This family favorite, smartly directed and choreographed by Shane Hall for the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, was spectacular from start to finish. In fact, you should get your tickets now, and finish reading this review later. Name recognition alone could sell this show out, and once word gets out that it’s also great, seats will no doubt be hard to come by.

Playcrafters has staged a true, old-fashioned whodunit in A Murder Is Announced, and while there were a few things I figured out as the night went on, there were also plenty of things I didn’t.

Director Shelley Cooper, vocal-music director Maureen Holmes, and instrumental-music director Michelle Crouch led the performers, crew, and staff in Augustana's The Threepenny Opera, and I was confident that the theatre and music departments here could pull the show off beautifully. They did, with energy, enthusiasm, and so much talent. The expressive actors here are skilled beyond their years.

Many Ambrosian theatre students’ stories have been guided by Cory Johnson and Kris Eitrheim, which makes it almost fitting that a literary classic marks the duo’s final on-stage chapter at St. Ambrose University (SAU). Little Women: The Musical, Louisa May Alcott’s story as adapted for the stage with a book by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland, and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, is not some big and splashy farewell. Rather, this is an extremely well-thought-out presentation showcasing the formidable Johnson/Eitrheim talents one last time before their retirements.

Circa 21’s Grace for President delivered an adorable and lively performance that no doubt engaged and inspired hopeful young politicians.

You've got playwright Ira Levin, and you've got the Black Box Theatre's talented staff and crew, so with Veronica's Room, you're already pretty much guaranteed a satisfying experience. But with the gifted cast Lora Adams has assembled, it's actually an outstanding one.

Overall, Murder at Mistwell Manor offered gorgeous production design that, paired with the period costumes, perfectly fit the intimate Mockingbird venue.

The Spotlight Theatre's Peter & the Starcatcher, directed by Whitney Fahner with music direction by Katie Griswold, is yet another of the venue's slick and stylish productions of a lively libretto, this one loaded with big on- and off-stage talent and clever staging.

Holy. Moly. That’s about all I can say about the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre's latest production Drinking Habits, directed by Mike Skiles. But alas, likely you’re wanting more details than a simple exclamation, so let me spell it out for you: This was the most ridiculous piece of theatre I believe I’ve ever seen. Which isn’t to say that Skiles’ production isn’t good.

While Rabbit Hole did have some moments that were quite tense and sad, these weren't the constant moods, and the playwright’s script and the Playcrafters company built a narrative that was human – not overdoing the tragedy, not overdoing the comedy, but existing in a way that was approachable, simple, and touching.

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