Taylor Clemons

What did our critic think of LES MISERABLES at Whitney Hall At KPA?

What did our critic think of JERSEY BOYS at Derby Dinner Playhouse? The biography jukebox musical is quite the unique brand of theatre experience. So many come to mind in recent years (Beautiful, The Cher Show, MJ, Tina, etc.), but you could easily argue that Jersey Boys was the first of its kind in the modern theatre landscape.

Summertime and Shakespeare are a tried and true match. Every year across the country, theaters undoubtedly program Shakespeare into their schedules. This year Louisville’s own Drag Daddy Productions is getting in on the fun with a new and modern take on one of the Bard’s most well-known classics, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Artistic Director (and show director) Tony Lewis first conceived this piece in 2005, and now almost 20 years later has brought it to Louisville audiences.

In the past few years in film, television, and onstage, it’s been proven that nostalgia sells…and it sells well. So it only seems natural (or should I say supernatural) that a spooky season favorite film Beetlejuice would make its way to the stage in a big flashy Broadway musical.

What did our critic think of SIX at Kentucky Performing Arts?

What did our critic think of CLUE at Whitney Hall? Clue first and foremost is a classic Parker Brothers board game that has been a family favorite since its publication in 1949.

What did our critic think of SWEENET TODD at Derby Dinner Playhouse? Depending on who you ask about the late Stephen Sondheim’s body of work, I’d venture that most would say his masterpiece is the melodramatic revenge quasi-gothic horror opera Sweeney Todd.

What did our critic think of MAMMA MIA! at Clowes Memorial Hall?

What did our critic think of FROZEN at Kentucky Performing Arts?

In the past few years in film, television, and onstage, it’s been proven that nostalgia sells…and it sells well. So it only seems natural (or should I say supernatural) that a spooky season favorite film “Beetlejuice” would make its way to the stage in a big flashy Broadway musical.

What did our critic think of CHICAGO THE MUSICAL IN CONCERT at Music Hall?

What did our critic think of MRS. DOUBTFIRE at Aronoff Center?

What did our critic think of TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at Whitney Hall?

What did our critic think of GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at Aronoff Center? Admittedly, I’m not a huge Bob Dylan fan. Not for any reasons like dislike, but generationally I was never really exposed to his music. So when I heard there was a new musical using his catalog, my expectations were tampered.

What did our critic think of WICKED at Whitney Hall? Wicked is an institution. Wicked is a brand. Wicked is the gateway drug of musical theatre, well it was 13 years ago for me at least. It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 8 years since Elphaba flew through Louisville, but at long last Oz has returned to The Kentucky Center in all of its emerald glory.

What did our critic think of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Drag Daddy Productions And The Chicken Coop? Every once in awhile, a show comes around that manages to wedge its self in the center of a triple vin-diagram, overlapping in critical acclaim, commercial success, and the hardest to crack, overwhelmingly beloved by the theater community. I’d venture to say that Jesus Christ Superstar is one of those rare shows to land in the center of this hypothetical chart. The theatre community adores Jesus Christ Superstar as a musical, which is part of the reason it’s had such a long life and had continued to be produced for the better part of the last 50 years. 

To Kill a Mockingbird first hit bookstore shelves in 1960, where it has since become a staple in American literature. An academy award winning film adaptation was released two years later in 1962, and is equally synonymous with the title. The story focuses on a trial in which Tom Robinson, a black man is accused of assaulting Mayella Ewell, a white woman in 1930s Alabama. Atticus Finch takes on the task of representing Robinson. The story focuses on the aftermath of that choice, told through the eyes of Atticus’ youngest child, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. 

What did our critic think of INTO THE WOODS at Tennessee Performing Arts Center? The star-studded cast is led by Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus as The Baker’s Wife and the Baker respectively. They’re a real-life couple, so their chemistry is justly wonderful, but I cannot express how amazing their individual performances are as well.

In 2001, Baz Luhrumann's film welcomed the world to the Moulin Rouge. The film is credited as part of the resurgence of movie musicals in the early 2000s, and continues to be an audience favorite. After whispers of a stage adaptation for years and years, the dream became a reality in 2018 with an out-of-town tryout in Boston.  Moulin Rouge finally opened on Broadway in the Summer of 2019, as an instant hit. That Broadway season was cut short in March of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but when the season resumed in the Fall of 2021, it was nominated for 14 Tony Awards (winning 10, including best musical). The show finally embarked on its highly anticipated national tour in 2022.

What did our critic think of RAGTIME IN CONCERT at Cincinnati Pops At Cincinnati Music Hall?