Louisville Theater Reviews

Broadway Beyond Louisville Review: INTO THE WOODS at Tennessee Performing Arts Center
by Taylor Clemons - May 25, 2023

What did our critic think of INTO THE WOODS at Tennessee Performing Arts Center? The star-studded cast is led by Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus as The Baker’s Wife and the Baker respectively. They’re a real-life couple, so their chemistry is justly wonderful, but I cannot...

Broadway Beyond Louisville Review: Broadway in Cincinnati presents MOULIN ROUGE! at the Aronoff Center
by Taylor Clemons - May 23, 2023

In 2001, Baz Luhrumann's film welcomed the world to the Moulin Rouge. The film is credited as part of the resurgence of movie musicals in the early 2000s, and continues to be an audience favorite. After whispers of a stage adaptation for years and years, the dream became a reality in 2018 with an ou...

Broadway Beyond Louisville Review: RAGTIME IN CONCERT Presented by Cincinnati Pops at Cincinnati Music Hall
by Taylor Clemons - April 29, 2023

What did our critic think of RAGTIME IN CONCERT at Cincinnati Pops At Cincinnati Music Hall?...

Review: ALICE IN DERBYLAND at Drag Daddy Productions
by Taylor Clemons - April 19, 2023

What did our critic think of ALICE IN DERBYLAND at Drag Daddy Productions? In years past, Thunder Over Louisville would signify the start of the Derby festivities, but now in its third year, Drag Daddy Productions' Alice in Derbyland is becoming a bonafide tradition to kick off springtime and Kentuc...

Review: AIN'T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS presented by Broadway Across America at Kentucky Performing Arts
by Taylor Clemons - April 13, 2023

What did our critic think of AIN'T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS at Kentucky Performing Arts?...

Review: ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE at Derby Dinner Playhouse
by Taylor Clemons - April 03, 2023

What did our critic think of ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE at Derby Dinner Playhouse?...

Broadway Beyond Louisville Review: JAGGED LITTLE PILL at The Aronoff Center
by Taylor Clemons - March 29, 2023

What did our critic think of JAGGED LITTLE PILL at Aronoff Center?...

Broadway Beyond Louisville Review: TOOTSIE at The Aronoff Center
by Taylor Clemons - March 14, 2023

What did our critic think of TOOTSIE at The Aronoff Center? As theatre innovates and reinvents, the days of the old-time musical comedies are all but behind us. But the broadway musical adaption of Tootsie (based on the 1982 film), is a welcome and refreshing musical comedy. The story is simple: an ...

Review: Broadway Across America presents ANNIE at Kentucky Performing Arts
by Taylor Clemons - February 16, 2023

What did our critic think of ANNIE at Kentucky Performing Arts? When most people think of Annie, I'm sure the first thing that comes to mind is the 80s film, starring the iconic likes of Carol Burnett, Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, and Bernadette Peters. However, before that now-classic film, Annie start...

Review: TWINKIE AND THE BEAST at Drag Daddy Productions
by Taylor Clemons - December 02, 2022

What did our critic think of TWINKIE AND THE BEAST at Drag Daddy Productions?...

Review: Broadway Across America Presents PRETTY WOMAN at Kentucky Performing Arts
by Taylor Clemons - December 02, 2022

What did our critic think of PRETTY WOMAN at Whitney Hall?...

Broadway Beyond Louisville Review: TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at The Aronoff Center
by Taylor Clemons - November 01, 2022

What did our critic think of TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at The Aronoff Center?...

Review: BRIGHT STAR at Derby Dinner Playhouse
by Taylor Clemons - September 07, 2022

What did our critic think of BRIGHT STAR at Derby Dinner Playhouse? Derby Dinner Playhouse is known for it's crowd pleasing entertainment. While their usual fare seems to be cheesy fun; every once in a while they pick a lesser known gem of a show that audiences didn't know they would love. For examp...

Review: CHICAGO at The Lexington Theatre Company
by Taylor Clemons - August 05, 2022

What did our critic think of CHICAGO at The Lexington Theatre Company? Chicago the Musical is in a word , conic, especially for musical theatre types. Thanks to a wildly successful film adaptation, it's a cemented staple in pop culture. With perhaps John Kander and Fred Ebb's most recognizable score...

Review: Broadway Across America presents ANASTASIA at Kentucky Performing Arts
by Taylor Clemons - August 04, 2022

What did our critic think of ANASTASIA at Whitney Hall? The Broadway musical Anastasia finally opened in Louisville this week, 28 months after its anticipated opening in March of 2020. It also marks the final show of Broadway in Louisville's 'Welcome Back' season. The audience was buzzing as patrons...

Review: THE BAND'S VISIT At The Aronoff Center
by Taylor Clemons - July 21, 2022

What did our critic think of THE BAND'S VISIT at The Aronoff Center?...

BWW Review: XANADU presented by The Chicken Coop at Champ's Rollerdome
by Taylor Clemons - April 13, 2022

When you hear the word Xanadu, you can't help but snicker. When you hear that Xanadu is a musical, your jaw hits the floor. The film Xanadu is infamous for its negative reviews after the release in 1980, but over the years it has earned a 'guilty pleasure' cult classic status. Fast forward to 2007, ...

BWW Review: Broadway Across America presents MEAN GIRLS at Kentucky Performing Arts
by Taylor Clemons - March 23, 2022

When someone says they're turning one of the most beloved movies ever into a musical, there's always some cause for worry. The usual questions flood in: 'Will they do it justice? 'Will they say this line?' 'What are they going to change?' In most cases these worries are warranted, but in the unique ...

BWW Review: COME FROM AWAY at Whitney Hall
by Taylor Clemons - February 17, 2022

It's hard to think of a musical with 9/11 as it's central event, isn't it? An event so tragic and recent couldn't possibly be musicalized? Well, in most cases I would tend to agree, but as a lover of the art from, I'm always open to be surprised....

Broadway Beyond Louisville Review: MY FAIR LADY at The Aronoff Center
by Taylor Clemons - February 11, 2022

Lincoln Center Theater has a vast and now legendary history of producing lavish revivals of some of the most amazing golden age musicals. In recent years they brought us splendid productions of South Pacific, The King and I, and Falsettos. However, this is nothing new as they flourished in the 80s a...

BWW Review: CATS at Kentucky Performing Arts
by Taylor Clemons - January 20, 2022

It's interesting to think at one point in time, Cats was one of the hottest tickets you could get. Almost a Hamilton of the 80s, the show was a global sensation, running over 18 years on Broadway and spawning numerous tours and international productions even up to today. At the time of its height, t...

BWW Review: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH at Drag Daddy Productions
by Taylor Clemons - December 03, 2021

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is an indie rock musical that started it's life off-broadway and put the phenomenal John Cameron Mitchell on the map. That successful indie rock musical made its way to the big screen where it solidified itself as a cult classic in musical theatre and gay culture....

BWW Review: WAITRESS Opens Broadway in Louisville's 2021 - 2022 Season at Whitney Hall
by Taylor Clemons - November 10, 2021

Last night almost didn't feel real. Waitress opened in Louisville. This statement under normal circumstances wouldn't hold that much weight, but this show has been a bit of a unicorn for Louisville audiences, as the show's opening has been over three years in the making. The show was originally sche...

Broadway Beyond Louisville Review: PRETTY WOMAN THE MUSICAL at The Aronoff Center
by Taylor Clemons - October 21, 2021

The cast is led by relative newcomer Olivia Valli as Vivian. This show is her first leading role having been an ensemble player in various companies over the last few years. I cannot overstate how perfect Valli is in the role. Vocally she's stunning, but what makes this combination of performer and ...