Orlando Theater Reviews

Review: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at Titusville Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - September 08, 2024

On Tuesday evening, December 4, 1956, in Memphis, Tennessee, while a winter chill bit into passersby at the corner of Union Avenue and Marshall Avenue something big was heating up the studio of Sun Records on that very same corner. Sun Records founder and producer, Sam Phillips had brought together ...

Review: PIPPIN at Garden Theatre
by Joseph Harrison - September 01, 2024

“Everything has it’s season, everything has it’s time..” So goes the lyrics of “Corner of the Sky”, one of the most well-known songs from Stephen Schwartz’ and Roger O. Hirson’s Tony award winning musical, PIPPIN. And it seems, that for the Garden Theatre’s latest production of this classic, now is ...

Review: TOOTSIE at Titusville Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - July 28, 2024

What happens when you take a classic film, update it for a modern audience and then turn it into a Broadway musical? This seems to be a question producers and creatives have been asking themselves more and more over the last few years. With musicals like BACK TO THE FUTURE and THE OUTSIDERS currentl...

Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Garden Theatre
by Joseph Harrison - July 14, 2024

There’s something about a musical that never gets old, regardless of how many different productions one might see. It’s hard to pinpoint what the core reason for that may be – a catchy score? A tight book? A unique concept? A clarity of purpose? Whatever it may be, the fan favorite LITTLE SHOP OF HO...

Review: LES MISERABLES Offers Hope for the Hopeless(ly Devoted) at Dr. Phillips Center
by Albert Gutierrez - June 26, 2024

At the height of its fame, the musical Les Misérables was the Dorsia of Broadway, a hot-ticket event that reached Hamilton levels of excessive prices, elite A-list attendees, and legions of fans who’d revisit the show through repeat viewings, memorization of the cast recording, and fierce debates of...

Review: Hello, Jodi! It's a Match Made in Heaven with Encore! Performing Arts in HELLO, DOLLY!
by Albert Gutierrez - June 21, 2024

Encore! Performing Arts’ production of HELLO, DOLLY! leans heavily into the relentless optimism and good time that’s made the musical a classic. They’ve crafted together a show which takes advantage of every aspect of its production, from the costumes to the orchestrations to the simple power of a L...

Review: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at Osceola Arts
by Joseph Harrison - June 15, 2024

It is rare to sit down in a theatre to see a play and literally laugh non-stop from before the curtain all the way to the final bows. Sure, there are hilarious comedies out there that garner many laughs in an evening but to create a raucous reaction from an audience with little time to take a breath...

Review: ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE at Garden Theatre
by Joseph Harrison - April 27, 2024

There is musical theatre magic happening on stage now through May 19th at the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden, Florida via ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE, a fan favorite musical tribute to one of the most iconic voices in country music. This latest production is a heartwarming, and toe-tapping look at the life ...

Review: MRS. DOUBTFIRE Is the Pleasant Surprise of the Season at Dr. Phillips Center
by Aaron Wallace - April 25, 2024

I was doubtful of Doubtfire. Musicals fashioned out of nonmusical comedy films are seldom stellar, and unlike so many of the patrons inside Dr. Phillips Center on opening night, I hadn’t grown up on 1993’s Mrs. Doubtfire movie, so I couldn’t count on nostalgia to pull me through. I figured I was in ...

Review: CABARET at Titusville Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - April 21, 2024

In times of turmoil, oppression, and uncertainty, how do people cope? How do they find joy, hope, and freedom when all seems hopeless? In the early 1930’s many of the citizens of Berlin found ways to escape the realities of life and the rise of the Nazi party by visiting one of the many cabarets in ...

Review: SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL by Little Radical Theatrics
by Joseph Harrison - April 14, 2024

It takes a large imagination to come up with new ideas for the stage, and when the show in question is based on the books of one of the most beloved children’s book authors of the last century – it better be filled to the brim with creativity. Luckily, Orlando’s Little Radical Theatrics has done jus...

Review: FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE at The Winter Park Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - April 07, 2024

If you are looking for a fun, energetic, and uplifting musical experience, look no further than The Winter Park Playhouse's current production of FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE. This musical revue, featuring the songs of Louis Jordan, the 'King of the Jukebox', is a celebration of life, love, and music, with a...

Review: JAGGED LITTLE PILL at Dr. Phillips Center — A Case of Alanis More-Is-Less
by Aaron Wallace - March 21, 2024

Jagged Little Pill is a show with too many characters, too many concerns, and too tidy a conclusion (complete with a sitcom-ish group laugh at the end). Its heart is in the right place and its message well received, but it relies on an extraordinary confluence of extreme circumstances....

