Houston Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 14

BWW Review: THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR Bribes Russia at Classical Theatre Company
by Brett Cullum - April 18, 2018

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR is a fluffy piece, but has real bite when we look across at our current state of political officials. It almost hurts to laugh so hard at the Russians....

BWW Review: Come to the CABARET at Obsidian Theater
by Brett Cullum - April 13, 2018

It's not a reinvention, but a celebration of the classical musical that delivers familiar songs and themes. It is well worth coming to this CABARET where indeed… life is beautiful....

BWW Review: Clutch Play SMALL BALL Delivers for Catastrophic Theatre
by Pnina Topham - April 09, 2018

SMALL BALL is a farcical, fantastical and downright fabulous basketball musical that tells a very human story about loss, love, and finding a home....

BWW Review: EIGHTH DAY OF THE WEEK Is Cozy at The Ensemble Theatre
by Brett Cullum - April 06, 2018

EIGHTH DAY OF THE WEEK is a lovely portrait of what family means in the face of the unthinkable. It's a positive and affirming show that taps something anybody can relate to, the need for your family to understand exactly what you are facing....

BWW Review: DARK MATTER Challenges the Light at Mildred's Umbrella
by Brett Cullum - April 03, 2018

DARK MATTER is a complex show that requires the audience make connections for themselves. It is challenging theatre presented by passionate artists who find ways to keep it light enough to be entertaining....

BWW Review: MST Opens Wilting DAISY, but Admirably Tackles Perennial Debate
by Katricia Lang - April 06, 2018

DAISY is an interrogation of the current political arena, which is fun to watch, even when a dubious argument is presented....

BWW Review: Interactive JUST DANCE LIVE Experience Thrills Houston Fans at Revention Music Center
by Audrey Morabito - March 24, 2018

As I stood outside the Revention Music Center in downtown Houston on Thursday night with a growing line of enthusiastic Just Dance fans, I did not know what to expect when I walked through the doors. Having played Just Dance for the first time back in my middle school days, I was intrigued by this l...

BWW Review: BRIGHT STAR Burns Out Too Soon
by Pnina Topham - March 17, 2018

BRIGHT STAR follows two pairs of star-crossed lovers, two decades apart, all against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. And now through March 25, the Tony Award-nominated musical makes its home at the Hobby Center....

BWW Review: RIVERDANCE Amazes at the Hobby Center
by Pnina Topham - March 15, 2018

I have never written 'tour de force' without a hint of irony. But that's simply the most accurate way to describe RIVERDANCE - THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY WORLD TOUR. The longest-running and most popular Irish-centric international dance act in history has been seen by over 25 million people over 20 years ...

BWW Review: MEMPHIS Gets Houston Flavor at TUTS
by Brett Cullum - February 23, 2018

MEMPHIS is a great step for TUTS – a thought-provoking timely piece on race relations featuring a significant number of Houston artists. It's directed and staged well, and the show entertains throughout....

BWW Review: LEAP AND THE NET WILL APPEAR at Catastrophic Theatre
by Pnina Topham - February 16, 2018

LEAP AND THE NET WILL APPEAR is an evocative theatrical experience, rooted in the intertwined existence of farcical and absurd characters, each seeking love, respect and/or money, and the most potent human driver: acceptance....

BWW Review: Schenkkan and LBJ Make GREAT SOCIETY at the Alley Theatre
by Katricia Lang - February 11, 2018

THE GREAT SOCIETY does not match the power of its predecessor. But ALL THE WAY is hard to match. And THE GREAT SOCIETY is a fine play in its own right....

BWW Review: SCHOOL OF ROCK at The Hobby Center
by Katricia Lang - February 04, 2018

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Glenn Slater wrote the score and Julian Fellowes wrote the book. The show is nearly as pedigreed as the characters on Fellowes' PBS masterpiece Downton Abbey. (Pun intended.)...

BWW Review: WELL Explores Wellness & Personal Narrative at Mildred's Umbrella Theatre Company
by Audrey Morabito - January 19, 2018

What truly makes us well? Is wellness some otherworldly notion or mindset that we consciously choose or decide not to choose? How much power does an individual genuinely have over their wellness, or lack thereof? Additionally, how much power does an individual have over the wellness of others? These...

