Tampa Theater Reviews

Review: JAGGED LITTLE PILL at Straz Center
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - May 19, 2023

What did our critic think of JAFrom the outside looking in, the Healeys are seemingly the Gold Standard flawless upper-middle-class family living in the Connecticut suburbs. JAGGED LITTLE PILL begins with the mom writing the annual holiday Christmas newsletter bragging about her husband's job and he...

Review: ALANIS MORISSETTE'S JAGGED LITTLE PILL Will Leave You Breathless At Straz Center
by Drew Eberhard - May 17, 2023

Jagged Little Pill, is the latest “Jukebox Musical,” in a rather long line of “Jukebox Musicals,” to make it on Broadway and then tour in recent years. With music by Alanis Morissette, book by Diablo Cody, and additional music by Michael Farrell and Guy Sigsworth, the show traverses the iconic lands...

Review: A BOLD AND TWISTED TAKE ON THE LEWIS CARROLL CLASSIC, ALICE GETS THE JOBSITE TREATMENT at JOBSITE THEATER
by Drew Eberhard - May 15, 2023

If its the weird and somewhat twisted that you seek...if you find entertainment in exploring a warped sense of fantasy, then look no further than the genius that is the Ensemble Company of Jobsite Theater. Ever since its production of Shockheaded Peter, Jobsite has harnessed a niche in the realm of...

Review: David Mamet's REVENGE OF THE SPACE PANDAS OR BINKY RUDICH AND THE TWO SPEED CLOCK at Off-Central Players
by Drew Eberhard - May 15, 2023

Mamet’s full-length comedy penned to appeal to young audiences premiered in 1978 at the Town Hall Performing Arts Center in Flushing, Queens a borough of New York City. The plot is messy, convoluted, and at some times almost mind-warping. The story follows the adventures of Binky Rudich, his friend...

Review: SINGLE WIDE SAVIOR at the TAMPA FRINGE FESTIVAL
by Peter Nason - May 14, 2023

A mostly improvised affair, it does the soul good, no matter what your religious leanings....

Review: Laila Lee's LIGHT BRINGER 2: THE CHASE at the TAMPA FRINGE FESTIVAL
by Peter Nason - May 13, 2023

Ms. Lee gets a friend request from herself, and then her world spins into a living nightmare....

Review: JON BENNETT: AMERICAN'T Is a Triumph at the TAMPA FRINGE FESTIVAL
by Peter Nason - May 13, 2023

The Aussie comedian packs quite a punch with his latest!...

Review: Jem Rolls' MAXIMUM CRUSOE at the 7th Annual TAMPA FRINGE FESTIVAL
by Peter Nason - May 13, 2023

Maximum entertainment in the hands of a master storyteller....

Review: Pam Harbaugh's Delightful, Award-Winning CASSEROLE at the Early Bird Dinner Theatre
by Peter Nason - May 09, 2023

I wish more people in the world were like Claire Wilson. As the central character in Pam Harbaugh's endearing, award-winning CASSEROLE, she exudes such enthusiasm, liveliness, acceptance, strength, quirkiness and, best of all, love. Speaking in a midwestern accent with enough 'doncha knows' and 'You...

Review: GYPSY at Carrollwood Cultural Center
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - May 08, 2023

Though Sunday was the closing show of Gypsy at Carrollwood Cultural Center, the talent on that stage will live on indefinitely....

Review: THE DEVIL'S STAIRCASE at Carrollwood Players
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - May 08, 2023

A CWP Black Box Production at Carrollwood Players, The Devil’s Staircase, written and directed by Gabriel Flores, had its world debut on Friday night and runs through May 13....

Review: AIN'T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS at Straz Center For The Performing Arts
by Drew Eberhard - May 03, 2023

Ain’t Too Proud is a 2018 Jukebox Musical with original music and lyrics by the Temptations and a book written by Dominique Morisseau. It opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre in March of 2019....

Review: With River Ridge High School's Talented Royal Knight Stage Company's Production, MEAN GIRLS Is So Fetch!
by Peter Nason - May 01, 2023

The musical may have many flaws, but this is one stellar production of it featuring so many fabulously talented teens....

Review: American Stage Presents RAGTIME: THE MUSICAL IN THE PARK
by Peter Nason - April 16, 2023

Despite some issues, it's a dream of a show!...

Review: HARPER LEE'S TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Commands 'ALL Rise' At Straz Center For The Performing Arts
by Drew Eberhard - April 12, 2023

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was adapted for the stage by Aaron Sorkin and opened on Broadway at the Schubert Theatre in December of 2018. The play is set in 1930s Alabama and follows the story of Atticus Finch, a small-town lawyer in his defense trial of Tom Robinson, an African American man ...

Review: HITS! THE MUSICAL at Straz Center
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - April 03, 2023

Hits! The Musical is a two-hour extraordinary masterpiece of singing and dance that is unlike anything that exists on stage today....

Review: Karen Zacarias' NATIVE GARDENS at The Off-Central Players
by Drew Eberhard - March 24, 2023

The Off-Central Players continue their Spring Season with Karen Zacarias’ “hot-button”comedy that packs all of the punches. Onstage from March 15-26, and directed by Jack Holloway, Native Gardens is not your average comedy. During its prologue, we meet Tanya and Pablo, a young “Millennial,” couple h...

Review: SHEAR MADNESS at Straz Center
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - March 24, 2023

Shear Madness is a great show for anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery and wants a good laugh. Full of improv, zinger one-liners, and suspense, it will keep you entertained from beginning to end....

Review: MISERY Loves Company in This Stage Adaptation of Stephen King's Ultimate Thriller at Jobsite Theater
by Drew Eberhard - March 21, 2023

Misery written by the incomparable “Master of Horror” Stephen King was first released via Viking Press on June 8, 1987. The story revolves around the main character, romance novelist Paul Sheldon, and his self-proclaimed number-one fan Annie Wilkes. Paul is seriously injured in a car crash, and Anni...

Review: Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron's FUN HOME at the Carrollwood Players
by Peter Nason - March 20, 2023

Gutsy. Heartbreaking. Life-affirming. Meaningful. Deep. Painful. And brilliant....

Review: West Orange High School Thespian Troupe 1983 Makes History With Their Production of THE PROM
by Peter Nason - March 19, 2023

It's a courageous musical to perform, especially in Florida, especially this year. Kudos to all!...

Review: WICKED at Straz Center
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - March 13, 2023

Wicked is a superb production, in every area from lighting and costume to choreography and special effects. And of course, the cast is second to none. Through March 26, Wicked soars into Straz Center for the second time, which is magical. A prequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wicked gives us a di...

Review: Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY at the Manatee Players
by Peter Nason - March 11, 2023

Directed and choreographed by Rick Kerby, this production of Sondheim's groundbreaking musical is given an A+ treatment....

Review: CHICAGO at Straz Center
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - February 24, 2023

CHICAGO delights new and returning musical fans with choreography, performance, and singing that sizzles and 'razzle dazzles.'...

Review: Douglas Lyons' CHICKEN & BISCUITS at the Asolo Repertory Theatre
by Peter Nason - February 19, 2023

As its title suggests, it's like theatrical comfort food....