Phoenix Metro Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 11

BWW Review: AS YOU LIKE IT Beguiles and Delights at The Rogue Theatre
by Robert Encila-Celdran - April 25, 2021

Rogue Theatre's season finale, AS YOU LIKE IT, delivers old-fashioned comedic romp. In Tucson, runs through May 9th....

BWW Review: MY WAY at The Phoenix Theatre Company
by Herbert Paine - April 21, 2021

The Phoenix Theatre Company's production of MY WAY is music in the key of Sinatra ~ a show filled with vitality and class that flies one to the moon! Featuring commanding performances by Trisha Ditsworth, Matravius Avent, James Gish, and Jessie Jo Pauley. Runs through May 23rd....

BWW Review: THE GIRL SITTING HERE
by Herbert Paine - April 19, 2021

In THE GIRL SITTING HERE, writer and director Azadeh Nikzadeh gives a human face to the adverse consequences of a practice that has become a legal loophole for prostitution and sexual exploitation....

BWW Review: THE RAINMAKER at Hale Centre Theatre
by Timothy Shawver - April 16, 2021

The impact on American theatre of N. Richard Nash's THE RAINMAKER, a mid-century, self-described Romantic Comedy, is primarily found in its formidable presence (exceeded only by OUR TOWN) in any and all monologue and scene-study books. The leads, 'Lizzie' and 'Starbuck', are ever present at audition...

BWW Review: Lauren Gunderson's THE HEATH at Arizona Theatre Company Is A Masterpiece That Must Be Heard To Be Seen
by Herbert Paine - April 14, 2021

Arizona Theatre Company presents Lauren Gunderson's autobiographical tour de force, THE HEATH, under the direction of Sean Daniels and featuring Gunderson and John Larroquette. THE HEATH is a play that must be heard to be seen for the fulness of its lyricism, revelatory power, and humanity....

BWW Review: THE ODD COUPLE At Desert Stages Theatre
by Herbert Paine - April 14, 2021

Chemistry and balance! Two key ingredients that are (oddly!) in short supply in Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre’s current production of THE ODD COUPLE, directed by Virginia Olivieri. Simon’s brilliant lines and zingers are there to be uttered, but the execution stumbles. The show runs through April...

BWW Review: Arizona Broadway Theatre Presents SHOUT! THE MOD MUSICAL ~ It's Groovy!
by Herbert Paine - March 30, 2021

Five richly talented singers rock the stage in Arizona Broadway Theatre’s production of SHOUT! THE MOD MUSICAL, Phillip George and David Lowenstein’s 2004 tribute to the solid gold singles of the ‘60’s. Directed by Seth Tucker and featuring five fab singers, the show runs through April 18th....

BWW Review: THE DALAI LAMA IS NOT WELCOME HERE ~ ELAINE ROMERO'S New Work-In-Progress
by Herbert Paine - March 27, 2021

Elaine Romero's brilliant and stirring work-in-progress, THE DALAI LAMA IS NOT WELCOME HERE, directed by Maren Maclean Mascarelli and featuring a stunning performance by Brenda Jean Foley, now streaming through March 28th on The Bridge Initiative: Women+ in Theatre Facebook page. The latest offering...

BWW Review: RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE: THE MAKING OF A WESTERN OPERA
by Herbert Paine - March 23, 2021

As multidimensional as is the landscape of the Southwest that so attracted Zane Grey, so too is the documentary that chronicles the creation of an epic opera, based on one of his most famous novels, RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE. Directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Kristin Atwell Ford (and produced...

BWW Review: ARIZONA ARIAS EPISODE 1 at Home Computer Screens
by Maria Nockin - March 20, 2021

Artists in the AZ Arias concert were internationally known  Brazilian baritone Paulo Szot, members of the Arizona Opera Orchestra led by Maestro Cal Stewart Kellogg, Head of Music, Christopher Cano, as well as studio members: sopranos Cheyanne Coss and Caitlin Gotimer, mezzo-soprano Mack Wolz, tenor...

BWW Review: Elaine Romero's HALSTED Is A Bold Stroke Of Illumination ~ Launching RomeroFest, A Monthlong Celebration Of The Playwright's Work
by Herbert Paine - March 11, 2021

Elaine Romero’s HALSTED is a bold stroke of illumination ~ launching RomeroFest, a monthlong celebration of the playwright’s work ~ presented by Arizona Theatre Company and directed by Sean Daniels. Available for viewing online through March 14th....

BWW Review: CHARLEY'S AUNT at Hale Centre Theatre
by Angela Kabasan - February 28, 2021

BWW Review: CHARLEY'S AUNT at Hale Centre Theatre (Gold Cast)...

