Charlotte Theater Reviews

Review: THE GLORIOUS WORLD OF CROWNS, KINKS AND CURLS at The Arts Factory
by Perry Tannenbaum - May 11, 2023

Written for a streamed production in 2021, Keli Goff’s CROWNS, KINKS AND CURLS needed some alterations for a live staged presentation, and Three Bone Theatre has solved most of those tailoring problems admirably. When Goff comes to Charlotte for a talkback, she'll see the rousing ambiance she has cr...

Review: PETER PAN at Knight Theater
by Perry Tannenbaum - April 28, 2023

The new Charlotte Ballet production of PETER PAN, choreographed by Christopher Stuart, is the most inclusive and politically correct I've seen, retaining sets and costumes from previous editions while completely changing the music. Plenty of delightful surprises and only one SOS: it's a no-fly zone....

Review: CLUE at Matthews Playhouse
by Perry Tannenbaum - April 20, 2023

With deft direction that plumbs the depths of silliness in turning a Parker Brothers board game to farce, Jill Bloede weds the flimsiness of the 1985 film's plot with a divinely flimsy set populated by precision actors scurrying around amid flawless transitions and scene changes, lifting Sandy Rusti...

Review: INTO THE WOODS at Blumenthal Performing Arts
by Perry Tannenbaum - April 14, 2023

The new Broadway revival of INTO THE WOODS, now touring with a significant portion of the New York cast, dispels the too-clever-by-half aftertaste I've experienced in previous productions and bares Stephen Sondheim's heart in an affecting tribute to the late master....

Review: Straight from Broadway, INTO THE WOODS at Belk Theater
by Vickie Evans - April 13, 2023

'Into The Woods' took me on a rollercoaster ride of 'high and lows'. It differs from the Disney-themed fairytales in that it is geared more to an adult audience and the good guys do not win....

Review: BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL at Blumenthal Performing Arts
by Perry Tannenbaum - March 31, 2023

Scott Brown and Anthony Brown's stage adaptation may be hit-and-miss, and Eddie Perfect's score may be a punkish bust, but thanks to a design and tech dream team, BEETLEJUICE fanatics won't be disappointed with the touring Broadway version....

Review: BRUCH VIOLIN CONCERTO at Charlotte Symphony
by Perry Tannenbaum - February 26, 2023

A meteor named Mei-Ann Chen had an impact on Charlotte Symphony and its subscribers that was simply electrifying....

Review: SIBELIUS SYMPHONY NO. 5 at Charlotte Symphony
by Perry Tannenbaum - February 05, 2023

A worthy candidate for CSO's vacant musical directorship, Vinay Parameswaran brings a winsome personality and an eclectic modern program to the Knight Theater podium for his Charlotte debut....

Review: A SOLDIER'S PLAY at Knight Theater
by Vickie Evans - January 12, 2023

A Soldier's Play pinpoints various forms of racism found within the ranks of the military. Racism is detrimental to all who exhibits it. In this case it led to the death of an enlisted sergeant. This 'whodunit' masterpiece takes it's patron on a 'cat and mice' journey of colorism and racism with man...

Review: TINA - THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL Bedazzles The Belk Theater
by Vickie Evans - December 29, 2022

The bio-musical 'Tina (The Tina Turner Musical) is a great snapshot of the highs and lows of Tina Turner. It is difficult at best for anyone to walk in the shoes of the Queen of Rock and Roll seeing that she is 'Simply, The Best'. Therefore, anyone who DARE step in those shoes are subject to strict ...

Review: JAGGED LITTLE PILL at Belk Theater
by Perry Tannenbaum - December 03, 2022

Overamped at Belk Theater, with an underwhelming set of grievances in Diablo Cody's adaptation of Alanis Morissette's megahit 1995 album, JAGGED LITTLE PILL generates more fire and heat than substance until it arrives at its #MeToo moment - and finds its heart....

Review: HADESTOWN at Blumenthal Performing Arts
by Perry Tannenbaum - November 10, 2022

In a uniquely simpatico collaboration, composer-lyricist Anäis Mitchell and developer-director Rachel Chavkin have retold the Orpheus-Eurydice myth in a musical form that is slick and glitzy, with primal and profound truths lurking amid the razzle-dazzle....

