Hannah McGinley

There are some standard musical theatre moments that never fail to take my breath away. From the powerful 11th hour “I want” song to a perfectly in sync kick line, certain musical mainstays will simply never get old for me. And one of the best examples of musical nirvana, I believe, is a well-choreographed and expertly executed tap number. Nothing thrills like seeing a group of performers executing the complex and rhythmically entrancing dances that are extremely difficult to master but seem effortless due to the skill and talent of those on stage. So, I was thrilled to have the chance to take in Osceola Arts’ latest production of the classic musical 42ND STREET and I am here to tell you, it did not disappoint. This fantastic production includes some of the finest choreography (and dancing) I have seen on stage here in Central Florida in my four years here and is a fabulous foray into a bygone era of classic movie musicals that provides non-stop entertainment and musical theatre magic in every moment.

Hannah McGinley Lemasters premieres solo cabaret - Backwoods to Broadway - in The Winter Park Playhouse Spotlight Cabaret Series.

The Winter Park Playhouse will continue its 21st season as Central Florida's professional musical theatre with the hit Off-Broadway musical comedy - Ruthless! The Musical!

Sometimes a production comes along that finds the perfect synergy between content, cast and creative vision ultimately delivering an elevated theatrical experience. And when that show is lesser known, but wildly entertaining that makes this perfect alignment seem even more rare. I am thrilled to say that The Winter Park Playhouse has found just such a production in DESPERATE MEASURES, the final offering in its 20th season. This rollicking, hilarious and superbly performed musical comedy is sure to thrill and shows off why The Winter Park Playhouse is truly a gem in the Orlando theatre community.

Closing the highly successful Winter Park Playhouse 20th Anniversary Series, the Off-Broadway hit - Desperate Measures - makes its way to the theatre's Mainstage May 12 - June 11, 2023. 

'Please, sir. I want some more.' These words, spoken by Oliver Twist at the beginning of Lionel Bart's  musical OLIVER! kick off a tumultuous journey for the young boy, hurling him into a world destined to change his life forever. It’s a story familiar to many, and one that continues to inspire, even today. In its latest production, Osceola Arts presents this classic tale with a dedicated and energetic cast that entertains and excites.

Twenty years ago, a group of Walt Disney World cast members decided they wanted to put their talents to good use beyond their roles within the theme parks. Inspired by an Andrew Lloyd Webber 'Birthday Concert' in which stars got together to celebrate the acclaimed composer, they likewise set out to create a concert setting - all on their own time and dime - to help benefit the Central Florida community they call home. What began as a contingent of nearly seventy players has expanded and grown over the next two decades as hundreds of members come and go at their leisure, based upon the time they can give and the talent they can share. In a world filled with uncertainty and strife, it's a blessing that something as inherently good and selfless as Encore! Performing Arts continues to thrive.

Little Shop of Horrors is a horror comedy rock musical with somewhat of a cult following much like Hedwig & the Angry Inch, and Rocky Horror Show. Read our critic's review.

Celebration Theatre Co. will kick off its 2022 Season with TWISTED THE 3RD, the latest in the company's series of 'miscast' cabarets, at The Abbey on Thursday, January 20, at 8pm.

Proceeds from the event will go toward arts scholarships for students in need and in assisting the Orlando Arts Guild in creating brave and inclusive artistic spaces for all.

Settings for musicals range from the rather ordinary to the extraordinary. Audiences can be transported to the pre-war Austrian countryside or the magical world of Oz, or in the case of THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, Celebration Theatre Company’s latest production at Dr. Phillips Center, a county spelling bee. And though this may not sound like the most exciting of places to set a musical, this show is filled with quirky (but lovable) characters, a compelling story and great music – making for a fun couple hours of theatrical magic that is both touching and funny, and which also illustrates some of the challenges facing young people today – parental approval, pressure to excel, first crushes and the intense need to fit in.

Celebration Theatre Company continues its fifth season with Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn's Tony Award-winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, running from April 30 - May 9, 2021 at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts' Alexis and Jim Pugh Theatre.

Audiences in Central Florida will delight in seeing the classic characters of Matilda, Miss Honey, and Headmistress Trunchbull live on stage! Directed by Garden Theatre's Artistic Director Joseph C. Walsh, the production will run November 19 - December 20, with an ASL-interpreted performance on Thursday, December 3 and a Sensory-Friendly performance on Saturday, December 12. Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical is presented by AdventHealth.

SAVE THE DATE: The 2012 First Night Honorees, Most Promising Actors and the First Night Star Award winners will be revealed on Monday, July 23, at the First Night Preview Party...details to follow.

The musical review was created by David Grapes (the former artistic director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre), with musical arrangements and medleys by Andrew Philip Herron, and traces the careers of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney from early on, as the two made their way to Hollywood and became America's Sweethearts, through their sensational careers both in Hollywood and on Broadway.

Granted, Babes in Hollywood isn't for all theater audiences-although, frankly, it should be…what's with you people?-and you'll certainly love it more if you're at least somewhat informed about the Garland/Rooney film oeuvre or the legendarily close relationship the two young stars forged as children and continued throughout their lives. Although that friendship was abruptly ended in 1969 when Garland died in London (I remember reading the news in the Memphis Press-Scimitar as a sixth grader), I've no doubt Mickey Rooney still has conversations with his old pal, somewhere within the recesses of his memory and his heart.

Dickson's Gaslight Dinner Theatre kicks off 2012 by bringing Hollywood and Broadway legends Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney to life via the musical revue Babes in Hollywood: The Music of Garland and Rooney, February 14-March 10.

The musical review was created by David Grapes (the former artistic director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre), with musical arrangements and medleys by Andrew Philip Herron, and traces the careers of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney from early on, as the two made their way to Hollywood and became America's Sweethearts, through their sensational careers both in Hollywood and on Broadway.

Ever wonder how those other Cratchit kids must have felt cast in the shadow of their younger brother Tiny Tim's star-making turn in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol? Let's face it, the kid's a ringer: he's lovable, cute and wise beyond his years and his health, or lack thereof, make him a sentimental favorite of audiences - and clearly, a favorite of his parents. While poor Martha is off being apprenticed to a milliner (who, granted, gives her a day off for Christmas), Tiny Tim is treated tenderly and attentively by dear ol' mum and dad (who fairly dotes on his youngest offspring-now even I can understand why my older siblings dislike me so).