Houston Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 9

BWW Review: Firecracker Production's PIPELINE Brings Intimacy to the Houston Theatre Scene
by Christian Gill - October 18, 2021

Immersion begins with the space. A company makes a statement as soon as the audience steps through the door. The space can be pretentious, epic, ominous, and so much more. In the case of the Firecracker Production's performance of Dominique Morisseau's Pipeline I would describe the space using the w...

BWW Review: DEAR JACK, DEAR LOUISE Delights Audiences at A.D. Players
by Comfort Katchy - October 18, 2021

A love-story comes to Houston! Live theatre is officially back, and what better way to kick it off than with a heartwarming (true!) story at the George Theater? A.D. Players opens their 55th season, named a Season of Triumph, with this touching and feel-good Houston premiere. Written by award-winnin...

BWW Review: Theatre Under the Stars' ROCK OF AGES Blows the Roof Off of The Hobby Center
by Armando Urdiales - October 11, 2021

Theatre Under The Stars bursts with Rock n Roll energy as they reopen at the Hobby Center after a 19-month intermission with Rock of Ages. On October 7th, Chris D'Arienzo's rock party opened to great applause as a nostalgic night out greeted Houstonians becoming a much-needed break from the turbulen...

BWW Review: SWEAT at The Alley Theatre
by Christian Gill - October 13, 2021

The plight of the blue-collar workers in Reading, Pennsylvania reflects the tensions facing many working Americans. For some people, it's easier to blame those close by than the real causes of their pain. For many Americans people of color become the fall guys that excuse the greed of the rich and p...

BWW Review: DARWIN IN MALIBU at Main Street Theater
by Brett Cullum - October 08, 2021

The show never gets to where it promises to go in the setup, but thanks to a great cast and a gung-ho production team it does entertain.  DARWIN IN MALIBU works great as a light comedy, and it lets the actors showcase their immense skills at creating wonderful characters....

BWW Review: STARRING CHERRY COLA PITTS AND THE STORM IS HERE at Vincent Victoria Presents
by Brett Cullum - October 04, 2021

Vincent has always had a certain style all his own, and it is no surprise he makes an engaging host of a black themed variety show.  He holds the audience easily in his grasp, and makes them laugh and squirm all at once.  He’s a whirlwind of energy, and it comes off so good naturedly that by the tim...

BWW Review: MY FAIR LADY Brings the Best and Finest of Broadway to Houston
by Audrey Morabito - September 17, 2021

Last night I sat in a theatre for the first time in 557 days. I’m positive I wasn’t the only one holding a track record of that caliber, because the excitement in the Hobby Center was tangible. Theatre is back indeed. And what better way to welcome you than the visually stunning, lovely tale of Prof...

BWW Feature: 4th Wall's SUMMER SHAKES Production of AS YOU LIKE IT Showcases High School Students
by Armando Urdiales - July 27, 2021

As the promise of live theater is slowly making its way back to the theatres of Houston, one upcoming exciting endeavor is the 4th Wall Theatre's SUMMER SHAKES program. SUMMER SHAKES is 4th Wall's new conservatory program where they will house ten high school students, teach them modern Shakespearea...

BWW Review: LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL at STAGES Theatre is A Wonderful Slow Burn
by Armando Urdiales - July 13, 2021

In a world where the Black Lives Matter movement is a focal point, and many organizations are changing their views on diversity, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill at STAGES Theatre in Montrose provides a glimpse of why equality is important. The title character's nickname of Lady Day, otherwise kn...

BWW Review: BLAQUE TCHERIE at Vincent Victoria Presents
by Brett Cullum - June 28, 2021

BLAQUE TCHERIE makes for an impressive film debut for Vincent Victoria, and it looks like his empire may expand to new mediums.  It’s a funny film with a very sweet message about black women and how they should be perceived....

BWW Review: Houston Opera's Jack Swanson Recital
by Maria Nockin - March 15, 2021

On Friday evening March 12, 2021, Houston Grand Opera presented Live from The Cullen: Jack Swanson and Richard Bado in a wide-ranging recital of music by Robert Schumann, Leonard Bernstein, Roger Quilter, Kurt Weill, Franz Liszt, and Gioachino Rossini. Swanson can hold his audience spellbound with ...

BWW Review: Fall in Love With Jake & Emily Speck in A.D. Players' A SPECK-TACULAR EVENING OF STORIES & SONGS
by Audrey Morabito - February 18, 2021

If you’re anything like me (And if you’re a theatre person, you probably are), you’re a sucker for a good cabaret. And a sweet love story. And (of course) musicals. Need I say more? A.D. Players has jumped back into the digital theatre space with their timely production of A SPECK-TACULAR EVENING OF...

