reviewer Archives – Theatrical Musings

Photo by Kevin Ondarza Sara (Nai Fairweather) is unafraid of battle in Dominique Morisseau’s powerful play Confederates. By AARON KRAUSE Slavery’s chains still bind in unexpected ways, and Dominique Morisseau’s bold, nuanced dramedy Confederates urges us to unshackle ourselves—and one another—from their lingering grip. New City Players’ (NCP) riveting professional…

Cast members Gemma Berg, Toddra Brunson, Nai Fairweather, and Denzel-McCausland. By AARON KRAUSE When you think of live theater during the summer, lighthearted, escapist fare may spring to mind. Understandably so — in the sweltering heat, who wouldn’t want to sit back, relax, and simply enjoy the show? But while…

Pictured from left are Rick Prada as John Dubliner, Ben Paryz as Ignatio Perez, Carey Brianna Hart as Dorothy Pilsner, and Johnbarry Green as Edward Duchamp. By AARON KRAUSE “These big corporations are getting away with murder,” declares a character in Norman Shabel’s gripping play, A Class Act….

Maria Rainer (Abbey Alder) embraces nature and music in POW’s production of The Sound of Music. By AARON KRAUSE The von Trapp children energetically circle Maria Rainer in a fresh, believable South Florida production of The Sound of Music—one that is as smart as it is lively. But the…

Photo by Curtis Brown Photography “Cool Mr. P” (Matt Stabile) comforts single mother Laura Hammond in Palm Beach Dramaworks’ world premiere production of Dangerous Instruments by Gina Montet. By AARON KRAUSE The determined and desperate mom in playwright and educator Gina Montet’s new play, Dangerous Instruments, shakes with despair….

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Rob Ulin Playwrights Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Rob Ulin are among this year’s recipients of major national awards presented annually by theater critics. Jacobs’ play, Purpose, has received the 2025 Pulitzer Prize…

Photo by Amy Pasquantonio (From left) Wayne LeGette as Rick, Autumn Kioti Horne as Jenny, Christopher Dreeson as Jeff, and Michael Scott Ross as Seth. By AARON KRAUSE When GableStage mounted a fine production of Sarah Burgess’s brutally honest play Dry Powder in 2017, it felt like a serious…

Photo by Matthew Murphy The titular character (Justin Collete) appears in a scene from an equity national touring production of Beetlejuice the Musical. By AARON KRAUSE Beetlejuice the Musical may resemble a freaky carnival or haunted house, but at its core, the show is about a lonely, grieving…

Photo by Carol Kassie Mags (Ana Marie Calise), Gardner (William Mahone) and Fanny (Laura Turnbull) in Pigs Do Fly Productions’ staging of Tina Howe’s poetic play Painting Churches. By AARON KRAUSE Like an eager child, a septuagenarian gazes in wonder at a paper airplane in Pigs Do Fly…