Orlando Theater Reviews

Review: THE SECRET GARDEN by Central Florida Vocal Arts at Dr. Phillips Center
by Joseph Harrison - May 06, 2023

There are some musical theatre scores that burrow themselves into your subconscious and stay with you long after the first listen or the first time experiencing a show in a darkened theatre. For me, Lucy Simon’s score for THE SECRET GARDEN is one of those that has permanent real estate in my head ev...

Review: STEEL MAGNOLIAS at Osceola Arts
by Joseph Harrison - May 01, 2023

'Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion', states southern sage and beauty shop owner Truvy Jones in STEEL MAGNOLIAS. No line of dialogue describes so well the audience's experience while viewing this hilarious and touching play. And in Osceola Arts’ latest production of the Robert Harling cla...

Review: URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL at Theatre South Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - April 29, 2023

URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL may not be the most appealing title for a show, but it has proven over the last 20+ years since its journey to Broadway (scoring ten Tony nominations and three awards) that it can be a real crowd pleaser, despite the unfortunate title (and unique subject matter). With music an...

Review: THE SOUND INSIDE at Florida Theatrical Association
by Joseph Harrison - April 24, 2023

The latest offering by Florida Theatrical Association at the newly-opened Orlando Fringe Arts Space in downtown Orlando, is the Central Florida premiere of Adam Rapp’s, THE SOUND INSIDE. This Tony Award nominated play provides audiences with a complex and fascinating journey into an unlikely relatio...

Review: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME at Athens Theatre
by Joseph Harrison - April 22, 2023

In the world of theatre, there are some shows that simply resonate on a different level. In my experience, this happens when the perfect cast comes together with visionary creatives at the perfect moment in time. And when these puzzle pieces all snap into place, it delivers a performance that just f...

Review: KINKY BOOTS at Orlando Shakes
by Joseph Harrison - April 17, 2023

Some theatrical productions just come around at the perfect moment in time. And here today, in Florida, with self-expression and, specifically, drag queens, under fire seemingly every day, a show like KINKY BOOTS – conveying the importance of acceptance and walking a mile in someone else shoes (or h...

Review: INTO THE WOODS at Titusville Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - April 09, 2023

In the skilled and creative hands of Titusville Playhouse, INTO THE WOODS is fresh and fantastic – with all the familiar elements, yes – but with a current sensibility and a unique aesthetic that made me feel like I was seeing this show for the first time again....

Review: Sorkin's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Is An Update Fit for the New Banned-Books Era — Dr. Phillips Center
by Aaron Wallace - March 23, 2023

Can you kill a mockingbird today without overkilling it? Sixty-three years after Harper Lee's iconic American novel released to instant controversy and enduring acclaim - nary a high schooler gets to cap or gown without an essay on it - this is the challenge confronting playwright Aaron Sorkin. Wor...

Review: PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT at Titusville Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - March 12, 2023

One of the things I love about musical theatre is how it can be so many different things all at once. Shows that tackle a deep subject or address a serious social topic sit next to light and fun stories of queens and knights in shining armor, and all make great musicals. And some shows, like PRISCIL...

Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY at New Generation Theatrical
by Joseph Harrison - March 05, 2023

Who is creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky and altogether ooky? It’s the Addams family of course! This iconic, weird and wacky family first graced the pages of the New Yorker in a comic strip by Charles Addams 85 years ago and since then have spawned a fan-favorite 1960’s TV show, a series of films an...

Review: Encore Performing Arts' SORDID LIVES Forages for Fun in a Funeral at Dr. Phillips Center's Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
by Albert Gutierrez - February 17, 2023

“I haven’t laughed so much in my life,” the audience member me behind remarked as curtains drew to a close. A fellow patron to my right turned around and declared, “Neither have I!” The two instantly bonded over how much they loved SORDID LIVES, a self-proclaimed “black comedy about white trash” - t...

Review: THE PROM at Theatre South Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - February 12, 2023

Getting to see a newer musical produced for the first time in the area by a local theatre is a particular thrill. That is especially the case for a musical like THE PROM, which has built a following due to it’s popular Broadway run and the recent musical film on Netflix. And in the hands of the skil...

Review: NUNSENSE A-MEN! at The Winter Park Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - February 07, 2023

Experiencing something familiar through a new lens can be particularly thrilling. Whether that be a story brought to the stage from a beloved book or film, an untold side of a familiar tale or a modern take on a classic – experiencing something old in a new and different way is exciting. That was my...

