Recent Reviews
Review: Macbeth by Austin Shakespeare
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on March 04, 2026
In this MACBETH, Marc Pouhé and Helen Merino are mesmerizing from start to finish—a great example of the consistency that audiences have come to expect from Austin Shakespeare.
Austin Shakespeare’s latest production tackles one of the best-known classic works of drama in the western literary canon: the Scottish play. Austin Shakespeare began in the 1980's as Free Shakespeare in the Park. From that humble beginning, in 2001 it established its association with the Actor’s Equity Association as an Equity house, meaning essentially that they honor AEA standards and practices when employing Equity actors. They are allowed to use non-Equity actors ( interestingly the …
Review: Wild Horses by Penfold Theatre Company, Round Rock
by Hannah Neuhauser
Published on March 04, 2026
The protagonist's memory of her thirteen-year-old self trying to rescue endangered horses rekindles our first wild, sweet taste of freedom.
What does freedom taste like? That bite of rebellion. The surge of your agency. Words vibrating from your mouth, not in anger, but in truth of your being. Does it taste like relief? Like mint, open and fresh as green grass? Or is it rich like chocolate, coating the tone in bitter sweetness? Freedom is a taste difficult to name, but it's undeniably yours. And no one – no one – can take it away …
Review: Hadestown by touring company
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on February 26, 2026
The second national tour may be Hadestown Lite, but it 's still an entertaining night of theater.
I last reviewed Hadestown in 2022, and I was quite enthusiastic, writing, “Let us thank the gods for Hadestown! Here is a production that has a devout appreciation for live music in its heart!” It is important to note that was the first touring production of it I saw, so last week I was quite excited to revisit this work. Hadestown had a long journey to get to the most recent Bass Concert Hall performances. …
Review: Witch by Hyde Park Theatre
by Michael Meigs
Published on February 24, 2026
Playwright Silverman crafts a clever parable about witches, women, and men from a Jacobean gory story -- using contemporary language and a decidedly 21st century spin.
First of all, though Jenn Silverman based Witch on the typically hair-raising 1621 Jacobean play The Witch of Edmonton, a gory and almost hot-off-the-presses tabloid stage account of real murders and a burning at the stake, do NOT be scared of her rendition. Silverman cheerfully ransacks that work and walks away with a setting, some names, and the eternally familiar trope of the Devil coming to town in search of souls. Indeed, hers is a …
Review #2 of 2: The Last Match by Filigree Theatre
by David Glen Robinson
Published on February 16, 2026
Even titans have feet of clay. Two world-class tennis players lock in combat with one another, with their life partners, and themselves. Another memorable production from Elizabeth V. Newman's Filigree Theatre.
The Last Match is Anna Ziegler’s profound take on sports heroes, the strength and luck it takes to become one and the toll it extracts from the athletes and everyone around them. Director ELizabeth V. Newman's staging is set at a semifinal match of the men’s division of the US Open. Ziegler's script also gives us breakout scenes on the same court—after all, that’s where they live their lives—with interior dialogues and flashback scenes of …
Review #2 of 2: Murder on the Orient Express by Zach Theater
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on February 13, 2026
Zach Theater’s Murder on the Orient Express is on track to be a runaway smash and it’s not losing any steam.
Zach Theater’s Midnight on the Orient Express is on track to be a runaway smash and it’s not losing any steam. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s begin. This is an exceptional production on multiple levels, beginning with the phenomenal set, costume design, and coordination. Not only have these teams managed to capture the time and place in exquisite detail, they’ve also managed to create the perfect mood of exotic intrigue that …