Houston Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 32

BWW Reviews: The Eklektix Theatre Company's SPRING AWAKENING - IN CONCERT is Zesty and Raw
by David Clarke - June 01, 2013

The Eklektix Theatre Company is celebrating a year of producing theatre in Houston with a concert production of Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater's SPRING AWAKENING. A fully staged version of the musical was their inaugural venture in Houston, so this production which only runs for two performances is a...

BWW Reviews: The Alley's SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE ADVENTURE OF THE SUICIDE CLUB Disappoints With Bland, Underwhelming Writing
by David Clarke - May 30, 2013

The Alley Theatre is currently presenting Jeffrey Hatcher's 2011 literary mash-up SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE ADVENTURE OF THE SUICIDE CLUB. The play had its world premiere at The Arizona Theatre Company, and garnered mixed to positive reviews. In the play Jeffrey Hatcher attempts the tall order of mixi...

BWW Reviews: SISTER ACT is Truly Fabulous, Baby!
by David Clarke - May 29, 2013

In all honesty, I was dreading seeing Broadway Across America - Houston's presentation of SISTER ACT's First National Tour at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts last night. As a fan of Alan Menken, I was elated to get my hands on a copy of the Original London Cast Recording in 2009. After givi...

BWW Reviews: A.D. Player's MALCOLM AND TERESA is Gripping and Absorbing
by David Clarke - May 26, 2013

The A.D. Players is kicking off the summer with a vibrant and thrilling production of Cathal Gallagher's MALCOLM AND TERESA. The play is a fascinating biography of British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, who is credited for popularizing Mother Teresa. In 1932, he visited Moscow as a correspondent for...

BWW Reviews: Stages' ROAD SHOW is Unfulfilling Despite Impressive Performances
by David Clarke - May 26, 2013

Stages Repertory Theatre is hosting the American Regional Theatre Premiere of ROAD SHOW, a musical with Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a Book by John Weidman. The musical premiered in 1999 under the title WISE GUYS at the New York Theatre Workshop, but a legal case held up further producti...

BWW Reviews: Main Street Theater's CLOSE UP SPACE is Fantastically Funny Farce
by David Clarke - May 24, 2013

Main Street Theater is closing their excellent 38th season with the wildly entertaining, often hilarious, and deeply moving CLOSE UP SPACE by Molly Smith Metzler. The zany dramadey is a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Finalist and had its world premiere in 2011 in a Manhattan Theatre Club staging at New...

BWW Reviews: Country Playhouse's SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION is Wooden but Interesting
by David Clarke - May 20, 2013

There is always a certain electric buzz that seems to surround any production of a show with a recognizable title. Some people will research the origin of the show, and with John Guare's SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, they'll find that Frigyes Karinthy, a Hungarian author, playwright, poet, journalist, ...

BWW Reviews: Theatre Under the Stars' Rollicking SPAMALOT is Hilarious and a Ton of Fun
by David Clarke - May 17, 2013

Having grown up on Monty Python reruns and films, it doesn't take a lot to get me excited about seeing a production of Monty Python's SPAMALOT. The hilarious hit musical is making a gloriously triumphant return to Houston in its first locally produced performance at Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS). T...

BWW Reviews: The Ensemble Theatre's RACE is Timely, Relevant, and Poignant
by David Clarke - May 13, 2013

The Ensemble Theatre has a reputation for producing thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating art. From this season alone, they have moved hearts and minds with their skillful productions of THE NACIREMA SOCIETY and KNOCK ME A KISS. Their current production of David Mamet's RACE masterfully w...

BWW Reviews: Catastrophic Theatre's THERE IS A HAPPINESS THAT MORNING IS is Fun, Stark, Strange, and Ridiculous
by David Clarke - May 12, 2013

The Catastrophic Theatre is currently reviving Mickle Maher's THERE IS A HAPPINESS THAT MORNING IS by popular demand. The show originally had its Houston premiere in 2009, and apparently was quite a sensation. At Friday night's opening night performance of this run, I instantly saw why....

BWW Reviews: Black Lab Theatre's CHINGLISH is the Must-See Event of the Season!
by David Clarke - May 10, 2013

Black Lab Theatre is closing their exciting 2012-2013 season with a provocative and hilarious Regional Premiere production of David Henry Hwang's 2011 play CHINGLISH. The fresh and poignant comedy is a timely exploration of the business and economic relationship between China and the United States. ...

BWW Reviews: The Alley Theatre's WARRIOR CLASS is Edgy, Poignant, and Thrilling
by David Clarke - May 09, 2013

As part of the Alley Theatre's New Play Initiative, where the Alley facilitates a creative collaboration between playwrights, directors, actors, and designers, the organization is producing Kenneth Lin's edgy and fresh drama WARRIOR CLASS. Kenneth Lin's INTELLIGENCE-SLAVE was previously produced in ...

