Portland Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 11

BWW Review: SCARLET Puts a Modern Bent on a Tragically Timeless Story, at Portland Playhouse
by Krista Garver - March 14, 2018

There were zero dry eyes and two standing ovations (one during the show) at opening night of SCARLET, Michelle Horgen's excellent new musical adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel The Scarlet Letter....

BWW Review: Shaking the Tree's MACBETH, Full of Sound and Fury, Signifies Plenty
by Krista Garver - March 06, 2018

Shaking the Tree's MACBETH is full of terrifying demons and shadows. Director Samantha Van Der Merwe uses cross-gender casting to explore the theme of what it means to be a man....

BWW Review: Milagro Theatre Unearths a Piece of Theatrical History in ASTUCIAS POR HEREDAR UN SOBRINA A UN TIO
by Krista Garver - February 15, 2018

ASTUCIAS POR HEREDAR UN SOBRINA A UN TIO was written in 1789 by Fermin de Reygadas, who was born in Spain and emigrated to Mexico. The play was banned in Mexico for its social commentary, namely it's satirization of the upper class. Milagro's production is the first in almost 230 years....

BWW Review: A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER is Bloody Good Fun
by Krista Garver - February 14, 2018

What would you do if you discovered you were ninth in line to be the Earl of Highhurst? Do the other eight in as quickly as possible, of course! That's Monty Navarro's plan in Robert Freedman and Steven Lutvak's A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, the madcap Tony Award-winning musical now runnin...

BWW Review: KODACHROME: A Photographic Journey of Being Human, at Portland Center Stage
by Krista Garver - February 13, 2018

KODACHROME is a guided tour of Colchester through the eyes, or rather, the lens, of the Photographer, who uses her camera and her stories to capture moments in the lives of the town's denizens....

BWW Review: triangle productions! Delves into LGBTQ History in THE MADNESS OF LADY BRIGHT and TRANS-FORMATION
by Krista Garver - February 08, 2018

THE MADNESS OF LADY BRIGHT and TRANS-FORMATION are two one-act plays about LGBTQ history....

BWW Review: The Conclusion of Chris Coleman's Epic ASTORIA
by Krista Garver - February 06, 2018

ASTORIA, adapted from Peter Stark's book of the same name, is a broad, very dense history of the expeditions, funded by John Jacob Astor, that led to the founding of Astoria and the expansion of the United States to the west coast....

BWW Review: Artists Rep's MAGELLANICA: A Journey to Antarctica in Search of Scientific and Existential Truths
by Krista Garver - February 01, 2018

E.M. Lewis's MAGELLANICA, a world premiere now playing at Artists Repertory Theatre, is the theatrical equivalent of a theory of everything. This epic play is about eight people wintering over at the South Pole Research Station in 1986....

BWW Review: David Saffert Kills It in MURDER FOR TWO at Broadway Rose
by Krista Garver - January 31, 2018

MURDER FOR TWO is a madcap murder mystery musical by Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair. It's full of gags and relies on physical comedy as well as a few plot points that are clearly just for shock value....

Fertile Ground Reviews: MATTER IS MOTHER, SEX WE CAN! AN EROTIC UPRISING
by Krista Garver - January 29, 2018

MATTER IS MOTHER wins my award for most creative show at the festival. SEX WE CAN! explores sex and sexuality in a way that's entertaining, empowering, and, in case you're wondering, very sexy....

BWW Review: PARNASSUS ON WHEELS is a Delightful Love Letter to Books (and Love!), at Lakewood Theatre
by Krista Garver - January 29, 2018

PARNASSUS ON WHEELS is a positively enchanting play about an almost-40-year-old woman who buys a mobile bookstore and sets off on a grand adventure....

BWW Review: THE BOOK OF MORMON is Back! And This Time, It's Even Better
by Krista Garver - January 25, 2018

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Fertile Ground Reviews: THE CONTRACT, A WOMAN IN WASHINGTON'S ARMY, THE APE THEATRE COMEDY HOUSE PARTY
by Krista Garver - January 25, 2018

Fertile Ground 2018 continues to be amazing. Here's what I thought about two staged readings and a comedy show!...

