campus of a small Vermont college, Rebecca Gilman's drama, Spinning into Butter, is a thought-provoking and provocative piece that examines race, prejudice, privilege, and the ways people realize and attempt to confront their own racial biases. It explores the difference between believing oneself to be tolerant and actually challenging and overcoming one's beliefs and their deeply ingrained attitudes about race. Although the play occasionally struggles with pacing, particularly during an extended monologue in the second act, Ghostlight Theatre's production is well cast and directed and offers an evocative exploration that asks difficult questions about and examines racial prejudices. First produced in 1999, the play still remains relevant today with racial conflicts that continue to make the daily news."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

Review Highlights: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN - Hale Centre Theatre

Tyler Brignone and Austin Delp
Photo by Nick Woodward-Shaw

 

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 3

"Catch Me If You Can may not have proven popular in its initial 2011 Broadway run, lasting only six months, but its catchy, jazz-infused score, intriguing book, and captivating characters make for a snazzy musical comedy. Hale Centre Theatre's current production is fantastic, with sure-footed direction and a cast who deliver excellent portrayals, including Joshua Ransford and Austin Delp as the two leads: a young con man on the run and the FBI agent trying to catch him....Director Cambrian James does a wonderful job in not only keeping the show moving at a quick pace but in ensuring the actors bring emotional weight to their roles while also instilling a wonderful 1960s sensibility in the actors' portrayals and in his wonderful choreography. ...understudy Joshua Ransford and Austin Delp.. both excel in their roles. Ransford has the perfect blend of youthful innocence and enthusiasm. His clear, powerful singing voice soars on his many songs and the charisma he brings to Frank instantly makes him a likable young man, even though he's a crook. Delp is fantastic as Hanratty. He gives weight and a nice emotional depth to the role of this overworked and somewhat lonely man"   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)