Rhode Island Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 5

Review: SWEAT at THE GAMM THEATRE
by Erica Cataldi-Roberts - November 10, 2022

What did our critic think of SWEAT at THE GAMM THEATRE? For the better part of the last 40 years, things have been a nightmare for the American working class, especially across the so called 'rust belt' where factories once thrived and have now fallen silent and abandoned. In SWEAT, Lynn Nottage's P...

Review: THE INHERITANCE, PART II at Trinity Rep
by Jessica Tabak - October 23, 2022

What did our critic think of THE INHERITANCE, PART II at Trinity Rep?...

Review: Mean Girls Can't Make Fetch Happen at PPAC
by Andria Tieman - October 05, 2022

It’s a little bit surprising that the film version of Mean Girls was both a good movie, and also a hit.  Based on a non-fiction book about high school cliques that was aimed at parents and teens, it was transformed into a charming comedy by Tina Fey in 2004. It’s not too much of a stretch to think t...

Review: SOCIAL SECURITY at THE Arctic Playhouse
by Christopher Verleger - October 04, 2022

The Arctic Playhouse in West Warwick kicks off its season with Andrew Bergman's hilarious eighties-era comedy, 'Social Security.' Under the skillful direction of Tony Annicone, 'Social Security' is a farcical story about family, old age and physical attraction that reminds the audience it's never to...

Review: SILHOUETTE OF A SILHOUETTE at Wilbury Theatre Group
by John McDaid - October 03, 2022

Rose Weaver has impeccable credentials: a highly respected actress, singer, and writer, whose star turn as Aunt Ester in last season's 'Gem of the Ocean' at Trinity was transcendent. Alas, the world premiere of her new play, 'Silhouette of a Silhouette' at the Wilbury aims high, but never quite soar...

Review: MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY at Brown/Trinity MFA
by John McDaid - September 24, 2022

The production by Brown/Trinity MFA brings this post-apocalyptic nightmare to vivid life with memorable performances and jaw-dropping visual style that make this show a must-see....

Review: DESCRIBE THE NIGHT at the Gamm Theatre
by Barb Burke - September 19, 2022

This talented ensemble cast is the reason to see this production of Rajiv Joseph's Obie Award-winning play. ...

Review: THE INHERITANCE, PART I at Trinity Rep
by Jessica Tabak - September 11, 2022

What did our critic think of THE INHERITANCE, PART I at Trinity Rep?...

Review: JUNK at Burbage Theater Co.
by Jessica Tabak - August 30, 2022

JUNK at Burbage Theater Co. offers audiences a riveting look at the ideals and egos that fueled the junk bond market of the mid-1980s....

Review: MEN ON BOATS at Contemporary Theater Company
by John McDaid - August 27, 2022

Explore the Colorado River in this taut, compelling — and darkly funny — production at the Contemporary Theater Company....

Review: Stylish KINKY BOOTS at Theatre By The Sea
by Christopher Verleger - August 25, 2022

What did our critic think of BWW REVIEW: STYLISH KINKY BOOTS AT THEATRE BY THE SEA at Theatre By The Sea?...

Review: WAITING FOR GODOT at The Colonial Theatre
by John McDaid - August 11, 2022

Over its 70-year history, Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' has been staged in many venues, but Colonial Theatre's current production offers a most congenial outdoor setting in Westerly's Wilcox Park. Combine that with stellar performances all around and deft, assured directorial choices, and you have a...

Review: THE NEVERENDING STORY at Contemporary Theater Company
by Jessica Tabak - July 04, 2022

THE NEVERENDING STORY at Contemporary Theater Company offers sincere, imaginative family fun....

BWW Review: FAIRVIEW challenges theater conventions and audiences at Trinity Rep
by Jessica Tabak - May 30, 2022

Trinity Rep's risk-taking production of FAIRVIEW examines whether the stories theater tells obscure or reveal the truths of people's lives....

