Tampa Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations

Review: A Look Back at the Best of 2024; Thank God for Local Theatre
by Peter Nason - December 31, 2024

Local theatre saved me in 2024, which turned out to be an extremely rocky year--with statewide and national political maelstroms and two hurricanes hitting our area weeks apart....

Review: USHERING IN THE HOLIDAYS WITH ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY at TampaRep
by Drew Eberhard - December 08, 2024

What did our critic think of USHERING IN THE HOLIDAYS WITH ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY at TampaRep?...

Review: Arts in Motion's Production of DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at the IPAC
by Peter Nason - November 24, 2024

A young cast brings Disney's most iconic musical to life, led by two scene-stealers: Larkin Mainwaring as Madame de la Grande Bouche and (especially) Ruby Ricardo as a boisterous LeFou....

Review: USF School of Theatre & Dance Presents Bertolt Brecht's THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI
by Peter Nason - November 23, 2024

Cody Farkas is stunning as the title character in Brecht's frightening and funny work....

Review: ALL'S WELL: A STEAMPUNK MUSICAL at The Royal Knight Stage Company of RRHS
by Peter Nason - November 10, 2024

A marvelous cast of River Ridge students breathes the Bard to life!...

Review: GOREY STORIES is a Haunting Delight for Spooky Season...The Perfect Treat at Jobsite Theater
by Drew Eberhard - October 28, 2024

Jobsite Theater once again dives headfirst into a world only they know how to portray. A world reveling in the strange, the unorthodox, and yet proving to be a masterclass of all things twisted and warped. This production which harkens back to their production of Shockheaded Peter, a few seasons bac...

Review: Erica Garraffa Brings Laura Nyro to Life in SOUL PICNIC: A CELEBRATION OF LAURA NYRO
by Peter Nason - October 27, 2024

There is no one in pop and rock like Laura Nyro, and Erica Garraffa is spellbinding as the great singer-songwriter....

Review: EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL, Is Campy, Killer Fun at WestCoast Players Theatre
by Drew Eberhard - October 22, 2024

Somewhere in a world on a road less traveled, between the likes of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, American Psycho, Carrie, and the more recently conceptualized Beetlejuice lies the twisted campy world in which the characters of Evil Dead the Musical reside. First performed in 2003 in Toronto, this c...

Review: The USF School of Theatre & Dance Presents the Breathtaking FUGITIVE SONGS
by Peter Nason - October 05, 2024

A song cycle featuring six incredibly talented actors. Not to be missed!...

Review: Suncoast Broadway Dinner Theatre Presents Kander & Ebb's Stunning CHICAGO
by Peter Nason - September 28, 2024

You'll be hard-pressed to find a better production of this iconic musical!...

Review: LAUNCHING THEIR 26TH SEASON INTO THE STRATOSPHERE WITH SELINA FILLINGER'S POTUS at JOBSITE THEATER
by Drew Eberhard - September 07, 2024

Alice Paul...remember her? In 1920, she was THE WOMAN, THE SUFFRAGIST, who secured the right to vote for women, and wrote the unratified Equal Rights Amendment. Further explanation of her movement can be found in the recent musical Suffs, Shaina Taub’s musical which more recently won Best Book of a ...

Review: The Carrollwood Players Production of ANNIE
by Peter Nason - September 07, 2024

It has a lot going for it, but it's a hit and miss affair, with moments that make us soar and moments that make us cringe....

Review: A BLISTERING “BLACKBIRD,” WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS at THE OFF-CENTRAL PLAYERS
by Drew Eberhard - September 06, 2024

In researching and marinating the events that played out in my head following the opening night performance of the Off-Central Player’s production of David Harrower’s Blackbird, I ran across this quote. The quote in which I will speak about is actually fitting to the play itself. I’m going to post i...

Review: The Tampa Bay Theatre Festival's 2024 Short Play Competition
by Peter Nason - August 28, 2024

It's a hit and miss affair, showcasing some of the best playwrights in Tampa Bay....

Review: A Thrilling Take on a Life We Never Knew With THRICE TO MINE at Jobsite Theater
by Drew Eberhard - August 17, 2024

Though Shakespeare’s Tragedy is often regaled as one of the “Greatest Tragedies ever written,” it does little if any true accounts behind the people these characters actually were. Regarded as being steeped in its history, one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays is actually founded in lore, and ghos...

Review: A WORLD PREMIERE ABOUT THE MOTHER OF ALL MUSICALS WITH FABLE: A FABLE ABOUT A MUSICAL FABLE at FreeFall Theatre
by Drew Eberhard - August 11, 2024

Doug Devita’s Fable makes its World Premiere as it anchors center stage right in the heart of St. Petersburg, to tackle the story of the Mother of all musicals. Fable tells the story about the creative differences and feuds that arise following the mounting of yet another revival of Gypsy. In the s...

Review: NTP's Production of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center
by Peter Nason - July 21, 2024

It will put a smile on your face!...

Review: Dive into THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL at the Carrollwood Cultural Center
by Peter Nason - July 20, 2024

What did our critic think of THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL at the Carrollwood Cultural Center?...

Review: A Dazzling ROCKY HORROR SHOW Ushers in an Overwhelming Feeling of Love at Jobsite Theater
by Drew Eberhard - July 14, 2024

Something we knew we always wanted, but unexpected is how much we would need a show like this. Who’d of thought, Rocky Horror in July? If ever there was a truer testament to the old saying, “If you build it, they will come...,” then that would be none other than Jobsite and their production of Richa...

Review: Roxanne Fay Astounds in Powerstories' Production of IRENA'S VOW
by Peter Nason - July 15, 2024

A heartbreaking and moving real-life story, performed at the Stageworks Theatre, with a brilliant turn by Roxanne Fay!...

Review: Jobsite Theater's THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW at the Jaeb
by Peter Nason - July 13, 2024

With a cast led by Clay Christopher as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, this is one glorious production that will be talked about for years....

Review: Don't Miss FALSETTOS at Stageworks
by Peter Nason - June 22, 2024

Perfect to celebrate Pride Month!...

Review: MAD Theatre of Tampa Presents URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL at the Shimberg Playhouse
by Peter Nason - June 15, 2024

Dystopia and pee; there's nothing like URINETOWN!...

Review: Bridget Bean's One Woman Show THE DROPPING WELL at the Tampa Fringe Festival
by Peter Nason - June 12, 2024

Bridget Bean is a born storyteller.  You can tell as she immediately enters the stage that she is 100% in her element.  If there’s anything we’ve learned from her past One Woman Shows (including Shirley Valentine and her Titanic Fringe piece from two years ago), it’s that this format works beautiful...

Review: Harmonie del Sur's BLOWING WIND: THE ORIGINAL NOISEMAKERS at the Tampa Fringe Festival
by Peter Nason - June 11, 2024

The Tampa Fringe Festival is like a Smorgasbord of the Arts; so many great works to choose from, some small, some large, some cool, some wacky. You get over a week to fill your plate with all of these unforgettable, mostly yummy works.  If you’re lucky enough to get into the wild SMUTTY BURLESQUE NE...