Orlando Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 14

BWW Review: Mad Cow's YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU is a Delightfully Bonkers Classic
by Matt Tamanini - October 05, 2015

In the American theatrical cannon, there is perhaps no play more beloved than George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's Pulitzer Prize-winning YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU. The cherished comedy has been one of the most enduring works on American stages since its debut in 1937, and Church Street's Mad Cow Thea...

BWW Review: REALMS OF THE UNTOLD; Intriguing, if Not Fully-Realized Tales of Terror
by Matt Tamanini - October 03, 2015

Just in time for Halloween, Orlando theatre production company Dark Side of Saturn introduces a new collection of short plays collectively titled REALMS OF THE UNTOLD. The show, written by Corey Volence (Orlando Fringe's KEY OF E), plays through October 10th at The Venue. Clearly inspired by classic...

BWW Review: LA CAGE AUX FOLLES Unleashes the Sequins at Garden Theater
by Kimberly Moy - September 28, 2015

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES celebrates the gay relationship and does well to show that no matter who you are love, family, and happiness is something everyone deserves....

BWW Review: Rollins College's REEFER MADNESS Exceeds 'High' Expectations
by Matt Tamanini - September 27, 2015

Have you ever seen a movie that you thought was so bad, that it was actually good? That's what happened on the road from turning laughably ridiculous 1936 anti-drug propaganda film REEFER MADNESS into a hit Off-Broadway musical. Despite continually being repurposed and repackaged throughout the 30s,...

BWW Review: UCF's THE DIVINE SISTER is Delightfully Unholy Comedy
by Matt Tamanini - September 26, 2015

While it has been nearly 20 years since I was a Catholic school student, I have to admit that I don't quite remember it being much like St. Veronica's in Theatre UCF's production of Charles Busch's bawdy comedy THE DIVINE SISTER. Directed by UCF Associate Professor Kate Ingram, the play runs through...

BWW Review: Clippity Clop Orlando Shakes' SPAMALOT Rises to Expectations 9/18 7pm
by Kimberly Moy - September 21, 2015

Ten years ago MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Now to kick off Orlando Shakespeare Theater's 27th Season, MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT clippity clops its way to the Orlando stage with great enthusiasm. Monty Python fans and theater fans alike will be find this show royally ent...

BWW Review: THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES Delight Audiences of All Ages with Timeless Talent at The Winter Park Playhouse
by April Montgomery - September 13, 2015

One of the most beloved powers in the art of theatre is its ability to transport the audience to another time…another place…another era. The audience was delightfully and willingly transported at the opening of THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES at The Winter Park Playhouse on the evening of Friday, Septembe...

BWW Review: TOTALLY ELECTRIC Is Like, So Totally Rad and Bad (but not in the good way)
by Matt Tamanini - September 11, 2015

The 1980s are often remembered as the era of over-produced power-ballads, bright neon colors, ozone offending hair, superficial beauty, and obnoxiously shallow people. For better or for worse, TOTALLY ELECTRIC, Gen Y Productions latest musical, falls victim to many of the least desirable traits of t...

BWW Review: Mad Cow's TRIBES is Beautiful Examination of Love, Family, Communication
by Matt Tamanini - August 26, 2015

Since I left the Mad Cow Theatre after seeing the Sunday matinee of their newest show, TRIBES by Nina Raine, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the implications stirred up by the highly dysfunctional family at the center of this rich, thickly plotted drama. I have become slightly weary of ne...

BWW Review: Clandestine's CARRIE THE MUSICAL is Ambitious Disappointment
by Matt Tamanini - August 27, 2015

There is something noble about earnestly attempting to do good, despite the overwhelming evidence that what you are embarking upon is almost certainly doomed to disappoint. Not only is that sentiment at the center of CARRIE THE MUSICAL, which Clandestine Arts is premiering in Central Florida through...

BWW Review: Gen Y's Florida Premiere of HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL is 'So Very' and So Much More
by Matt Tamanini - August 17, 2015

There is something killer going on in Orlando's theatre scene, and I mean that in the best possible way. Since debuting with a production of CABARET in January, Gen Y Productions has staged thrilling Florida premieres of two of New York's most buzzed-about new works, a risky proposition for a theatr...

