Houston Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 3

Review: THE NERD Waxes Nostalgic at ALLEY THEATRE
by Brett Cullum - March 06, 2024

THE NERD is frankly still THE NERD, and the director, Brandon Weinbrenner, doesn’t reinvent much of anything. There’s nothing new or fresh, and the script is presented almost as if it would have run back in 1981. There is no discernable reason to remount this show save for the idea that it was fun b...

Review: Alexis Scheer's LAUGHS IN SPANISH Delivers in Hilarity and Heart at Stages
by Armando Urdiales - March 06, 2024

Explore the insightful play Laughs in Spanish at STAGES, a captivating blend of humor and cultural exploration. The play offers a fresh perspective on the human experience, highlighting the joys and challenges of navigating the world through the lens of language....

Review: Rec Rooms Slams Dunk with KING JAMES
by Armando Urdiales - March 06, 2024

Sports. The word with various meanings, but always seems to perpetuate a game, a sparring of two teams or two people. This battle is well done on-stage with Rec Room Arts, King James. Rajiv Joseph’s expert play book ends the friendship of two male Cavaliers fans at the start of Lebron James career w...

Review: Denise Fennell-Pasqualone Once Again Strikes Comedy Gold with World Premiere of SISTER'S IRISH CATECHISM: SAINTS, SNAKES, AND GREEN MILKSHAKES
by Miranda Keating - March 01, 2024

For the “Late Nite Catechism” series of shows, actors dress up as a character named “Sister” and lead their audiences through a “class” full of audience interaction. Denise Fennell-Pasqualone has been performing as 'Sister' for many years now, but–for this specific show–she preaches about St. Patric...

Review: IT IS MAGIC at Catastrophic Theatre
by Brett Cullum - February 16, 2024

IT IS MAGIC is far from false advertising because this play, this cast, and this team make some pretty strong magic from Mickle Maher’s latest play. Just sit back, relax, and let it all wash over you is my advice. It’s funny, it’s quirky, and it is unlike anything else you are likely to see anytime ...

Review: NORA HAHN CRAFTFULLY BRINGS ANN RICHARDS TO LIFE IN GARDEN THEATRE'S PRODUCTION OF ANN
by Miranda Keating - February 09, 2024

The Garden Theatre is currently presenting ANN, a one-woman show highlighting the life of the prolific Texas governor, Ann Richards. Nora Hahn stars as Ann, and with her ability to play to the audience in such an intimate way yet still have the gravitas of a bold politician, Hahn was clearly the rig...

Review: ON YOUR FEET! at Theatre Under the Stars
by Brett Cullum - January 31, 2024

This is a beautifully cast show full of authentic Latin performers. They have all had input into the choreography for this production, which Luis Salgado headed up. The director has amped up the dancing from the original Broadway version and made the final journey after Gloria’s accident far more sp...

Review: O: A RHAPSODY IN DIVORCE at MILDRED'S UMBRELLA
by Brett Cullum - January 22, 2024

O: A RHAPSODY IN DIVORCE does what any good play sets out to do; it makes you feel. Your heart breaks for the lead character; her struggle and journey are effective and moving. There is a lot here to savor, and it maintains the prestige of what this company routinely produces....

Review: TINA - THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL Rolls into Broadway at The Hobbby Center
by Brett Cullum - January 04, 2024

The show is a jukebox musical that tells the story of Tina’s career and incorporates some of her biggest hits to do so. It was created under the executive production of Tina Turner herself and her second husband, Erwin Bach. Tina Turner passed away last year, so this show is a fitting celebration o...

Review: 8 STEPS TO HEAVEN Gets Funky At Vincent Victoria Presents
by Brett Cullum - December 11, 2023

Yet in the end, EIGHT NOTES TO HEAVEN is just a joyous ride. I love the idea of Prince and Rick James battling it out over who had more funk and who had more soul. In truth, they were both icons who did revolutionary things...

Review: CINDERELLA at THEATRE UNDER THE STARS
by Brett Cullum - December 09, 2023

What I admire most about TUTS is their willingness to cast local Houston talent of all levels, and allowing them to work on a show with musical theater professionals from around the country. They are the soul of Houston theater in many ways, and it is lovely to see them honor that legacy with their ...

Review: SENSE & SENSIBILITY at 4TH WALL THEATRE COMPANY
by Brett Cullum - December 06, 2023

What did our critic think of SENSE & SENSIBILITY at 4TH WALL THEATRE COMPANY? I have a feeling the creators of Netflix’s BRIDGERTON saw Kate Hamill’s musical update of SENSE & SENSIBILITY in 2014 and understood what they had to do to make Regency era romance work for a new generation....

