Phoenix Metro Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 10

BWW Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY at Hale Center Theatre
by Nathaniel Jones - August 23, 2021

The amazing thing about live theatre that this reviewer has always loved is the magic moment when the cast kicks into high gear, the jokes all land just right, and the realization of an intermission is a cherished moment to breathe and take in the greatness you’ve witnessed. In those times, audience...

BWW Review: SAPAC Haunts The Soul With NEXT TO NORMAL
by Robert Encila-Celdran - August 23, 2021

All in all, it's a solid ensemble that appears to have bought into the collective adversity of mental illness. Though it feels like an isolated experience, it's clear that others are severely affected and that no one feels safe until everyone's shame is reconciled with the truth....

BWW Review: THE SPITFIRE GRILL at Arizona Broadway Theatre
by Herbert Paine - August 22, 2021

Arizona Broadway Theatre’s current production of THE SPITFIRE GRILL, running through September 5th in ABT’s Encore Room. (Approximate running time ~ 2 hours.)...

BWW Review: STEEL MAGNOLIAS at The Phoenix Theatre Company
by Emily Noxon - August 22, 2021

Six women who depend on one another experience joy, sadness, and loss in this classic play....

BWW Review: Don Bluth Front Row Theatre Presents A BENCH IN THE SUN
by Herbert Paine - August 13, 2021

Like vintage wines, veteran actors Lee Cooley and Jim Coates just get better with age in Don Bluth Front Row Theatre’s reprise of Ron Clark’s bittersweet play, A BENCH IN THE SUN, now playing through September 18th....

BWW Review: THE STANDBY LEAR Reveals The Story of A Powerful Marriage
by Robert Encila-Celdran - August 12, 2021

Anna turns out to be indispensable in facilitating Augie's Lear, but more importantly she provides the anchor to Augie's wobbly effort to reclaim his self-esteem. A good chunk of Shakespeare gets a good polish, but the rehearsal itself is a mere conceit to unearth the real and urgent drama before us...

BWW Review: Appleford On PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES
by Herbert Paine - July 24, 2021

Welcoming guest contributor David Appleford to review The Phoenix Theatre Company's production of PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES. Runs through August 23rd....

BWW Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Arizona Broadway Theatre
by Nathaniel Jones - July 20, 2021

Every theatre patron has a show that they may consider one of their all-time favorites. For each individual the reason is different, whether that be in the perspective of a performer turned patron that may have experienced performing in a production previously, or someone that may reminisce of a tim...

BWW Review: STEEL MAGNOLIAS at Hale Centre Theatre
by Emily Noxon - July 09, 2021

Six ladies find strength in their friendship through good times and bad....

BWW Review: The Phoenix Theatre Company Presents DADDY LONG LEGS
by Herbert Paine - June 28, 2021

Thoroughly charming performances by Kathlynn Rodin and James D. Gish highlight The Phoenix Theatre Company's production of DADDY LONG LEGS, running through July 18th....

BWW Review: Sedona International Film Festival Presents ON OUR OWN ISLAND
by Herbert Paine - June 17, 2021

Vivid, lyrical, and loving! Ellie Dylan and Sky Dylan-Robbins's ON OUR OWN ISLAND steps courageously into the domain of dying and death. A film that is both an endearing and emotional homage to a husband and a father by his wife and daughter and a deep dive into a process that for many remains daunt...

BWW Review: Sedona International Film Festival Features END OF THE LINE: THE WOMEN OF STANDING ROCK
by Herbert Paine - June 15, 2021

In a compelling and consciousness- (and conscience-) raising documentary, Emmy-winning film maker Shannon Kring's END OF THE LINE: THE WOMEN OF STANDING ROCK chronicles the courage and years-long ordeal and unwavering determination of the women of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation to protest the p...

BWW Review: A LIFE IN THE THEATRE PROVES ALTERNATELY CHEERFUL AND SENTIMENTAL at Live Theatre Workshop
by Robert Encila-Celdran - June 15, 2021

Originally produced in 1977, the play catalogs the common acting adventures and technical mishaps that continue to age well: incidents and anecdotes on and off the stage that only seasoned thespians can truly appreciate. Nevertheless, it serves audiences a healthy dollop of good-natured laughs, than...