BWW Review: Houston Ballet's Virtual Program NUTCRACKER SWEETS is the Holiday Treat You Know & Love
by Audrey Morabito - December 16, 2020

It goes without mention that this year’s festivities look a little different, but in the case of Houston Ballet’s virtual program NUTCRACKER SWEETS, different can be synonymous with delightful: the same decorated holiday production with all the bells and whistles, along with several added layers of ...

BWW Feature: Second Servings' 'Dinner's On Us' Invites Houston Theatre Community to the Table
by Audrey Morabito - April 30, 2020

When was the last time your weekly trip to Trader Joe's consisted of 1,500 lbs of food? I know, I know. Trader Joe's is the bomb. But 1,500 lbs?! That, however, is just a regular ol' day for the folks at Second Servings Houston, who recover food excess and connect it to those in need. With the vario...

BWW Review: BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY dazzles at 4TH WALL THEATRE
by Brett Cullum - March 14, 2020

This tricky character-driven piece requires an amazing cast, and that is just what 4th WALL THEATRE COMPANY has managed to assemble. Byron Jacquet plays Pops, and he carries the story ably on broad shoulders. Every moment of his performance has a world weary marinade that rings true....

BWW Review: FROM WHITE PLAINS Delivers Social Justice at THUNDERCLAP PRODUCTIONS
by Brett Cullum - March 06, 2020

How far should we hold someone responsible for abuse decades ago? Can we factor in that maybe they grew and changed over the years? Is it fair to seek social justice in the age of the Internet when someone can instantly be fired or destroyed by allegations that were never prosecuted or examined by...

BWW Review: COME FROM AWAY Ignites Compassion and Unity at the Hobby Center
by Audrey Morabito - March 04, 2020

In over ten years of being in the audience at the Hobby Center, I have never heard applause as loud and abundant as I did at last night's curtain call. It was as if the whole audience agreed not only that we had witnessed something significant, but were acknowledging that we witnessed it together. I...

BWW Review: Al Fallick's MOVIES, MUSICALS AND ME is Broadway Parody Hilarity
by Audrey Morabito - February 25, 2020

What do Apollo 13, Space Jam, The Mummy, and A Quiet Place all have in common? Why, they're none other than four of the many (many) acclaimed movie musical adaptations of Halpert Evans' (Al Fallick) extensive Broadway career. You haven't heard of him? Well then, let me introduce to you one of Broadw...

BWW Review: DREAMGIRL DEFERRED Dares to Dream at Vincent Victoria Presents
by Brett Cullum - February 21, 2020

Every generation seems to have their Florence Ballard - ultra talented singers who get tossed aside because they don't fit a look or a concept of what a record label wants in its catalog....

BWW Review: FEFU AND HER FRIENDS REIGN AT CATASTROPHIC THEATRE
by Suzanne Tidwell - February 24, 2020

FEFU AND HER FRIENDS passes the Bechdel test with glowing colors a?" there are no men seen, and only mentioned briefly, even though we feel their presence as plot catalysts. As these women make soup, have water fights and practice French, read aloud from magazines and eat bourbon popsicles, cry and ...

BWW Review: A FANTASTICKS FOR THE AGES OPENS THE GORDY
by Suzanne Tidwell - February 20, 2020

Why did Stages choose THE FANTASTICKS to open The Gordy, their sparkling new home? Because it is perfect. There is no neater, lovelier piece of musical theatre. To christen a new theatre with this show makes absolute sense....

BWW Review: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND at TUTS Is Raw, Real Storytelling at Its Finest
by Audrey Morabito - February 20, 2020

“This—something, life and...breath?” my friend read as she tried to decode my jumbled mess of notes while I drove us home from the show. “Oh no,” I answered, 'that says, 'This musical lives and breathes.” That short phrase is the most indicative of my experience at ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, a show whose ...

BWW Review: SOLDIER'S FUGUE Marches into MAIN STREET THEATER
by Brett Cullum - February 10, 2020

Narratively ELLIOT, A SOLDIER'S FUGUE simply combines three soldiers in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq.  They represent a grandfather, a father, and a son who all go through similar experiences in the wars of their respective eras....

BWW Review: JERSEY BOYS Mans Up at Broadway at the Hobby Center
by Brett Cullum - February 08, 2020

Most people know the music pretty well, but few knew the band had a colorful history full of crimes and mob connections that were against the clean cut tradition of their era. They seemed to be more than a boy band and bordered on a gang in many ways. Forget BTS, One Direction, or even the New Kids ...

BWW Review: A.D. Players' GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER Is Both Hopeful & Honest
by Audrey Morabito - February 04, 2020

The year is 1967, the place is San Francisco, and the conflict? A young and optimistic mixed-race couple has just announced their upcoming plans of marriage to unsuspecting parents. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner extracts the nuances and subtleties of prejudice and plops them center stage, both litera...