LATEST REVIEWS

by Stephen Kreal On Sunday, December 7th, I attended an opening weekend matinee performance of the musical version of Little Women  at Masquerade Theater in Riverside NJ. The musical is based on the story by Louisa May Alcott, originally published in 1868. The story is well-known, and remains popular, as evidenced by the well-loved 1994 movie version, and the critically-acclaimed 2019 movie version. There was also a 1978 made-for-TV miniseries with a star-studded cast. The

by Ash Kotter Until its opening night at Haddonfield Plays & Players, I had somehow gone my whole life to date without ever seeing Fiddler on the Roof . By that point, I had somewhat absorbed Fiddler  by a sort of cultural osmosis. So much so that I probably could have sketched the show from a memory that wasn’t even mine. I knew the general plot synopsis. “Matchmaker” and the playful ya ba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum  of “If I Were a Rich Man” were common earwo

by Aidan Rowe Gateway Playhouse  brings to life a classic story that remains as relevant as it was when the novella A Christmas Carol  by Charles Dickens was first published in 1843. Scrooge: The Musical  is the brilliant 1992 stage musical with book, music, and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. It follows Father Christmas himself, Ebenezer Scrooge, as we watch him unravel his painful past and make a clear path forward towards redemption. Our story takes place on an intricate set,

by Stephen Kreal On Friday November 28th, I attended the opening night performance of “ Dirt Nap ” at Playmasters Theater Workshop, in Bensalem PA, located in Neshaminny State Park. The play was originally published in 2019, and has been characterized by many as a “dark comedy.” The action of the play is set in 1998, in the Nevada desert outside of Las Vegas with the opening scenes taking place in Trenton NJ. The play was directed by Rich Hall  and stage-managed by William L

by Meg Bryan Being politically correct is incredibly important to our society, especially in this day and age where cancel culture runs rampant. When it comes to being politically correct, the line between acting with pure intentions and acting “performative” is extremely thin. In many cases, those who are acting with good intent come off as performative allyship, making that line even harder to discern. The Thanksgiving Play  by Larissa FastHorse is a satirical comedy where

by M. Smith There is always a certain charm that comes with a play that is painfully aware of itself and its shenanigans. A piece that calls out its own idiosyncrasies is one that promises a night of fun and entertainment. Drop Dead!  by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore at the Kelsey Theatre (through Yardley Players) delivered just that in their fascinating rendition of this piece. This play is one that opens on a theatre troupe’s bad production of a murder mystery, but thin

by Stephen T. Kreal On Friday, November 14 th , I went to see the opening night performance of The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer , written by Carson Kreitzer. It was produced by Spotlight Theater Company in Lansdowne PA. Spotlight Theater is located in the Twentieth Century Club at 84 South Lansdowne Avenue. I had the pleasure of seeing “ Misery ”, their very first production at this new location, last year. The play was directed by Kelci Schlierf , and assistant-direct

by Aidan Rowe Fun Home “makes being strong cool” in the hit musical based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same title written by Alison Bechdel, with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics written by Lisa Kron. In this introspective and deeply moving production, we watch the complicated family dynamic of a closeted father and daughter duo who ultimately choose different life paths. Under the demanding and critical thumb of her father Bruce, portrayed by Garrett   Bruce

by Lisa Croce The Bad Seed is a 1954 play by American playwright Maxwell Anderson, adapted from the 1954 novel of the same name by American writer William March. It centers around a seemingly perfect little girl, Rhoda Penmark, who is able to charm her way into getting just about anything she wants. When a classmate drowns under mysterious circumstances, her mother, Christine, starts to suspect that Rhoda may have had something to do with it, and other mysterious deaths surr