Houston Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 2

Review: FUNNY GIRL at BROADWAY AT THE HOBBY CENTER
by Brett Cullum - August 21, 2024

What did our critic think of FUNNY GIRL at BROADWAY AT THE HOBBY CENTER?...

Review: THE COLOR PURPLE at The Garden Theatre and Sankofa Collective
by Brett Cullum - August 03, 2024

Occasionally, you see a show that renews your faith in what the arts do, like seeing The Color Purple in a field. It’s a show that reminds you why people love musicals. THE COLOR PURPLE from The Garden Theatre and the Sankofa Collective is just such a thing. It has heart, soul, and some of the best ...

Review: MELVILLE AND HAWTHORNE at Thunderclap Productions
by Brett Cullum - August 03, 2024

MELVILLE AND HAWTHORNE makes for an intriguing evening of theater that made me want to run back home and pull out MOBY DICK and perhaps THE BLITHEDALE ROMANCE and start my summer reading. As a student, I never knew of this possible affair between two literary giants....

Review: NEXT TO NORMAL at Houston Broadway Theatre
by Armando Urdiales - July 28, 2024

What did our critic think of NEXT TO NORMAL at Houston Broadway Theatre?...

Review: RUDDIGORE at Gilbert And Sullivan Society Of Houston
by Armando Urdiales - July 22, 2024

Boy, I wanted to enjoy this way more. I have been an ardent fan of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston since I moved to Houston in 2021, and their post-pandemic performance of HMS Pinafore left me excited for future G&S Society of Houston productions. In 2023, they followed up HMS with Pirat...

Review: THE WIZARD OF OZ at Queensbury Theatre
by Armando Urdiales - July 21, 2024

What did our critic think of THE WIZARD OF OZ at Queensbury Theatre?...

Review: THE WOMAN IN BLACK Haunts Main Street Theater
by Brett Cullum - July 14, 2024

It’s about the power of imagination and fear. Main Street Theater in Rice Village has resurrected this gothic ghost story just in time to chill down a rather hot and humid summer....

Review: DISNEY'S THE LION KING at Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
by Brett Cullum - July 13, 2024

The stage does not bind the performers, and the show remains an immersive experience like no other. It is akin to climbing into a cart at the Disney amusement park and turning in an E-ticket for an all-out assault on your senses. Kids will love it, and the adults will marvel at the elegant design....

Review: TAMARIE'S TEXAS TOAST is Delicious at Catastrophic Theatre
by Brett Cullum - June 30, 2024

This company is just really strong at putting on funny-as-hell musical sketch comedies. It’s as if SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE were written by Kander and Ebb. ...

Review: FADE TO BLACK PLAY FESTIVAL from SHABACH ENTERPRISES at the MATCH
by Brett Cullum - June 20, 2024

The playwriting talent on display here is awe-inspiring, and I found myself sucked in shortly after each set change and new scenario. What fascinates me most about this year is that the subject material has shifted a bit overall. FADE TO BLACK has always addressed racial issues, but now the works ar...

Review: BETRAYAL at REC ROOM ARTS through July 6th
by Brett Cullum - June 18, 2024

BETRAYAL is everything you want from a REC ROOM production. It is thoughtful, well-acted, and designed especially for a small space. Sophia Watt and her company drive home the conflicts and the feelings of confusion and loss when an affair falls apart messily and mercilessly....

Review: DIAL M FOR MURDER Is A Blast At The Alley Theatre
by Brett Cullum - June 10, 2024

The audience I saw DIAL M FOR MURDER with roared to their feet after all was said and done. This is a charming production with plenty of technical eye candy and sublime campy takes on characters. These kinds of shows fit what THE ALLEY THEATRE does best: entertain and thrill us with a summer mystery...

Review: Stages' OTHELLO: THE REMIX Brings New Energy and Life to Shakespeare in Houston
by Miranda Keating - June 02, 2024

Despite my critiques of the show’s content itself, OTHELLO: THE REMIX is certainly a fun night out due to the catchy songs, exciting dance moves, and wonderful performances. I believe that everyone should watch the show, take in the exhilarating music and theatrical pictures, and see for themselves ...