Fertile Ground Reviews: PHILIP'S GLASS MENAGERIE, ROSA RED, PERSEPHONE XOA IRIS
by Krista Garver - January 23, 2018

Fertile Ground 2018 is in full swing. And, based on what I've seen so far, this is the best year yet! Here are three of the shows I saw opening weekend....

BWW Review: In THREE SISTERS, Life is a Long, Disappointing Slog, But You Should Still Totally See the Play, at Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative
by Krista Garver - January 18, 2018

Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative's THREE SISTERS is a fascinating bummer, and definitely worth a watch for anyone who may feel like we as a country are stuck in some pretty deep muck, with no clear path out....

BWW Review: A Harrowing True Story and Imaginative Direction a Winning Formula for LIFEBOAT, at Corrib Theatre
by Krista Garver - January 17, 2018

Nicola McCartney's LIFEBOAT, brilliantly directed by Avital Shira, is an exhilarating and ultimately uplifting play about courage, resilience, and friendship....

Feeling Dissatisfied with Life? Have Some Vodka! And Then Go See Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble's Brilliant UNCLE VANYA
by Krista Garver - January 10, 2018

PETE's UNCLE VANYA is funny and gut-wrenching, and it perfectly captures the anxiety of boredom, the irresistible allure of shiny things, and the hopelessness of realizing that this is it. Plus, there's live music....

BWW Review: Feel the Thrill of Antarctic Exploration in Portland Story Theater's POLAR OPPOSITES
by Krista Garver - January 10, 2018

Lawrence Howard's latest offering, POLAR OPPOSITES: AMUNDSEN, SCOTT, AND THE RACE FOR THE POLE, tells the story of Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott's competing journeys to the South Pole....

BWW Review: TWIST YOUR DICKENS is Back! And That's a Very Good Thing
by Krista Garver - December 15, 2017

There are plenty of wholesome choices for holiday entertainment. And then there's TWIST YOUR DICKENS from Chicago-based comedy troupe The Second City. I am thrilled that this irreverent and hilarious adult version of this holiday favorite is back (and it's better than ever) at Portland Center Stage....

BWW Review: Portland Shakespeare Project's PERICLES WET Well-Timed for the National Conversation About Sexual Harassment and Assault
by Krista Garver - December 12, 2017

Ellen Margolis's excellent PERICLES WET is a story about men taking what they want. Even more than that, it's a story about the people who know horrific things are going on and what they choose to do with that knowledge....

BWW Review: Portland Playhouse's A CHRISTMAS CAROL is the Must-See of the Holiday Season
by Krista Garver - December 09, 2017

This production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL has everything you could want a great script, a superb cast with excellent direction, and plenty of theatre magic to make you feel like a kid at Christmas....

BWW Review: A CHRISTMAS MEMORY/WINTER SONG is a Warm, Wonderful Welcome to Winter
by Krista Garver - December 04, 2017

A CHRISTMAS MEMORY/WINTER SONG is like comfort food -- warm, nourishing, and just exactly what you want on a cold winter's night....

BWW Review: In THE HUMANS, a Holiday Dinner Becomes a Multigenerational Scrimmage at Artists Rep
by Krista Garver - December 03, 2017

If you want to see what's new and exciting in American theatre, go see THE HUMANS. It will also give you some good ammunition for your upcoming holiday meals....

BWW Review: Broadway Rose's YOUR HOLIDAY HIT PARADE is the Pitch Perfect Way to Get into the Holiday Spirit
by Krista Garver - November 28, 2017

YOUR HOLIDAY HIT PARADE is two hours of all of your seasonal favorites sung exquisitely, with enough silliness to provide plenty of laughs and enough heart to make you feel all warm inside just like Christmas is supposed to....

BWW Review: Calling All Seekers: Find Your PSYCHIC UTOPIA at Hand2Mouth
by Krista Garver - November 21, 2017

PSYCHIC UTOPIA explores the stories of many people who traveled to Oregon in search of a utopian experience. This is the kind of immersive, visceral experience I go to the theatre for, and Hand2Mouth is uniquely talented at providing it....