![As the chill of winter begins to set in, there is nothing cozier than curling up with a good book. But if you are someone who also has the itch to make plans on the weekend, you can achieve both of those things by making a trip to Dobama Theatre in Cleveland Heights and cozying up to the adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel “Little Women.” Some of us have grown up with the March sisters: Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth. We’ve laughed with them and cried with them. We’ve gone on adventures with family friend Laurie and waited […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TNH-L-Dobama-LittleWomen-review-WBOX-121023-01.jpg?w=132 "As the chill of winter begins to set in, there is nothing cozier than curling up with a good book. But if you are someone who also has the itch to make plans on the weekend, you can achieve both of those things by making a trip to Dobama Theatre in Cleveland Heights and cozying up to the adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel “Little Women.” Some of us have grown up with the March sisters: Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth. We’ve laughed with them and cried with them. We’ve gone on adventures with family friend Laurie and waited […]")
‘Little Women’ at Dobama Theatre review: Unusual approach, big successes
As the chill of winter begins to set in, there is nothing cozier than curling up with a good book. But if you are someone who also has the itch...
All Stories
![In his director’s note, Patrick Ciamacco says of the Blank Canvas Theatre that “much like Rocky Balboa, BCT has always been a bit of an underdog.” He goes on to say that he “would rather take a risk and do something new, knowing that we may get knocked down for trying it … but rest […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TNH-L-BlankCanvas-Rocky-review-WBOX-120823-02.jpg?w=132 "In his director’s note, Patrick Ciamacco says of the Blank Canvas Theatre that “much like Rocky Balboa, BCT has always been a bit of an underdog.” He goes on to say that he “would rather take a risk and do something new, knowing that we may get knocked down for trying it … but rest […]")
‘Rocky’ at Blank Canvas review: Admirable swing, but too few punches land
In his director’s note, Patrick Ciamacco says of the Blank Canvas Theatre that “much like Rocky Balboa, BCT has always been a bit of an underdog.” He goes on to...
![Picture this: It’s the late 1970s, and you and your friends are in your basement, wearing out the linoleum, as you continue practicing the “Ease on Down the Road” choreography from the film “The Wiz.” You have seen it four times already, and you are determined to get it right. You also take turns standing in front of the full-length mirror, practicing emoting while singing a heart-swelling rendition of “Home.” And through it all, you cannot possibly comprehend at 10 years old that the Broadway musical that inspired the movie was anything more than just a really cool version of […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/TNH-L-PHS-TheWiz-wigs-WBOX-100123-04.jpg?w=140 "Picture this: It’s the late 1970s, and you and your friends are in your basement, wearing out the linoleum, as you continue practicing the “Ease on Down the Road” choreography from the film “The Wiz.” You have seen it four times already, and you are determined to get it right. You also take turns standing in front of the full-length mirror, practicing emoting while singing a heart-swelling rendition of “Home.” And through it all, you cannot possibly comprehend at 10 years old that the Broadway musical that inspired the movie was anything more than just a really cool version of […]")
‘The Wiz’ at Playhouse Square review: A joyous re-imagining of musical favorite
Picture this: It’s the late 1970s, and you and your friends are in your basement, wearing out the linoleum, as you continue practicing the “Ease on Down the Road” choreography...
![Sometimes you come across a production that is difficult to review, because you want the reader to understand it the way YOU do, or feel it and experience it the way you do, and without creating a new telepathic language, words just do not do it justice. This is the case with the Great Lakes Theater production of “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” which not only sets the bar high for innovative, experiential storytelling but also eviscerates that bar. And the moment you enter the theater, you know you are in for something special. When the show […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TNH-L-GLT-Natasha-review-WBOX-092923-01.jpg?w=132 "Sometimes you come across a production that is difficult to review, because you want the reader to understand it the way YOU do, or feel it and experience it the way you do, and without creating a new telepathic language, words just do not do it justice. This is the case with the Great Lakes Theater production of “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” which not only sets the bar high for innovative, experiential storytelling but also eviscerates that bar. And the moment you enter the theater, you know you are in for something special. When the show […]")
‘Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812’ review: Great Lakes production soars
Sometimes you come across a production that is difficult to review, because you want the reader to understand it the way YOU do, or feel it and experience it the...
![There is no dazzling set. There are no props. There are no costume changes. There is no intermission. There is no transition time between scenes. There is no break between dialogue. There is no time to breathe! And it is exactly as this play is meant to be. The play is “Lungs” by Duncan Macmillan, and it is a bold choice to kick off Ensemble Theater’s 44th season, the company now setting up shop at the Notre Dame College Performing Arts Center in South Euclid. And it literally takes your breath away, as the actors grapple with real-life inner conflicts […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TNH-L-Ensemble-Lungs-review-WBOX-091523-01.jpg?w=132 "There is no dazzling set. There are no props. There are no costume changes. There is no intermission. There is no transition time between scenes. There is no break between dialogue. There is no time to breathe! And it is exactly as this play is meant to be. The play is “Lungs” by Duncan Macmillan, and it is a bold choice to kick off Ensemble Theater’s 44th season, the company now setting up shop at the Notre Dame College Performing Arts Center in South Euclid. And it literally takes your breath away, as the actors grapple with real-life inner conflicts […]")
‘Lungs’ review: Ensemble’s production will leave you breathless in South Euclid
There is no dazzling set. There are no props. There are no costume changes. There is no intermission. There is no transition time between scenes. There is no break between...