Review: Timely as Ever, WICKED Defies Gravity... And Society, Too — Dr. Phillips Center
by Aaron Wallace - January 30, 2023

WICKED is a wily piece of pop. It turns 20 this year, but you'd never know that sitting in Dr. Phillips Center for the show's third tour stop in Orlando. Its shrewd indictment of society's worst instincts and most seductive assumptions still tear through a room like a twister......

Review: CLUE ON STAGE at Osceola Arts
by Joseph Harrison - January 22, 2023

Miss Scarlet, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White. These six suspects   have been part of our pop culture lexicon since they were dreamed up by British board game designer Anthony Pratt in 1943. And over the last 80 years Mr. Pratt’s creation (originally, Cluedo in t...

Review: JIMMY BUFFETT'S ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE at Titusville Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - January 16, 2023

What do you get when you build a musical around the catalog of hit music from an immensely popular artist with over 60 albums and 67 singles over the last 53 years? You get Jimmy Buffett’s ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE – a colorful, tune-filled romp which is light on plot but heavy on fun all set in the ...

Review: In THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL, the Jukebox Genre Tries for More Than Just Rags-to-Riches at the Dr. Phillips Center
by Aaron Wallace - January 12, 2023

Both the movie and the musical stand out because, while the rock legend ascends from rags to riches by the end, the story is less interested in Turner's journey to stardom than in her liberation from years of violent physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband and musical partner, Ike T...

Review: Learning and Losing at Love with HADESTOWN at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
by Albert Gutierrez - December 17, 2022

Unlike the traditional figures in Greek mythology, Orpheus is a hero, but not a warrior. He's an artist, but not a celebrity. He's a man, just a man, and one whose entire literary journey is focused on the love of a woman. Compared to Perseus or Achilles or Jason, Orpheus's tale almost always depict...

Review: THE OFFICE HOLIDAY PARTY MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA SHOW at Renaissance Theatre Company
by Joseph Harrison - December 12, 2022

The holidays are all about tradition. Hanging a familiar ornament on the tree, baking a special dish that is only made during this time of year, watching a favorite holiday movie or TV special in order to get into a festive mood, or yes, even the annual office holiday party. But in the world of musi...

Review: OLIVER! at Osceola Arts
by Joseph Harrison - December 04, 2022

'Please, sir. I want some more.' These words, spoken by Oliver Twist at the beginning of Lionel Bart's  musical OLIVER! kick off a tumultuous journey for the young boy, hurling him into a world destined to change his life forever. It’s a story familiar to many, and one that continues to inspire, eve...

Review: THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Theatre South Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - December 04, 2022

Behind the spectacle, sets, large casts and costumes of many classic musicals are the relatable, human stories, the conflict, the hope and the pure joy of life. Often, however, as audience members we don’t see those things as clearly when distracted by falling chandeliers or giant dance numbers. But...

Review: WHITE CHRISTMAS at Titusville Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - November 21, 2022

The holidays are about traditions - that special dish on the table, the favorite decoration that was handmade by your child, or a familiar song playing on the radio. And for many, nothing says tradition like watching a classic holiday film. Even though we take comfort in watching these familiar stor...

Review: With a Surprise Appearance by Jodi Benson, DISNEY PRINCESS - THE CONCERT Brings Big Talent to Dr. Phillips Center
by Aaron Wallace - November 17, 2022

The Disney Princesses were only five songs into their set when the iconic Jodi Benson made a surprise appearance on stage. The original voice behind Ariel in 1989's The Little Mermaid, Benson may be best known on screen as a princess, but to a crowd of theatre aficionados and adoring Disney fans, sh...

Review: Regarding HAMILTON at Dr. Phillips Center, Come for the American Adventure, Stay for the Revolutionary Revision to History
by Albert Gutierrez - October 31, 2022

Much in the same way most students know about the Salem Witch Trials through the dramatization found in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, it’s safe to assume virtually every student of U.S. history from 2015 onward may better know the intimate details of this Founding Father through Lin-Manuel Miranda’s...

Review: Why a 'Weird Al' Concert Without Any Parodies Is the Most 'Weird Al' Concert of All
by Aaron Wallace - October 19, 2022

An evening with 'Weird Al' on stage is always a blend of concert, comedy, and community. The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour feels like an opportunity to give back — letting Al show us everything else he can do while indulging our own inner geeks at the...