Peter Nason - Page 4

Sometimes a show comes along that is so powerful, at times shattering, with a top-flight cast, that it deserves two Broadway World reviews. Tampa Rep's production of THE ELEPHANT MAN certainly fits into that category. My BWW colleague, Drew Eberhard, saw the show at its final preview, and I had the honor of attending its opening weekend. At the play's center is a performance by Paul Potenza in the title role that should have anyone reading this sentence to stop what they're doing and obtain their tickets ASAP. THE ELEPHANT MAN runs at the HCC Studio Theater in Ybor City thru February 19th, so you better hurry.

You've never seen a LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS quite like this!

A perfect cup of Christmas cheer, thanks to one of our area's most essential artists!

It's a technical marvel from all aspects, with an outstanding cast beautifully directed by Josh Rhodes.

An all-star ensemble with Ryan Bintz soaring to the top as the evil Black Stache!

In 2022, it's more pertinent and scary now than ever!

Craig Ruska and Kara Doyle endear as the leads in this small-scale slice of life musical.

Albert Einstein meets Pablo Picasso (as well as some surprise guests) in this hilarious but sometimes forced comedy.

In a clever twist, Cho, an Asian actor, plays the white Hollywood star who, in 'Breakfast at TifFany's,' played every Asian stereotype as Mr. Yunioshi.

Amazing songs and a strong cast can't mask the fact that American Stage is a peculiar venue to house Green Day's riotous punk masterwork.

It's structurally a mess, but well worth your time to explore.

The musical is all over the place, but key performances make this one show to go out of your way to see.

The wonderful young cast makes this show feel entirely fresh and new!

A wonderful cast, led by Nicole Jeannine Smith and Ryan Prince, brings this sweet show to life, another treasure at the Fringe.

Doug Buffaloe, Elizabeth Sierra Cabrera and a marvelous ensemble stand out in a musical that's wonderfully alive.

Some of the monologues are more gripping than others, but they are all captivating.

Based on real life events, it's a coming out story that needs to be expanded to be able to feel the full emotional weight.

It's mostly a beauty of a production with some beastly issues that get in the way. I have seen dozens of productions of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST over the years, but rarely if ever have I seen Belle connect with the title Beast. Usually the two come across as distant cousins at best, not a romantic pairing for the ages. Sometimes the rose has more personality than this duo. But finally--FINALLY!--we have a Belle and Beast who connect with the Tarpon Arts' latest production of this classic musical (music by Alan Menken; lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice; and a book by Linda Woolverton, although her name was misspelled on the front cover of the program).

Led by a visionary, risk-taking director, Erica Sutherlin, this important work will rattle you to your core.

What did our critic think? Chris Cavazza as George and Lindsey Fabian as Dot are stellar in this production of one of Sondheim's most uncompromising shows.