BWW Review: Radiant NATASHA, PIERRE, & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 At Wilbury Theatre Group
by Erica Cataldi-Roberts - May 31, 2022

When Dave Malloy’s NATASHA, PIERRE, & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 closed on Broadway in late 2017, fans of the show (myself included) lamented when, or if, it would be possible to see any iteration of this show again. Thanks to the Wilbury Theatre Group, our hopes have been answered! Known for its eclec...

BWW Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at The Gamm Theatre
by John McDaid - May 17, 2022

Shakespeare warns early in the first act of Midsummer Night's Dream that 'the course of true love never did run smooth.' In that warning lies the comedic core of the show, and the Gamm Theatre delivers a visually stunning, delightfully playful production that fully captures the Bard's vision. It's a...

BWW Review: MY FAIR LADY at Providence Performing Arts Center
by Barb Burke - May 13, 2022

This production has a mega-talented color-blind cast that turns every song into a showstopper. Read our BWW critic's review. ...

BWW Review: BWW REVIEW: A stirring BEETHOVEN'S NINTH with RI PHIL, PROVIDENCE SINGERS at VETS Auditorium
by Jill Kimball - May 07, 2022

Listen: These are tough times. COVID-19 cases are on the rise again. Americans are bitterly divided over whether the Supreme Court should overturn its 1973 decision on Roe v. Wade, as it seems poised to do. The war in Ukraine rages on. And we still haven't found a way to halt catastrophic climate ch...

BWW Review: THE SQUIRRELS at Burbage Theatre Company
by John McDaid - April 24, 2022

A show where all the characters are squirrels? Yes. Playwright Robert Askins puts a warning in the mouth of the scientist who opens the show: 'Buckle up, you discerning patron of the arts.' And you should. Because this cleverly written, brilliantly acted, and flawlessly executed production takes aud...

BWW Review: SUEÑO at Trinity Rep
by John McDaid - April 14, 2022

The source material of Sueño may be 400 years old, but a brilliantly updated script, combined with the stunningly beautiful production currently onstage at Trinity Rep make this a fresh, relevant -- and darkly funny -- must-see experience....

BWW Review: AIN'T TOO PROUD at Providence Performing Arts Center
by John McDaid - April 13, 2022

The music needs no introduction: all the hits that made The Temptations a household name are represented in this energetic and enjoyable national tour of 'Ain't Too Proud.' But what this jukebox musical adds is the story behind the songs, told with deft, impressionistic touches that will resonate lo...

BWW Review: Heartfelt DEAR EVAN HANSEN at Providence Performing Arts Center
by Andria Tieman - April 06, 2022

BWW's Critic Writes 'We’ve probably all been in a situation where a white lie or a misunderstanding ballooned into something bigger and unexpected.  DEAR EVAN HANSEN takes this idea and turns it up to eleven when teenage Evan Hansen becomes linked to a classmate who commits suicide.  It’s an interes...

BWW Review: ANTIGONX at Wilbury Theatre Group
by John McDaid - April 03, 2022

Playwright Shey Rivera Ríos has vividly refreshed this work as a story for our time and AntigonX, at the Wilbury Theatre, is vibrant and visually stunning....

BWW Review: FINISHED WAITING by Bread And Puppet Theater tours Eastern US
by John McDaid - March 24, 2022

It begins with a painted door labeled 'Here,' and a giant groaning ear spitting out the names of current conflict hotspots. For the next hour and a half, the iconic Bread and Puppet Theater combines spoken word, movement, music, banners -- and, of course, puppets -- in an evening of powerful, engagi...

BWW Review: Brilliant OKLAHOMA! at the Providence Performing Arts Center
by Erica Cataldi-Roberts - March 24, 2022

Warning: this is not your traditional version of OKLAHOMA!, and good riddance. Without changing a word of the book or lyrics, director Daniel Fish has created a revival of the 1943 musical that highlights different aspects of the material simply by changing the tone in which scenes are presented. T...