Connecticut Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations

Review: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at TheatreWorks New Milford
by Jared Reynolds - December 15, 2024

They say that limitations encourage creativity, not stifle it. It may not look the way you envisioned it, but with the right people, you can make it happen. The determination from the entire production created a beautiful production that left the audience enthralled....

Review: Bringing the Joy with A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Connecticut Theatre Company
by Jared Reynolds - December 08, 2024

When it comes to a show like A Christmas Carol, you need to have heart and soul, and the cast and crew of Connecticut Theatre Company’s production of A Christmas Carol got my holiday season off to a great start....

Review: SANTA STORY 2 at Downtown Cabaret Theatre
by Sean Fallon - December 01, 2024

On Saturday, November 30th, I had the pleasure of seeing yet another wonderful performance at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport, CT.  The theatre for young audiences, that features adult performers, always manages to provide entertainment for the entire family so that parents can be enterta...

Review: OLIVER! at Fairfield Center Stage
by Sean Fallon - November 10, 2024

On Sunday, November 10th, I had the pleasure of seeing yet another first-rate production put on by Fairfield Center Stage at Wakeman Hall inside First Church Congregational of Fairfield at 148 Beach Rd.  OLIVER!, the musical, based on the Charles Dickens book Oliver Twist, adapted for stage by Lione...

Review: IN THE HEIGHTS at Downtown Cabaret Theatre
by Sean Fallon - November 02, 2024

On Friday, November 1st, I had the pleasure of seeing a phenomenal opening night performance of IN THE HEIGHTS at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport, CT! Set in Washington Heights in New York City, in a predominantly Latino community, this show delivers the right blend of drama, action, and ...

Review: DRACULA at Castle Craig Players
by Sean Fallon - October 27, 2024

On Saturday, October 26th, I had the pleasure of seeing yet another first rate production put on by the Castle Craig Players at the Almira F. Stephan Memorial Playhouse in Meriden, CT.  Bram Stoker’s DRACULA is brought to life on stage, through the adaptation by Hamilton Deane & John L. Balderston. ...

Review: A Seductive DRACULA at Town Players of New Canaan
by Pia Haas - October 23, 2024

Dracula, A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, written by Kate Hamill Is currently chilling audiences at The Powerhouse Theatre in New Canaan....

Review: GREASE at Musicals At Richter
by Sean Fallon - August 05, 2024

On Sunday, August 4th, I had the pleasure of seeing the musical GREASE at Musicals at Richter in Danbury, CT.  With book and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, director Jessica Smith combines her talents with music director Andrew Gadweh, and choreographer Melissa Arizzi to help bring out the be...

Review: SPRING AWAKENING at Castle Craig Players
by Sean Fallon - July 28, 2024

On Saturday, July 27th, I had the pleasure of seeing SPRING AWAKENING as put on by the Castle Craig Players at the Almira F. Stephan Memorial Playhouse in Meriden, CT. The stellar acting, singing, lighting, and choreography draws the audience right in.  The talented vocalists and skilled musicians c...

Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at Musicals At Richter
by Bruce Apar - July 09, 2024

In virtually all of its production values, Musicals at Richter's Beauty and the Beast meets the demands that define the Disney gold standard....

Review: (Bialy)Stocks Rise with THE PRODUCERS at Brookfield Theatre For The Arts
by Jared Reynolds - June 29, 2024

Where to even begin? Brookfield Theatre brought together a stellar cast and crew who bought into the vibes and committed to the comedy that Mel Brooks laid to paper. The success of the humor in The Producers comes from the authenticity of the absurdity, and it's the cast's commitment to the absurd t...

Review: The Show Must Go On with OAT SQUARES at TheatreWorks New Milford
by Jared Reynolds - June 24, 2024

Nothing ever goes according to plan, but you make do with what you have, and you make it work. Written by a local playwright through New Milford’s Playwriting Group, Oat Squares is jam packed with jokes, irony, and visual gags, leaving the audience falling in love with every character....

Review: WE WILL ROCK YOU at Downtown Cabaret Theatre
by Sean Fallon - June 01, 2024

On Friday, May 31st, I had the pleasure of seeing the phenomenal musical WE WILL ROCK YOU at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport, CT. This is neither a tribute concert to Queen nor a biography of their lives. Rather, the concept is similar to Mamma Mia! in that the show is a fictional story b...