Review: FALL WORKS at Charlotte Ballet
by Perry Tannenbaum - October 18, 2022

Knight Theater should have been abuzz last Friday night. Yet somehow, a year after Charlotte Ballet's 50th-anniversary celebration - celebrated a year after the company's actual 50th anniversary - my own excitement wasn't reflected by the community at large. A night after Opera Carolina opened its 2...

Review: URBAN BUSH WOMEN at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center's Booth Playhouse
by Vickie Evans - September 29, 2022

The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center is hosting its first annual Charlotte International Arts Festival.  One of its creative dance performers is the Urban Bush Women (UBW).   Celebrating its thirty-five year anniversary, UBW celebrated the power of women with its Legacy + Lineage + Liberation dance...

Review: MEAN GIRLS at Belk Theater
by Perry Tannenbaum - September 10, 2022

Tina Fey proves she still knows high school in her musicalized version of MEAN GIRLS, but she makes rookie mistakes about what to leave out and what to leave in. Music by Fey's husband, Jeff Richmond, doesn't compensate for these deficits with Nell Benjamin's lyrics. But the deep and talented tourin...

Review: TONI STONE at Three Bone Theatre
by Vickie Evans - August 26, 2022

Toni Stone hit a homerun for me. There were so many takeaways. I left feeling educated, inspired, empowered, and enlightened much more than I was when I came....

Review: SUCCESSION, Stage Play Written By Charles L. White
by Vickie Evans - August 22, 2022

From my perspective, the trait of a good stage play is the ability to generate conversations between the theater patrons with a 1,000 (figuratively) possible interpretations and possible outcomes. Succession definitely exceeded my goal....

Feature: The National Black Theatre Festival Is Back
by Vickie Evans - August 02, 2022

'Put On Your Purple And Black...The National Black Theatre Festival Is Back'. Yes! Yes! Yes! The premiere 'crème de la crop' theatre festival for people of all colors is back after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. People from all over the world gather onto what is referred to as 'holy ground' in W...

Review: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at Belk Theater
by Perry Tannenbaum - July 28, 2022

Amid a banquet of juicy roles doled out by Aaron Sorkin in his adaptation of Harper Lee's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Richard Thomas feasts the fullest, delivering the most powerful, staggering work I’ve seen from him in my 59+ years of watching his most memorable performances live on Broadway, live in C...

Review: SISTER ACT at Matthews Playhouse
by Perry Tannenbaum - July 22, 2022

We may have underestimated Cheri and Bill Steinkellner's musical adaptation of Paul Rudnick's SISTER ACT screenplay, moving the action from Vegas to Philly and making the show more character-driven. It actually works better on the smaller community theater stage at Matthews Playhouse than the big st...

BWW Review: UNTIL THE FLOOD at Spoleto's Festival Hall
by Perry Tannenbaum - June 09, 2022

UNTIL THE FLOOD is an amazing, transformative theatre experience, a lesson for us all - including playwright Dael Orlandersmith, who researched it in Ferguson and St. Louis, Missouri....

BWW Review: THE APPROACH at Landmark Productions
by Perry Tannenbaum - June 05, 2022

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BWW Review: HAMILTON Returns To Charlotte Post Pandemic at Belk Theatre
by Vickie Evans - April 29, 2022

Read our critic's review. 'Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!' I heard myself screaming loudly in sync with the other 2,000 plus fans at the Belk Theatre, located in the heart of Uptown Charlotte, as we rendered a standing ovation to the incredible splendor of the Tony award-winning musical, Hamilton (winner of ...

BWW Review: KAT EDMONSON Brings Latenight Chic to Middle C
by Perry Tannenbaum - April 15, 2022

With a mix of perennial favorites and time-tested originals, KAT EDMONSON made her long-anticipated Charlotte debut, charming a latenight Middle C Jazz Club audience...

BWW Review: Patti LaBelle Takes the Stage at Belk Theater
by Vickie Evans - March 14, 2022

'When You Talk About Love'...You Must Be Talking About Ms. Patti LaBelle. Ms. LaBelle Performed At The Belk Theater, In Charlotte, NC. This Timeless Beauty Always Delivers A Fun Time Of Chart-Topping Songs Filled With Joy And Amusement....