Review: MJ - Yet Another Bio-Jukebox Musical, but A Dazzling Performance Nonetheless
by Miranda Keating - November 27, 2023

'MJ' was a slick production with an extremely talented cast who executed some elite singing and dancing, and I know that the show is a crowd-favorite currently with numerous Tony Awards under its belt. Still, it did not strike me as significantly better or even different than any of the other bio-ju...

Review: THE TURN OF THE SCREW messes with the truth at CATASTROPHIC THEATRE
by Brett Cullum - November 22, 2023

But one thing I promise you, you have never seen it done like this before. And you probably won’t ever get another chance to see something quite this inventive in any given year of Houston theater. This is a thrill to witness, and unlike anything out there. It manages to be THE BLAIR WITCH of stage ...

Review: GEORGIANA AND KITTY: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLY at MAIN STREET THEATER
by Brett Cullum - November 21, 2023

There is a distinct charm to GEORGIANA AND KITTY that makes the audience feel like they are invited for Christmas at Pemberly. You get a true sense these actors are welcoming you to their world, and it’s a place that is joyously cozy for the holidays....

Review: SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET at TUTS
by Christian Gill - October 24, 2023

Of the many things I could compliment about TUTS’ production of Sweeney Todd (the songs, the costumes, the lighting) perhaps the most important is that it’s authentic. This is as close to the original Angela Lansbury/Len Cariou (later played by George Hearn) production as we can reasonably hope....

Review: SWITZERLAND at STAGES HOUSTON
by Brett Cullum - October 13, 2023

I was expecting a thriller along the lines of MISERY, but in the end the psychological aspects of SWITZERLAND are such that make it a chiller instead. Kenn McLaughlin, Sally Edmundson, and Ian James make a great team to bring it to life....

Review: WAITING FOR GODOT at CATASTROPHIC THEATRE
by Brett Cullum - October 04, 2023

You are never going to see a more definitive version of this show in Houston, and CATASTROPHIC is the company to bring it to you....

Review: THE LARAMIE PROJECT at THEATRE SUBURBIA
by Brett Cullum - September 20, 2023

They have a mix of genders, races, and experience levels to work with. The result is what community theater is all about, a perfect blend of people coming together for a common cause. You can feel their love of the piece and each other radiating from the stage. This is why people adore and do commun...

Review: Feminist Farce 'POTUS: OR, BEHIND EVERY GREAT DUMBASS ARE SEVEN WOMEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE' is a Joyful Rollercoaster of Hilarity While Asking Real Questions
by Miranda Keating - September 14, 2023

'POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dubmass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive' is described as a 'feminist farce', which I think is the best definition of this delectable piece. I stepped into the theater one moment, and boom! It was done, flying by, and what a joy it was....

Review: MEDEA at Classical Theatre Company
by Brett Cullum - September 11, 2023

Callina is always a smart actress, and she mines this mythical lady for something more than simple madness. No, she finds a way to make her choices as an ultimate strategist even if she is a woman scorned. She is torn at every step of the way by the evilness of her plan, yet she knows if the wrongs ...

Review: FAR EAST at On the Verge Theatre
by Brett Cullum - September 04, 2023

The thing about FAR EAST is the emotional stakes are never high. Unlike MADAME BUTTERFLY where we are faced with a scorned woman and an illegitimate child, here we never see the soldier’s Japanese lover. And contrasted with FROM HERE TO ETERNITY where an affair is consummated on a wildly active beac...

Review: JAGGED LITTLE PILL at Theatre Under The Stars
by Brett Cullum - August 31, 2023

JAGGED LITTLE PILL is half brilliant and half hackneyed, but there are moments when it is dizzyingly great.  A clever but overstuffed book married with challenging pop rock songs keeps the cast and audience on their toes, but when it hits the high it is worth it.  “You Oughta Know” and “Uninvited” a...

Review: BONNIE & CLYDE at The Garden Theatre
by Brett Cullum - August 13, 2023

Just a reminder, the MATCH complex in Houston has some of the best air conditioning around. And this show is pretty hot and sultry, so it’s a perfect pairing....

Review: 1776 Delivers The Founding 'Mothers' At Theatre Under the Stars
by Brett Cullum - July 21, 2023

I teasingly have been calling this 1776 - THE FOUNDING MOTHERS EDITION all week, and it is finally here at the Hobby Center brought in by Theatre Under the Stars. This is a New York cast hitting Houston for a three night stop of a national tour. My question is, does it really make that much of a sta...