BWW Review: Timmons Edwards Detects The Best in MURDER FOR TWO
by Herbert Paine - February 20, 2021

What happens when a world class theatre keeps the lights on, creating a comfortable and safe outdoor space during a world-wide pandemic? First, they hire top talent...and give them an award-winning murder mystery musical comedy ~ Kinosian and Blair's MURDER FOR TWO. featuring Seth Tucker and Toby Y...

BWW Review: BASEMENTS & BUGBEARS - New Web Series Sets The Table For Suicide Prevention
by Herbert Paine - January 28, 2021

Little y's first episode of a new series, BASEMENTS & BUGBEARS, sets The Table for what promises to be an engaging and compelling series dealing “with issues such as teen mental health, the complexities of exploring and accepting queer identity, and, ultimately, the good that gaming can bring to tho...

BWW Review: Susan Morgan Cooper's Riveting Expose On Hot Car Deaths: FATAL DISTRACTION
by Herbert Paine - January 08, 2021

FATAL DISTRACTION, Susan Morgan Cooper’s gripping documentary on a national crisis ~ hot car deaths ~ that begs for resolution....

BWW Review: Arizona Opera Presents STUDIO SPOTLIGHT CONCERT
by Maria Nockin - December 21, 2020

On Saturday evening, December 19, 2020,  Arizona Opera premiered its third  Studio Spotlight Series Concert online at no charge. The first part of the program featured tenor Bille Bruley, soprano Kaitlyn Johnson, and bass-baritone Brandon Morales singing opera arias. The second part was a performanc...

BWW Review: THREE DECEMBERS at Home Computer Screens
by Maria Nockin - December 13, 2020

Faced with the inability to perform live opera because of COVID, Opera San Jose opted to film an opera that could be made to fit California health regulations in its new Fred Heiman Digital Media Studio. General director Khori Dastoor chose Jake Heggie’s three-person chamber opera, Three Decembers. ...

BWW Review: UNWRAPPED: AN ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS REVUE Creates Hopeful Magic at The Phoenix Theatre Company
by Seth Tucker - December 09, 2020

UNWRAPPED: An Original Christmas Revue not only represents the topnotch entertainment and production quality we’ve come to expect from The Phoenix Theatre Company (TPTC), but this unique partnership with Brock Pro Entertainment (BPE) also offers a glimpse into the role collaboration may play in rebu...

BWW Review: OBJECTION! DISORDER IN THE COURT at Limelight Performing Arts
by Emily Noxon - November 15, 2020

How do you prove you aren't a murderer when the whole town is against you?...

BWW Review: THE 39 STEPS at Hale Centre Theatre
by Emily Noxon - November 10, 2020

Richard Hannay is tired of his boring life. It becomes far from boring after meeting a dark stranger. Murder, mayhem, and hilarity ensue....

BWW Review: ARIZONA OPERA M R PULLIN STUDIO CONCERT at Home Computer Screens
by Maria Nockin - November 07, 2020

Cheyanne Coss opened with “Qui la voce,”  Elvira’s mad scene from Bellini’s bel canto opera, I Puritani. Elvira lived in a time when women had no rights, so in opera madness allowed her to proclaim her true feelings. Coss expressed them most eloquently. Terrence Chin-Loy as Des Grieux sang “Ah! Fuye...

BWW Review: Hale Centre Theatre Reopens Its Doors
by Lee Cooley - October 14, 2020

With a few streaming exceptions, including some political fundraisers, it looks like Broadway will remain dark through May of 2021 thanks to the pandemic. ...

BWW Review: High Praise For Stacey Maltin's TRIPLE THREAT
by Herbert Paine - October 09, 2020

TRIPLE THREAT, Stacey Maltina??s first feature film as a director, is a beautifully crafted and finely acted ode to theatre and the dreams and realities that imbue it with energy and vitality. Scheduled for screening at BelAire Diner Drive-In (31-91 21st Street, Astoria, New York) on October 11th....

BWW Review: ARIZONA OPERA STUDIO CONCERT at Home Computer Screens
by Maria Nockin - October 06, 2020

On October 5, 2020, I listened to Arizona Operaa??s Studio Spotlight Series online concert held in the newly named the Shoshana B. and Robert S. Tancer Plaza adjoining the companya??s building on Central Avenue in Phoenix. General Director Joseph Spector greeted the tiny audience of donors and the m...

BWW Review: HELOISE WILSON SHINES IN WEEZY GOES OUTSIDE
by Herbert Paine - September 26, 2020

WEEZY GOES OUTSIDE is a delightful cine-epiphany about fidelity, love, and eternal life ~ produced by Little y and featuring a sterling performance by Heloise Wilson. One of the Comedy Shorts to be screened at the Coney Island Film Festival and available for virtual screening between September 22nd ...