BWW Review: Theatre UCF's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST is Perfectly Frivolous Summer Fun
by Matt Tamanini - August 16, 2015

Very little in life is as refreshing on a hot summer day as a nice, cool cucumber sandwich; a close second perhaps is a classic, breezy comedy in an air conditioned theater. Fortunately, Theatre UCF is bringing back both when their production of Oscar Wilde's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST returns ...

BWW Review: DAMES AT SEA Creates Waves of Smiles at The Winter Park Playhouse
by April Montgomery - July 26, 2015

I silently shuffle ball-changed under my seat as I waited for the show to begin. Opening night of the 2015/2016 season in the Winter Park Playhouse, with its intimate setting and alluring lounge, promised to be a delight....

BWW Reviews: Explores DO BLACK PATENT LEATHER SHOES REALLY REFLECT UP? at Theatre UCF
by Kimberly Moy - June 30, 2015

There is nothing more unnerving than growing up as the odd one. We all remember the weird kid in school, but what ever happen to that person? Although this show was written in the late 70s, there are themes that remain relevant throughout the decades. Young adults will always question what they are ...

BWW Reviews: Going Back in Time with I LOVE LUCY LIVE at Dr. Phillips Center
by Kimberly Moy - June 25, 2015

I LOVE LUCY - LIVE ON STAGE is probably best suited for audiences that already consider themselves Lucy fans. While those who aren't necessarily fans will likely still enjoy the show, I don't think that they will appreciate this production nearly as much as if they grew up with Lucy and Desi coming ...

BWW Review: THE FLICK is an Envelope-Pushing Must-See for All Serious Orlando Theatre Fans
by Matt Tamanini - June 25, 2015

The vast majority of theatre, even straight plays, has an intrinsic musicality that has become an engrained part of the art form; characters speak with an expected rhythm familiar to regular theatre viewers, dialogue is paced with a conventional choreography to which the audience has grown accustome...

BWW Reviews: Hopping into Summer with THE FROG AND THE PRINCESS at Orlando Shakes
by Kimberly Moy - June 22, 2015

If you're looking for the perfect summertime family activity that does not involve standing in the blazing sun, then Orlando Shakes' THE FROG AND THE PRINCESS is exactly what you're looking for. This super silly show encourages giggling out loud and lots of audience participation, which young audien...

BWW Review: Remarkable IN THE HEIGHTS is Revelatory, Can't-Miss Theatre
by Matt Tamanini - June 11, 2015

'Home' means many different things to many different people. For some, it is the physical structure in which they grew up; for others it is a town, state, or region; for others it is with the people that they care about most. No matter how you define the word, everyone is looking to find, maintain, ...

BWW Review: Mad Cow's Brilliant CLYBOURNE PARK Continues Important Legacy
by Matt Tamanini - August 15, 2015

Now, running through September 6th, Mad Cow Theatre has brought to their stage an exemplary production of Norris' surprisingly funny CLYBOURNE PARK that is so full of intelligence, talent, and compassion that it can't help but engage Orlando theatre audiences in this discussion that has become vital...

BWW Review: Despite Flaws, THE REPUBLIC Offers One of Orlando's Most Uniquely Entertaining Experiences
by Matt Tamanini - June 02, 2015

'There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is terrible, wild, and lawless;' this ancient axiom is the crux of Orlando's newest, and most unique independent entertainment option, THE REPUBLIC, which opened last weekend after an award-winning beta run ...

BWW Review: Buoyant ANYTHING GOES Docks in Orlando
by Matt Tamanini - May 27, 2015

Beloved theatre standards, tap-dancing sailors, chorines in sequins, a farcically silly plot; what more could you want from a Cole Porter musical? After winning three Tony Awards in 2012, including Best Revival of a Musical, the National Tour of ANYTHING GOES ends its delightfully giddy run at Orlan...

BWW Reviews: An Enchanting Evening with BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at Dr. Phillips Center
by Kimberly Moy - May 13, 2015

The French fairy tale made famous by Walt Disney Pictures in 1991 comes to life on the Dr. Phillips Center stage. Disney fans and musical theater fans alike enjoy the enchanting story, award-winning music and lighthearted humor. What better city to see BEAUTY AND THE BEAST than in Orlando home of th...