Tampa Theater Reviews

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...

Review: FALSETTOS PROVES TO BE VERY SOBERING at STAGEWORKS THEATRE
by Drew Eberhard - June 10, 2024

Falsettos, a primarily sung-through musical was written by William Finn and James Lapine and features two one-act installments March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland. The aforementioned are the last two additions to a trio of one-act musicals by Finn and Lapine, the other being called In Trousers....

Review: Deborah Bostock-Kelley's Powerful NOT ONE MORE at the Tampa Fringe Festival
by Peter Nason - June 09, 2024

The aftermath of a school shooting is examined in this potent piece by playwright Bostock-Kelley....

Review: Think Tank Theatre's YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN at freeFall
by Peter Nason - June 08, 2024

Happiness, sheer happiness!...

Feature: Don't Miss the 2024 TAMPA FRINGE FESTIVAL in Ybor City
by Peter Nason - June 06, 2024

Don't miss this year's offerings where there's something for everyone!...

Review: TampaRep's NEXT TO NORMAL is a Theatrical Triumph at USF Theatre
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - June 03, 2024

TampaRep's NEXT TO NORMAL was, in one word, perfection. Expertly directed by Emilia Sargent, it was a theatrical triumph. The proof was that I could look across the stage and see patrons wiping their eyes and hear the quiet sniffling behind me. The intimate performance on Saturday night was a master...

Review: Tampa Repertory Theatre's Astonishing NEXT TO NORMAL
by Peter Nason - June 01, 2024

It's a show that's all aces, where the stellar cast, crew, music, and important storyline all come together to earn every standing ovation it will receive....

Review: CLUE: A NEW COMEDY, PROVES THE GAMES AFOOT at STRAZ CENTER
by Drew Eberhard - May 31, 2024

Adapted from the much-loved 1985 film, and the Hasbro Board Game, Clue: A New Comedy, is a murder mystery of a farcical nature that was written by Sandy Rustin and features additional materials by Hunter Foster and Eric Price....

Review: CLUE at Straz Center
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - May 30, 2024

CLUE is a comedic gem, a rollercoaster of hilarity, thanks to these brilliant actors. The witty dialogue, slapstick moments, and unexpected twists keep the audience in stitches. Whether it's a candlestick wielded in the library or a secret passage revealed, the humor and pace is relentless. critic t...

Review: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH at American Stage
by Peter Nason - May 19, 2024

It's a rollicking, raucous, adrenaline-pumping, soulful and yet sometimes sad affair...

Review: THE SMUGGLER at Jobsite Theater
by Drew Eberhard - May 18, 2024

Many times, I look at the cultural landscape and all its vast plethora of fortune we have been given in the Tampa Bay area alone, and one things for certain, I will move mountains, stop at nothing to experience theatre that moves me and thrills me to the core. Taking me out of the present worldview,...

Review: Arts in Motion's Production of BIG FISH at the IPAC
by Peter Nason - May 17, 2024

BIG FISH is perhaps the ultimate Father’s Day musical, which is why I found it so ironic that I saw the Arts in Motion production of it the day before Mother’s Day. ...

Review: Tracy Letts' AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY at the Carrollwood Players
by Peter Nason - May 12, 2024

This Pulitzer Prize winner is both fun and brutal, lengthy but never boring, heart-stopping and soul-stirring, and yet unblinking and sympathetic in its portrait of an American family in unruly disintegration....

Review: SWEENEY TODD at Eight O'Clock Theatre
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - May 12, 2024

If there were a single word to describe my reaction to the powerhouse group of talented individuals in this community theatre, it would be gobsmacked. Each performer brought a unique vibrancy to their role, creating a gorgeous and haunting ensemble in its collective voice.D at Eight O'Clock Theatre?...

Review: Eight O'Clock Theatre's Production of Stephen Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD
by Peter Nason - May 05, 2024

A solid but imperfect production of what is perhaps the finest musical yet written....

Review: Fairie Dust and Unforgettable Adventures Await With PETER PAN Flying Through at Straz Center
by Drew Eberhard - May 02, 2024

Sir J.M. Barrie’s classic tale and 1904 play, tells the story of reference to Native Americans who inhabit a fictitious island known as Neverland. Referred to as “Piccaninny Warriors,” include Tiger Lily and her tribe as they steal pockets from the Lost Boys and try to claim the island as their own,...

Review: THE BOOK OF MORMON at Straz Center
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - April 17, 2024

If you're ready to laugh, cringe, and convert, THE BOOK OF MORMON pokes good (un)clean fun right into the heart of organized religion. This musical is a religious experience, a testament to the power of laughter, the spirit of musical theater, and a whole lot of heart....

Review: American Stage's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST IN THE PARK at Demens Landing
by Peter Nason - April 07, 2024

It's a perfect fit for the American Stage in the Park experience!...

Review: MRS. DOUBTFIRE IS A COMEDIC GEM, WITH A REFLECTIVE LENS at STRAZ CENTER
by Drew Eberhard - April 05, 2024

Mrs. Doubtfire, a new musical based on the 1993 hit family film of the same name, is actually based on the 1987 novel Alias Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. The stage musical in all its purposes features music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick, with a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farre...

Review: Dive Headfirst into the Upside Down with STRANGER SINGS: A MUSICAL PARODY at Straz Center
by Drew Eberhard - March 30, 2024

Stranger Sings! is a musical parody based on the adventures of some unlikely heroes set in the 1980’s in Hawkins, Indiana. Created in part to celebrate the fandom surrounding the Netflix behemoth, Stranger Things super fans Jonathan Hogue and Nick Flatto, whereas Flatto also serves as producer-direc...

Review: GIRL FROM NORTH COUNTRY at Straz Center
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - March 28, 2024

What did our critic think of GIRL FROM NORTH COUNTRY at Straz Center? On March 27, I experienced GIRL FROM NORTH COUNTRY at the Straz Center, a production on stage until March 31. Conor McPherson's direction and Simon Hale's Tony Award-winning orchestrations breathe new life into 20 of Bob Dylan's l...

Review: A Breathtaking, Poignant Lens Shines On GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at Straz Center
by Drew Eberhard - March 28, 2024

“Tonight’s story begins and ends at a guesthouse in Duluth, Minnesota, in the winter of 1934.” These were the opening words spoken by Dr. Walker, as he sets the scene. An evening of love, pain, suffering, interloped with a lush score based on the music of Bob Dylan. Girl from the North Country, is ...

Review: A Top Notch Cast Delivers with BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE at Jobsite Theater
by Drew Eberhard - March 17, 2024

What did our critic think of BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE at Jobsite Theater?...

Review: Stephen Sondheim's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE at the Carrollwood Cultural Center
by Peter Nason - March 17, 2024

This Pulitzer Prize winner is as uncompromising and beautiful as musical theatre can get....

Review: A Powerful PARADE Sparks the Conversation at Manatee Players
by Drew Eberhard - March 10, 2024

From the moment the lights dim to the opening chords of the Prologue, the audience knew they were in for a treat. A haunting and stirring rendition of The Old Red Hills of Home, led by young actor Elijah Zurek as the Young Soldier, will have you in a chokehold from the very start....