Milwaukee, WI Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations

Review: ELF THE MUSICAL at Marcus PAC
by Sofia Ascorbe - December 12, 2024

Many peers around my age may remember the first time they saw Elf, the 2003 movie starring Will Ferrell. It was a fresh take on the Christmas cheer trope, introducing an overly enthusiastic and endearingly naïve (and exaggeratingly tall) human who was really convinced he was an elf, just like his 3-...

Review: THE GOLDEN GIRLS HOLIDAY SPECIAL is the Best Gift This Season
by Kelsey Lawler - December 09, 2024

Get ready to be delighted. The Golden Girls Holiday Special is back for its 8th year, bringing some Miami sunshine to Milwaukee this December....

Review: Holiday Classic RUDOLPH THE MUSICAL Returns to FIRST STAGE
by Kelsey Lawler - December 02, 2024

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the Musical is a wholly enchanting experience—the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season with kids of all ages....

Review: I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER at The Boulevard Theatre
by Cathy Jakicic - November 26, 2024

Boulevard Theatre's reading of 'I Never Sand For My Father' is a masterful depiction of complex family dynamics.  ...

Review: OLIVER! at Skylight Music Theatre
by Cathy Jakicic - November 16, 2024

Young performers are scene-stealers in Skylight Music Theatre' 'Oliver!'...

Review: ALCINA is a Dreamy Vintage Opera at Dandy
by Kelsey Lawler - November 14, 2024

What did our critic think of ALCINA at MILWAUKEE OPERA THEATRE?...

Review: LUMBERJACKS IN LOVE at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre
by Cathy Jakicic - November 15, 2024

'Lumberjacks in Love' offers an evening of much-needed laughs....

Review: THE MOORS at Renaissance Theatreworks
by Cathy Jakicic - October 21, 2024

THE MOORS at Renaissance Theatreworks is a constant revelation - can't wait to see it again writes our critic. ...

Review: PETE THE CAT at First Stage
by Cathy Jakicic - October 13, 2024

'Pete the Cat' vibrates with positive energy, gentle lesson....

Review: WAITRESS at Skylight Music Theatre
by Cathy Jakicic - October 05, 2024

A great server always deserves a tip.  Here it is: Don’t miss “Waitress” at Skylight Music Theatre writes BWW's critic. ...

Review: BEETLEJUICE Musical Tour Summons Laughs & Gasps at Marcus Center
by Kelsey Lawler - October 03, 2024

Read BroadwayWorld's review of the national tour of Beetlejuice at the Marcus Center. Learn more about the show and see what our critic thought. ...

Review: Milwaukee Rep's COAST STARLIGHT: A Train Worth Taking
by Kelsey Lawler - September 09, 2024

It’s a new season of theater in Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Rep is kicking it off with The Coast Starlight, written by Keith Bunin and directed by Mark Clements. Direct from Lincoln Center, this funny and heartfelt 90-minute, no-intermission play tells the stories of six travelers on an overnight t...

Review: RIP — A MUSICAL COMEDY OF LIFE & DEATH at Next Act Theatre
by Cathy Jakicic - July 19, 2024

RIP — A MUSICAL COMEDY OF LIFE & DEATH at Next Act Theatre, combines comedy, compassion and clever songs....

Review: MOULIN ROUGE! is a Thrilling Spectacle with So-So Songs
by Kelsey Lawler - May 20, 2024

What did our critic think of MOULIN ROUGE! at National Tour At Marcus Center? Are you a millennial who listened to “Elephant Love Medley” on repeat? Then this perspective is for you. But quickly, for those who need some background: Moulin Rouge! is the tragic love story of a poor writer, Christian, ...

Review: NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN at Milwaukee Rep
by Cathy Jakicic - April 20, 2024

NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN at Milwaukee Rep is as powerful as the women it represents....

Review: DIARY OF A WIMPY KID is 'Most Likely to Delight Your Kids' at FIRST STAGE
by Kelsey Lawler - April 18, 2024

Joshie says respect your parents, follow your dreams, and take your kids to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Musical at First Stage. Directed by Julie Woods-Robinson with musical direction by Paula Tillen, this spunky show runs through May 5th in Milwaukee and is a great one for young kids. ...

Review: SKYLIGHT Enlists Tim Rice's FROM HERE TO ETERNITY for Season Finale
by Kelsey Lawler - April 15, 2024

FROM HERE TO ETERNITY follows the lives of the soldiers of G Company based in Hawaii in the days leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. The story was inspired by author Jones’ own experiences during the war—but how does that story translate to the stage?...

Review: THE CHOSEN is a Spiritual, Stirring Must-See at Milwaukee Rep
by Kelsey Lawler - March 12, 2024

'The Chosen' is easily one of the best things the Milwaukee Rep has staged this season. For lovers of gripping and intimate family drama that will have you laughing, crying, and introspecting, this play is not to be missed....

Review: SPRING AWAKENING at Skylight Music Theatre
by Sofia Ascorbe - March 05, 2024

At its best, Spring Awakening smartly and gut-punchingly calls out religious and bourgeois hypocrisy and shows the (very literal) grave dangers of society’s obsession with innocence and sexual purity on the very youth that this obsession claims to protect. Here, on Skylight Music Theatre’s stage, it...

Review: MAMMA MIA! Dazzles at Milwaukee's Marcus PAC
by Sofia Ascorbe - February 25, 2024

25 years after its first production, Mamma Mia! the musical is making the rounds with a stop at Milwaukee's own Marcus PAC. Famously based off the book by Catherine Johnson and featuring music by ABBA, the story centers around Sophie, who is set to get married in Greece, and the mystery of her biolo...

Review: THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL Brings Best-Selling Book to Life at FIRST STAGE
by Kelsey Lawler - February 15, 2024

It’s a big story to tell in a brief amount of time, but the heroic cast and crew at First Stage complete their quest for Percy Jackson success....

Review: WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME at Milwaukee Repertory Theater Brings Historic Text to Modern Life
by Sofia Ascorbe - February 13, 2024

What the Constitution Means to Me was written by playwright, screenwriter, and performer, Heidi Schreck. The show is full of laughs, heartbreak, and a profound telling of a woman’s story that unexpectedly, but beautifully, weaves in the direct impacts of her life by the text in our U.S. Constitution...

Review: The Infectious Joy of XANADU at Skylight Music Theatre
by Kelsey Lawler - January 29, 2024

What did our critic think of XANADU at SKYLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE? Who’s having more fun: the audience or the cast of Xanadu at Skylight Music Theatre? ...

Review: LITTLE WOMEN Through a Real, Modern Lens at Milwaukee Repertory Theater
by Kelsey Lawler - January 22, 2024

What did our critic think of LITTLE WOMEN at Milwaukee Repertory Theater? Real. Just as you are. Those are a couple of the key themes in Kate Hamill’s new adaptation of the classic Little Women. On stage now at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater under the direction of Marti Lyons, Little Women opens wi...

Review: Get Off Your Keister for GUYS ON ICE at Milwaukee Repertory Theater
by Kelsey Lawler - January 16, 2024

What did our critic think of GUYS ON ICE at MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER? In the Milwaukee Rep’s 25th anniversary production of Guys on Ice, heaven is a place where there’s always “a couple two-tree” Leine’s in the cooler and every day is Packers Sunday. At a glance, this hit show may feel like a pre...