BWW Reviews: Bayou City Concert Musicals' ALONE TOGETHER: THE MUSIC OF ARTHUR SCHWARTZ is a Magically Enchanting Cabaret
by David Clarke - May 08, 2013

Paul Hope's Bayou City Concert Musicals (BCCM) is proudly continuing their mission of bringing to Houston the best of the best from show business' yesteryears. Sometimes it is in the form of a forgotten or neglected musical, like their concert stagings of ONE TOUCH OF VENUS, THE SECRET GARDEN, and F...

BWW Reviews: The Texas Repertory Theatre Company's TRIBUTE is Heart Warming Escapism
by David Clarke - May 06, 2013

The Texas Repertory Theatre Company is continuing their 8th Season with Bernard Slade's TRIBUTE. The play was penned as a vehicle for Jack Lemmon, and earned him both a Tony Nomination and a Drama Desk Nomination for his performance. The engaging, 1978 piece introduces audiences to Scotty Templeton,...

BWW Reviews: Standing Room Only Production's FEELING ALRIGHT is Rollicking, Uplifting, and Feel Good Fun
by David Clarke - May 05, 2013

As I stare down the barrel of my own 10-year anniversary from graduating high school, I found more than one of the characters in Standing Room Only Production's presentation of local award-winning playwright Michael Weem's FEELING ALRIGHT! honestly relevant and applicable to me and my life. And I'm ...

BWW Reviews: Mildred's Umbrella Theater's RAVENSCROFT is A Genre-Bending, Gothic Mystery
by David Clarke - May 04, 2013

Mildred's Umbrella is closing their 2012-2013 season with the Houston premiere of the moody and atmospheric formula bending genre play RAVENSCROFT by Don Nigro. The 1991 drama serves as the basis for THE MANOR, a 1999 film with Peter O'Toole, and introduces audiences to Inspector Ruffing, a man chal...

BWW Reviews: Bayou City Theatrics' AIDA - An Entertaining Nile-Themed Gem in the Rough
by David Clarke - May 04, 2013

Bayou City Theatrics is continuing their inaugural season with Houston's first locally produced professional staging of Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA. The musical, with a book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang, was originally produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Producti...

BWW Reviews: A.D. Player's THE JUNGLE BOOK is Beautiful and Empowering
by David Clarke - April 29, 2013

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BWW Reviews: Houston Grand Opera's IL TROVATORE is Spellbinding and Spectacular
by David Clarke - April 29, 2013

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BWW Reviews: Houston Ballet's 2013 SPRING SHOWCASE Introduces Ballet's Next Superstars
by David Clarke - April 27, 2013

This weekend, the Houston Ballet Academy and Houston Ballet II performed their 2013 Spring Showcase in the Cullen Theater at the Wortham Center, showcasing why this program is globally recognized as one of the preeminent dance training programs....

BWW Reviews: Opera in the Height's FALSTAFF is a Delightful and Mirtful Comedy
by David Clarke - April 26, 2013

Last night, Houston's Opera in the Heights opened their production of Giuseppe Verdi's FALSTAFF. The mirthful and comedic opera is the last production of their 2012-2013 season, but the most exhilarating aspect of the production is seeing an opera performed so intimately. This was my first time to v...

BWW Reviews: HGO's TRISTAN AND ISOLDE is Immaculately Profound, Riveting, and Unforgettable
by David Clarke - April 22, 2013

The 2012-2013 season at Houston Grand Opera (HGO) has been filled with stunning performances of astounding operatic talent; however, their current production of Richard Wagner's TRISTAN AND ISOLDE may be the sparkling gem of this fascinating season. Every aspect of the production gels with perfectio...

BWW Reviews: TSW's THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA is Absorbing and Suspenseful
by David Clarke - April 21, 2013

Theatre Southwest is currently producing a fascinating production of Tennessee William's thrilling and tense THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA. The 1961 drama is set at The Costa Verde Hotel in Puerto Barrio on the West Coast of Mexico in the summer of 1940. The Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon is leading a tour ...

BWW Reviews: The Alley's THE ELEPHANT MAN is Powerfully Evocative and Emotionally Stirring
by David Clarke - April 18, 2013

Last night, The Alley Theatre hosted the press opening night of Bernard Pomerance's well-known 1977 tragic drama THE ELEPHANT MAN. The nearly 100-minute one act production is a fascinating look at the life of Joseph 'John' Carey Merrick, who began developing severe bone and skin abnormalities by age...

BWW Reviews: Stage Door Inc.'s Campy LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is Endearing and Amusing
by David Clarke - April 15, 2013

Pasadena's Stage Door Inc. continues their 2013 season of murder, madness, and mayhem with a fun and campy production of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, which was inspired by Roger Corman's cult 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors. The musical is set in the late 1950s/early ...