Review: THE 39 STEPS at Castle Craig Players
by Sean Fallon - May 04, 2024

On Friday, May 3rd, I had the pleasure of seeing yet another first-rate production by the Castle Craig Players at the Almira F. Stephan Memorial Playhouse in Meriden, CT! This stellar cast keeps the audience entertained with their excellent stage presence, stage chemistry, and positive energy, as th...

Review: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at Center Stage Theatre
by Sean Fallon - April 21, 2024

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG as performed at Center Stage Theatre, in Shelton, CT, has the most spectacular set I have ever seen!  Director Betsy Kelso helps bring out the best in this amazing cast!  It is clear that the entire cast is having as wonderful a time performing their roles as the audience is...

Review: SHAKESPEARE IN HOLLYWOOD brings The Bard to Brookfield Theatre For The Arts
by Jared Reynolds - April 14, 2024

What do you get when you cross a stage director, a burgeoning film industry, exotic plants, and time-travelling characters? Why, you get Shakespeare in Hollywood! This play is a riotous time for Shakespeare nerds and People-Who’ve-Never-Read-Shakespeare alike....

Review: WAIT UNTIL DARK Ramps Up The Tension At TheatreWorks New Milford
by Jared Reynolds - April 01, 2024

'Wait Until Dark' plucks the strings of your anxieties one by one until your muscles are screaming for the inevitable crash of expectation that comes at the end of a thrilling work of art. But a script can’t do it on its own. It needs the right cast, the right crew, and the right moment to come to l...

Review: FOREVER PLAID at Castle Craig Players
by Sean Fallon - March 03, 2024

On Saturday, March 2nd, I had the pleasure of seeing another phenomenal performance put on by the Castle Craig Players at the Almira F. Stephan Memorial Playhouse in Meriden, CT, FOREVER PLAID, a comedic jukebox musical written by Stuart Ross. Director Melanie Del Sole, with help from musical direct...

Review: Celebrating the Peanuts with YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN at Brookfield Theatre For The Arts
by Jared Reynolds - February 20, 2024

Nostalgia is a powerful tool. It can bring back memories that you had long forgotten, and it can make you smile with fondness. Everyone experiences nostalgia differently, but at its core, its job is to make us feel. The cast and crew come together to bring the joy of the Peanuts to life at Brookfiel...

Review: OKLAHOMA! at Center Stage Theatre
by Sean Fallon - February 18, 2024

What did our critic think of OKLAHOMA! at Center Stage Theatre?...

Review: CLUE at Ridgefield Theater Barn
by Sean Fallon - February 04, 2024

The play is by Sandy Rustin, Hunter Foster, and Eric Price, based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn. Under the wonderful direction of David Fritsch, the Ridgefield Theater Barn successfully put on yet another phenomenal production that combines comedy with murder mystery!...

Review: WINNIE THE POOH at Downtown Cabaret Theatre
by Sean Fallon - January 13, 2024

What did our critic think of WINNE THE POOH at Downtown Cabaret Theatre?...

Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL EXPERIENCE at Fairfield Center Stage
by Sean Fallon - December 10, 2023

On Saturday, December 9th, at 2:00 PM, I had the pleasure of attending my favorite annual theatrical tradition, A CHRISTMAS CAROL EXPERIENCE, as performed by Fairfield Center Stage, at Burr Mansion in Fairfield, CT.  In my youth, I have appeared in three stage productions of A Christmas Carol.  I ha...

Review: Learning How to S-P-E-L-L Again at the 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at TheatreWorks New Milford
by Jared Reynolds - December 10, 2023

The dramas of my childhood years seem so small now, so insignificant, like a trivial problem today felt like the end of the world back then, and that’s exactly what the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee dug out of the depths of my brain like a repressed memory....

Review: Bouncing Fun with FUN HOME at Brookfield Theater For The Arts
by Jared Reynolds - December 02, 2023

We all have those shows that cut you to your core in a way that few other things can, and based on the opening night audience at the Brookfield Theatre for the Arts, Fun Home is that show for a lot of people. From the moment the band walked on stage, the cast and crew of Brookfield Theatre’s Fun Hom...