Review: A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD at Stages Houston
by Brett Cullum - June 01, 2024

Intimacy is one of STAGES THEATRE’s core values. And they should point to this anytime they want to proclaim proof of it. You can’t do this in a larger space. Nobody else in town could pull this off. It is a prime example of what this company does best....

Review: APPROPRIATE Stuns at Dirt Dogs Theatre Co.
by Brett Cullum - May 25, 2024

It is a tense Southern psychodrama about family and the results of abuse on members of it. Cicadas, verbal sparring, racism, and outright brawls all make appearances as one would expect. Yet the show is still surprising in many turns and should have audiences laughing and gasping often simultaneousl...

Review: ON MIDNIGHT, FRIDAY THE 13TH at Ensemble Theatre
by Brett Cullum - May 12, 2024

Sometimes, it’s fun to watch a theatre company let their hair down and have fun. And with ON MIDNIGHT, FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH, the Ensemble Theatre does just that. This is a giggle-filled, fast-paced murder thriller in the vein of Agatha Christie being spoofed at every turn. It is high-energy, camp, ...

Review: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at Broadway at The Hobby Center
by Brett Cullum - May 01, 2024

It is not a flashy musical with special effects and huge dance numbers, but rather a somber meditation on Depression Era America and deep cuts of Bob Dylan’s songbook. It’s brilliant, and it will make you think. It’s akin to watching ghosts sing Americana arias, something you will never quite shake....

Review: THE CHER SHOW at THEATRE UNDER THE STARS
by Brett Cullum - April 18, 2024

I am unsure if I know of any other music diva who needs three different actresses to play her, but Cher seems to have required that. We have not one, not two, but three Chers in this show. And do they trot on, do their part of life, and leave? Heck no! They all talk to each other, advise each other,...

Review: CLEANSED at CATASTROPHIC THEATRE
by Brett Cullum - April 16, 2024

Should you avoid seeing the show? For God’s sake, no. You will miss what is surely going to be one of the most talked about pieces of work in Houston’s theatrical history. Go see it, and make your own call whether you love or hate it. But don’t let them brainwash you into thinking this is only about...

Review: THE TAMING OF THE SHREW at CLASSICAL THEATRE COMPANY
by Brett Cullum - April 15, 2024

I don’t think you are going to find a funnier TAMING OF THE SHREW easily. Director Dana Bowman has lucked out to get the cast and crew that could pull this off, and she had extreme insight into how to handle the problems the show represents to women today. You will laugh, and you will find it a deli...

Review: STAGOLEE AND THE FUNERAL OF A DANGEROUS WORD at MAIN STREET THEATER
by Brett Cullum - April 08, 2024

STAGOLEE AND THE FUNERAL OF A DANGEROUS WORD is a wonderful meditation on the power of words, folklore, and the human condition. It soars and becomes electric any time actors TiMOThY ERiC and Seth Carter Ramsey confront each other. It has a power and heft you do not see in most theater. It goes to a...

Review: THE OUTSIDER Charms at the MATCH from MIGHTY ACORN And WCO PRODUCTIONS
by Brett Cullum - April 04, 2024

Part of the genius of THE OUTSIDER is it is pure farce. Characters and plots are played larger than life, and doors constantly swing open with new surprises behind them. We’re not in the sturm and drang of THE WEST WING, but rather the territory of a silly sitcom like VEEP. Physical comedy, verbal b...

Review: PATTI LUPONE: A LIFE IN NOTES at BEYOND BROADWAY at the Hobby Center
by Brett Cullum - March 23, 2024

Patti Lupone has always known how to merge pop culture with her theatrical training, and she can craft a story around any song she chooses. And that is why we come, to hear the storyteller tell her tale....

Review: THE DIVAS BALL at Vincent Victoria Presents
by Brett Cullum - March 18, 2024

It’s fun, a bit quirky, and has a Fellini-sized cast that should make your head spin in all the right ways. Apparently, it takes an army to make a diva, but then again, is that a surprise?...

Review: THE PILLOWMAN at DIRT DOGS THEATRE COMPANY
by Brett Cullum - March 10, 2024

Malinda L. Beckham has always been a master of directing testosterone-fueled plays where men fight and abuse each other. She and her cast bravely take on Martin McDonagh’s script and make wise decisions. The pace is breakneck, never allowing the viewer to wallow much in the muck. She brings out the ...