BWW Review: QUEEN BEES at Sedona International Film Festival
by Herbert Paine - June 14, 2021

In QUEEN BEES, director Michael Lembeck has translated producer Harrison Powell’s and writer Donald Martin’s vision into a work that buzzes with a smooth and gentle tone of familiarity and romance. A thriving honeycomb of performances, thanks to the presence of veteran actors Ellen Burstyn, Ann- Mar...

BWW Review: Sedona International Film Festival Features VOODOO MACBETH
by Herbert Paine - June 12, 2021

A bold and refreshing initiative by USC School of Cinematic Arts claims the title of Welles’s legendary stage production, VOODOO MACBETH, for a full-length film that chronicles the making of the staging. The film is scheduled for showing at the Sedona International Film Festival (June 12th-20th)....

BWW Review: Sedona International Film Festival Features The Parkland Project's THE CHILDREN WILL LEAD THE WAY
by Herbert Paine - June 11, 2021

THE CHILDREN WILL LEAD THE WAY is The Parkland Project's emotionally powerful, emotionally charged, and illuminating testimonial to a new generation of leadership committed to social change. Scheduled for screening on June 13th at the Sedona International Film Festival ~ at Sedona Performing Arts Ce...

BWW Review: BECOMING DR. RUTH: A TIMELY TALE OF COURAGE AND HOPE at The Phoenix Theatre Company
by Robert Encila-Celdran - June 08, 2021

The Phoenix Theatre Company’s production is buttressed by a solid technical crew. It’s cohesive enough to support the herculean effort of Ms. Debra K. Stevens, who wields an impressive command of a voluminous text while practically staging a tutorial on how storytelling ought to be paced. She gives ...

BWW Review: Sedona International Film Festival Features Award Winning Film on Autism ~ IN A DIFFERENT KEY
by Herbert Paine - June 03, 2021

Caren Zucker and John Donvan's IN A DIFFERENT KEY strikes chords of compassion that elevate understanding of and connection with the autistic community. Official Selection at the 2021 Sedona International Film Festival....

BWW Review: DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS at Hale Centre Theatre
by Timothy Shawver - May 19, 2021

With DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, Hale Centre Theatre treats the East Valley to an exquisite production of a rarely produced musical gem. It's delightful from moment one and impeccably staged by director/choreographer Cambrian James. It's full of skilled performances, but the design elements might be th...

BWW Review: SOMEWHERE OVER THE BORDER at Arizona Theatre Company
by Lee Cooley - May 07, 2021

This factual and fantastical online production from @arizonatheatre ends all too soon. #catchit https://bit.ly/3uvLpj4...

BWW Review: ORSON WELLES at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre
by Tim Shawver - May 05, 2021

Don Bluth Front Row Theatre debuts their new venue with ORSON WELLES, a one-man theatrical biography of the acclaimed actor/filmmaker. It’s a pleasant 80 minutes featuring Keath Hall’s expert performance of an unambitious script. ...

BWW Review: SHINOBU
by Herbert Paine - May 03, 2021

In SHINOBU, Hsuan-Yu Pan gives vibrant sound and imagery to the art form of flute-making. THe short focuses on the continuity of tradition over time and space in shaping not only one’s cultural identity but also the identity of the cultures of which they become a part. Since its premiere in 2018, th...

BWW Review: HEAR, EAT, HOME: KINAN'S VISION And MY MOTHER'S TABLE
by Herbert Paine - April 30, 2021

Is it not so that two of the key ingredients in shaping identity, building community, and cultivating civility are food and the arts? Indeed, the habits of the heart emanate from these divine humanistic expressions. Hsuan Yu Pan, a Taiwanese-raised, New York City-based documentarian, simply and exqu...

BWW Review: BRYAN HYMEL RECITAL FOR ARIZONA OPERA AND TUCSON DESERT SONG FESTIVAL
by Maria Nockin - April 29, 2021

On April 28, 2021, Arizona Opera, in partnership with Tucson Desert Song Festival, presented an online recital by dramatic tenor Bryan Hymel and pianist Michael Borowitz. They opened their streamed recital with the lyrical aria, 'Ombra mai fu” from Handel’s opera Xerxes. Sung by Xerxes I of Persia i...

BWW Review: NUNSENSE at Arizona Broadway Theatre
by Herbert Paine - April 29, 2021

In a show that may have worn out its Heavenly stage welcome, the Saving Grace of Arizona Broadway Theatre's production of NUNSENSE, is embodied in an ensemble of five artists who render performances that rise above the script. Thankfully, through the ninety-some minutes of show time, a heavenly host...