Review: 42ND STREET at Osceola Arts
by Joseph Harrison - March 18, 2024

There are some standard musical theatre moments that never fail to take my breath away. From the powerful 11th hour “I want” song to a perfectly in sync kick line, certain musical mainstays will simply never get old for me. And one of the best examples of musical nirvana, I believe, is a well-choreo...

Review: MAY WE ALL: A NEW COUNTRY MUSICAL at Titusville Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - March 09, 2024

If you are a fan of country music, you will not want to miss MAY WE ALL: A NEW COUNTRY MUSICAL at Titusville Playhouse now playing through April 7th. This show, written by Troy Britton Johnson, Todd Johnson, and Eric Pfeffinger features songs by some of the biggest names in the genre, such as Billy ...

Review: BELLADONNA: THE MUSICAL by MAC Boys Entertainment at Orlando Family Stage
by Joseph Harrison - March 09, 2024

There’s a particular thrill getting to be the first in an audience for a new theatrical work. You can almost feel the time, passion and love poured into a piece when it finally makes it to the stage. And even if there are elements that could use refining, trimming or updating, the energy is unlike a...

Review: RIDE THE CYCLONE at Theatre South Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - March 03, 2024

It is hard to tell when a piece of pop culture is going to have a cult following. Would Richard O’Brien have believed you back in 1973 when THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW premiered in London if you told him that his quirky, but outrageously fun, musical would still be creating midnight madness all around the...

Review: MOULIN ROUGE! at Dr. Phillips Center Is Silly But Sumptuous
by Aaron Wallace - February 21, 2024

I can’t recall seeing a single show on the national touring circuit with costumes, lighting, and scenic design as sumptuous as those in Moulin Rouge!. Yes, the show is scaled down from its eye-popping, Tony-winning 2019 Broadway production (still running in New York), but as touring productions go, ...

Review: ALL SHOOK UP at The Garden Theatre
by Joseph Harrison - February 18, 2024

In the world of jukebox musicals, the best way to ensure something entertaining and enjoyable is to either use the music in an organic way, often telling the story of the artist themselves or to go the opposite route and create something over the top with a loose narrative, allowing the audience to ...

Review: THE F. MARRYKILL AFFAIR at New Generation Theatrical
by Joseph Harrison - February 17, 2024

What do you get when you cross a regency era tale of a high society engagement, mix it with a bawdy farce and add a dash of murder? You get THE F. MARRYKILL AFFAIR the latest immersive offering by New Generation Theatrical which plays at the Abbey in Orlando through Monday, February 19th. Written an...

Review: BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Titusville Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - January 14, 2024

One of the things that I love the most about musical theatre as an artform is that the genre contains multitudes. From a thrilling, bombastic and electrifying show that takes your breath away to a quieter, more introspective and emotionally devastating production, and everything in between, they are...

Review: New Touring Cast Grounds an Imperfect ALADDIN in Its Return to Dr. Phillips Center
by Aaron Wallace - January 08, 2024

What did our critic think of ALADDIN at Dr. Phillips Center?While the Ashman-Menken music is undeniable and the underlying story is one of Disney’s finest, the stage translation has always had more problems than Prince Ali has purple peacocks. (I counted.)......

Review: FUNNY GIRL On Tour Is a Parade with Light Showers — Dr. Phillips Center
by Aaron Wallace - December 08, 2023

Early on, when Katerina McCrimmon breaks into “I’m the Biggest Star” — one of the beltier Brice numbers — it’s easy to think that lighting has struck thrice. There isn’t a note in the sweeping scale of this score that escapes her rangy, room-rattling voice. But when it comes time for the iconic “Don...

Review: MATILDA THE MUSICAL at Theatre South Playhouse
by Joseph Harrison - November 05, 2023

Musicals that are adapted from previous works, including books and film, can be hit or miss. But sometimes, there is something magical about exploring a new way of telling a familiar story that elevates elements you missed while also bringing to life on stage favorite moments. This is the case with ...

Review: At Dr. Phillips Center, ANNIE Ain't Equity, But It Is Interesting
by Aaron Wallace - October 26, 2023

Mounting a non-union production of a story about unfair working conditions and class disparity in New Deal-era America takes some gall. Watching such a production on the heels of a record-breaking WGA strike and in the midst of an ongoing SAG-AFTRA one only adds to the irony. But setting aside the e...