theatre review - NO, NO, NANETTE - Hale Centre Theatre - February 15, 2018

Click here for more information on this production that runs through March 31st.

"It may not be a well known musical today and the score only has a few memorable songs, including the standards "Tea for Two" and "I Want to Be Happy," but Hale Centre Theatre's production of No, No, Nanette amounts to two hours of sheer, infectious joy. The combination of a cast that dances and dances and dances some more, including a stellar performance from Sydney Davis whose tap dancing will put a huge smile on your face, with Hale's usual high quality creative elements, including Cambrian James' direction and choreography, instills the entire show with a tremendous amount of fun and makes for perfect escapism from the troubles of today.... " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - KINKY BOOTS - National Tour: Broadway at the Orpheum Theatre - February 16, 2018

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 18th.

"Kinky Boots, the five-time Tony Winning Broadway musical, is a fun and infectious well-crafted "feel good" show that features a beautiful upbeat score by pop icon Cyndi Lauper. About to celebrate its fifth anniversary of opening on Broadway, the second national tour of the show comes to Phoenix for a five-performance run and while this production is slightly reduced from the Broadway and first national tour versions, the cast is stellar and the message about acceptance and being true to yourself shines through brightly in full force.. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - DRIVING MISS DAISY - Desert Foothills Theater - February 3, 2018

Barbara McBain and T.A. Burrows
Photo by Leanne Brodie

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 11th.

"The power and strength of a friendship that develops between two people from opposite backgrounds is at the core of Alfred Uhry's powerful Driving Miss Daisy. This popular play, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was adapted into the successful Oscar-winning 1989 film, is receiving an impressive production from Desert Foothills Theater with exceptional performances from Barbara McBain and T.A. Burrows.,,. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - HAND TO GOD - Stray Cat Theatre / Phoenix Theatre - February 2, 2018

Eric Zaklukiewicz
photo by John Groseclose

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 25th.

"If you thought the puppets in Avenue Q were filthy and foulmouthed, wait until you meet Tyrone, the profanity-spewing sock puppet from hell who causes plenty of havoc in Robert Askins' hilarious Hand to God. The Obie-winning, Tony-nominated Best Play makes its Valley debut in a spectacular co-production from Stray Cat Theatre and Phoenix Theatre, featuring one of the best casts I've ever seen in a Stray Cat show, led by Eric Zaklukiewicz who is brilliant as both the shy, troubled teen Jason and his hand puppet Tyrone, who has a ferocious mind of his own....Director Ron May scores once again in finding a cast who are able to exceptionally portray both the humor and heartfelt sides of this group of troubled souls ..Even though it is a comedy, the truth that May and his cast bring to this play and their parts is exquisite.... " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - HAMILTON - National Tour: ASU Gammage - January 31, 2018

the national tour cast
photo by Joan Marcus

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 25th.

"You'd probably have to be living under a rock to not know anything about the musical phenomenon that is Hamilton....With the musical on the verge of total world domination, the big question is, "does Hamilton live up to the hype?" The answer is a resounding "yes"! ...It's been a while since there has been a musical that has changed the way we think about the art form. I'd have to go back about 30 years to when Les Misérables first took the world by storm to find a piece of musical theatre that found a similar way to bring an epic story to life so vibrantly on stage. While Hamilton doesn't quite have the same emotional payoff that Les Misérables has (chalk that up somewhat to the slight disconnection from the audience to the cast that this show will face when playing very large venues as it tours across the country), it has an infectious energy and modern sensibility that Les Misérables didn't. Miranda's intricate and massive score, the use of the multi-racial cast, the vibrant and distinct creative elements, and Kail's focused and precise direction come together to make this an epic masterpiece. Hamilton makes history accessible like never before by using modern musical styles and a cast that is more representative of the make-up of America to humanize and breathe life into the people in our history books.. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

concert review - KELLI O'HARA - Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts - January 27, 2018

Kelli O'Hara
Photo by Laura Marie Duncan

"This past Saturday night kicked off the first of four concerts in the 2018 "Broadway @ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts" series with a sublime evening of song and story featuring Tony winner Kelli O'Hara. The series features popular Sirius XM radio host Seth Rudetsky as host and pianist, with a different Broadway performer each evening. Rudetsky draws on his expert knowledge of Broadway to engage each guest to speak about their experiences in an informative and spontaneous conversation in between songs. O'Hara's charming and spunky personality and soaring voice brought both plenty of laughs and poignancy during the discussion and her sublime and pristine vocal abilities were rewarded with not only applause but also a prolonged standing ovation at the end of the evening....Future dates for shows in this year's season of "Broadway @ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts," are Megan Hilty on February 24, Kristin Chenoweth on March 17 and Vanessa Williams on April 7.. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

review - IT'S ONLY A PLAY - Phoenix Theatre - January 26, 2018

Tony Latham, Debra K. Stevens, Toby Yatso, D. Scott Withers, Pasha Yamotahari, Rusty Ferracane, and Ashley Stults
photo by Reg Madison Photography

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 11th.

"...Terrence McNally's comedy It's Only a Play... stars some of the top comic actors in the Valley. While the play itself is a bit long and includes a lot of famous name dropping and backstage drama that might go over the heads of those not well versed in the in-depth knowledge of the business of Broadway and New York City, it still amounts to a fun, charming and often times hilarious ride through the nonstop behind the scenes theatrics at the opening night party for a new Broadway play...McNally's characters are funny and interesting individuals that are fairly fleshed out and three dimensional, though they are also almost all narcissists who truly only care about themselves. ..Director Matthew Wiener has assembled a cast of gifted comedians who get some big laughs from McNally's funny script, though not every joke lands and a few aren't delivered as successfully as they could be. Chalk that up partly to the unfamiliarity of some of the names that are dropped that are very specific to New York and Broadway as well as the somewhat uneven tone and direction the play goes in the second half of the second act which pads out the play and shortchanges some of the humor of the show.... " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - CAVE BOYS - Paradise Valley Community College - February 1, 2018

Joey Whelan (foreground), and Jason Jones, Larak Rogers, and Taylor McMurray (background)
Photo by Courtney Kenyon

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 4th.

"Making its world premiere at Paradise Valley Community College is Anne Negri's Cave Boys, an intriguing 80-minute play set in France during World War II that's based on a true story. ...Much is said in the play about the immigrants who have come to Montignac from places far away and the confusion about whether they can be trusted or if their intentions are suspicious, and the similarity to the current plight of immigrants to the U.S. is especially relevant. Negri's Cave Boys makes a fine addition to her body of plays for young audiences and PVCC's world premiere production features a cast, direction, and creative elements that do justice to the important historical and true story on which the play is based. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)