![The romanticism of grifters has been present in musical theater since before Harold Hill proclaimed “Ya Got Trouble” in “The Music Man. It is hard for anyone to resist charm and charisma, even when it is all part of a ruse to bilk some starved-for-something-to-believe-in townspeople out of their cold, hard cash. Unfortunately, in the […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/TNH-L-BlankCanvas-LeapofFaith-review-WBOX-072123-01.jpg?w=132 "The romanticism of grifters has been present in musical theater since before Harold Hill proclaimed “Ya Got Trouble” in “The Music Man. It is hard for anyone to resist charm and charisma, even when it is all part of a ruse to bilk some starved-for-something-to-believe-in townspeople out of their cold, hard cash. Unfortunately, in the […]")
Blank Canvas Theatre ‘Leap of Faith’ review: Jump comes up short
The romanticism of grifters has been present in musical theater since before Harold Hill proclaimed “Ya Got Trouble” in “The Music Man. It is hard for anyone to resist charm...
![There is an old parable about a young sailor who is left alone at sea because his ship suddenly sinks and his crew dies. He constructs a makeshift raft and follows the stars for navigation. But when a storm rolls in and the stars are no longer visible for 20 days, the sailor begins to […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/TNH-L-Beck-Doubt-review-WBOX-060923-01-1.jpg?w=132 "There is an old parable about a young sailor who is left alone at sea because his ship suddenly sinks and his crew dies. He constructs a makeshift raft and follows the stars for navigation. But when a storm rolls in and the stars are no longer visible for 20 days, the sailor begins to […]")
Beck Center’s ‘Doubt: A Parable’ mines all the thoughtful drama from play | Theater review
There is an old parable about a young sailor who is left alone at sea because his ship suddenly sinks and his crew dies. He constructs a makeshift raft and...
![It was quite a journey for Great Lakes Theater to finally see its production of “Ain’t Misbehavin’” come to fruition, with the pandemic responsible for delaying its 2022 opening. To quote the title song, some things are “well worth waiting for, believe me.” And from the energy of the cast members themselves during the opening-night […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/TNH-L-GLT-AintMisbehavin-review-WBOX-050723-01.jpg?w=132 "It was quite a journey for Great Lakes Theater to finally see its production of “Ain’t Misbehavin’” come to fruition, with the pandemic responsible for delaying its 2022 opening. To quote the title song, some things are “well worth waiting for, believe me.” And from the energy of the cast members themselves during the opening-night […]")
Great Lakes’ ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’’ a rollicking, culturally relevant good time | Theater review
It was quite a journey for Great Lakes Theater to finally see its production of “Ain’t Misbehavin’” come to fruition, with the pandemic responsible for delaying its 2022 opening. To...
![You don’t get dubbed “The Queen of Rock n’ Roll” for nothing. And if you are not already a fan of the legend that IS Tina Turner, or her music, after seeing the electrifying jukebox musical “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical,” which is on stage at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, you will understand why […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/TNH-L-PHS-Tina-review-WBOX-050523-01.jpg?w=132 "You don’t get dubbed “The Queen of Rock n’ Roll” for nothing. And if you are not already a fan of the legend that IS Tina Turner, or her music, after seeing the electrifying jukebox musical “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical,” which is on stage at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, you will understand why […]")
‘Tina,’ at Playhouse Square, a jukebox musical that hits hard, has storytelling issues | Theater review
You don’t get dubbed “The Queen of Rock n’ Roll” for nothing. And if you are not already a fan of the legend that IS Tina Turner, or her music,...
![With more than 100 years of developing and nurturing African-American artists, Karamu House is more than a theater; it is a home. It is evident from the faces of the staff and the hearts of the performers that they take its name seriously. “Karamu” means “a place of joyful gathering” in Swahili, and that joyful […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TNH-L-Karamu-BubblyBlackGirl-review-WBOX-042823-01.jpg?w=117 "With more than 100 years of developing and nurturing African-American artists, Karamu House is more than a theater; it is a home. It is evident from the faces of the staff and the hearts of the performers that they take its name seriously. “Karamu” means “a place of joyful gathering” in Swahili, and that joyful […]")
Karamu’s ‘Bubbly Black Girl’ gracefully mixes important thematic exploration with humor and music | Theater review
With more than 100 years of developing and nurturing African-American artists, Karamu House is more than a theater; it is a home. It is evident from the faces of the...