BWW Review: THE COLOR PURPLE Places Soul and Spirit On Display at The Hobby Center
by Audrey Morabito - January 10, 2018

The Broadway Across America engagement of the 2016 Tony Award Winning Revival of THE COLOR PURPLE presented a performance brimming with soul and spirit to The Hobby Center. Based on Alice Walker's 1982 novel, the show follows the difficult journey of Celie (Adrianna Hicks), a young black mother in e...

BWW Review: SLEEPING BEAUTY AND HER WINTER KNIGHT Brings Out the Child in All at Theatre Under The Stars
by Audrey Morabito - December 15, 2017

In partnership with Lythgoe Family Panto, Theatre Under the Stars has opened their family-fun, holiday-filled interactive production Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight to Houston audiences. With a star-studded cast, popular music, and a storybook vibe, Kris Lythgoe's Sleeping Beauty and Her Winte...

BWW Review: ON YOUR FEET! Electrifies Audiences at The Hobby Center
by Audrey Morabito - November 22, 2017

Last night, On Your Feet! opened with a bang to an enthusiastic crowd at the Hobby Center. An electrifying production, On Your Feet! classifies as a jukebox musical a production that weaves together an iconic artist's most popular songs with their biography (often focusing on the rise to stardom) to...

BWW Review: THE SECRET GARDEN Mesmerizes Houston Audiences as Theatre Under The Stars' 49th Season Opener
by Audrey Morabito - October 16, 2017

Opening their 49th Season with the enchanting storybook tale THE SECRET GARDEN, Theatre Under the Stars has welcomed Dan Knechtges as Artistic Director to take over the season that predecessor Sheldon Epps put in place. The musical, directed and choreographed by 5th Avenue Theatre's Artistic Directo...

BWW Review: The A.D. Players' HARVEY Is a Gift
by Gary Laird - October 01, 2017

Planned a year ago as the opening of their 2017-18 season, no one had any inkling how ironic the title HARVEY would be. Playwright Mary Chase's merry little romp seemed like a good idea at the time. And as it turned out, it was....

BWW Review: There are axes to grind in Firecracker Production's Regional Premiere of CROOKED, at the Obsidian Theater.
by Gary Laird - August 23, 2017

If you have any dull hatchets lying around, I suggest you bring them along. There are axe-grindings galore on the stage in this play by Catherine Trieschmann, now playing a summer run at the Obsidian Theater....

BWW Review: THE BODYGUARD THE MUSICAL Will Always Love Whitney at Broadway At The Hobby Center
by Brett Cullum - August 17, 2017

THE BODYGUARD THE MUSICAL is one of those shows that offers up little else but a warm nostalgia for the original material, but thankfully the source is strong enough to make you tap your toes and smile from ear to ear....

BWW Review: THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT
by Audrey Morabito - August 14, 2017

On Friday night The Gravity Players opened a courtroom comedy and exploration of faith, THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT, to a lively audience. Set in the Court of Purgatory, a place of redemption and a 'waiting list' between Heaven and Hell, the audience was to witness trials regarding sinners' plac...

BWW Review: SAUCY JACK AND THE SPACE VIXENS Just Need Disco at Obsidian Theater
by Brett Cullum - July 14, 2017

It's freaky and fun! Glittery boots, lots of variations on sex and preference, and even a stripper pole front and center means this one is not gonna be a light family musical. If the phrase 'think BARBARELLA meets ROCKY HORROR' makes you shiver in anticipation, then reserve your seats now....

BWW Review: THE LION KING at Hobby Center
by Bryan-Keyth Wilson - July 04, 2017

In 1994 Disney's animated feature The Lion King was the cartoon movie that broke barriers and was popular with adults and children. With its textual references to William Shakespeare's HAMLET, this age old tale is one that no one needs to go in depth about. In July of 1997, Julie Taymor along with o...

BWW Review: SIMPLY SIMONE Is Anything But 'Simple' at The Ensemble Theatre
by Audrey Morabito - June 30, 2017

On June 29, The Ensemble Theatre opened the final production for their celebratory 40th anniversary season with a bang, a belt, and a whole lotta sass! With its powerhouse vocalists, entertaining and sassy storytellers, and vast musical variation, SIMPLY SIMONE is anything but simple....