Friday, November 14, 2025

SIX @ Playhouse Square


Emma Elizabeth Smith as Catherine of Aragon in The North American Tour Boleyn Company of SIX. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Six
Playhouse Square
November 11-16, 2025
Visit playhousesquare.org or call (216) 241-6000 

 


Howard Gollop

Returning to Playhouse Square for a brief run, the Broadway/London West End sensation "Six" still stirs up quite a sensation, remaining as fresh as ever … This show still makes the perfect statement about female power well after the days of public hangings -- and just before the days of pronoun propriety.

To see a full review of this show, read Howard Gollop's review here.

Mark Horning
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Laura Kennelly
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Laura's posts at Cool Cleveland.

Kate Klotzbach
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Kate's posts here.

Gwendolyn Kochur

“Six” attempts to give the queens back their autonomy with a musical that doesn’t just tell the oft-unknown stories of the monarchs in flashy, pop music numbers, but also cheekily addresses the patriarchal system that allowed their suffering in the first place. 

To see a full review of this show, read Gwendolyn's review here.


Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Much Ado About Nothing @ Playhouse Square



Through November 15, 2025
(216) 241-6000

 

Roy Berko
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Howard Gollop
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Howard Gollop's review here.

Sheri Gross
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Sheri Gross' review here.

Mark Horning
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Laura Kennelly
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Laura's posts at Cool Cleveland.

Kate Klotzbach
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Kate's posts here.

Gwendolyn Kochur
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Gwendolyn's posts here.

Dr. Yuko Kurahashi


Directing the Case Western University/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program’s Much Ado About Nothing, Terri McMahon selects clarity and simplicity by cutting many characters. One example would be the cutting of several characters—Ursula, Balthasar, Verges, and Antonio—giving other characters (close to them) more weight and importance. Because of the elimination of Ursula, the character of Margaret becomes more critical. Because of Verges's cut, the audience’s full attention is on Dogberry. The elimination of Balthasar and Antonio gives Leonata more space to shine independently. 


To see a full review of this show, read Yuko's posts here.

Joey Morona
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Joey's posts here.

 

Sunday, November 9, 2025

Proof @ Ensemble Theatre



Through November 16, 2025
(216) 321-2930

 

Roy Berko
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Howard Gollop
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Howard Gollop's review here.

Sheri Gross
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Sheri Gross' review here.

Mark Horning

This production is a perfect example of pure theater with real people dealing with real circumstances in a real environment. Theater and math geeks will totally relate and the rest of us will be totally entertained as we escape the world for a few short couple of hours. Well worth the walk from the JCU parking lot (there is also a cart available). Do the math.

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Laura Kennelly
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Laura's posts at Cool Cleveland.

Kate Klotzbach
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Kate's posts here.

Gwendolyn Kochur
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Gwendolyn's posts here.

Dr. Yuko Kurahashi
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Yuko's posts here.

Joey Morona
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Joey's posts here.

 

Monday, November 3, 2025

The Christine Jorgensen Show @ Cleveland Play House



Through November 16, 2025
https://www.clevelandplayhouse.com/
(216) 241-6000

 

Howard Gollop

Scott Ahearn more than ably doubles as the production's musical director, and he infuses as much energy and style to the musical numbers as he does to his performance as the struggling vocal, dance and personality coach for the titular character.

No, Christine Jorgensen is not Liza Minnelli, but she was and is a fascinating personality, and so is this show reflecting her unique showbiz journey.

To see a full review of this show, read Howard Gollop's review here.

Mark Horning
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Laura Kennelly
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Laura's posts at Cool Cleveland.

Gwendolyn Kochur

While it still provides sufficient representation of the challenges faced by a transgender woman in the 1950s, “The Christine Jorgensen Show” is a heartfelt, funny and blissfully light production that spotlights joy over strife.

To see a full review of this show, read Gwendolyn's review here.

Dr. Yuko Kurahashi

The Christine Jorgensen Show, written by Donald Steven Olson and directed by Michael Barakiva, is not a bio-drama for hungry and curious spectators, but a drama that explores the making of one entertainer who uses hidden talent for her advantage during the difficult years of tabloid exposure after her gender confirmation surgery in December 1952.

The show starts in 1963, 10 years after her debut as a night-club performer, with Jorgensen (Augustine Lorrie) speaking to the audience as either a memory-play character or a speaker at one of the national lecture tours she gave in the 1960s.

To see a full review of this show, read Yuko's posts here.

 

Saturday, November 1, 2025

The End Of Black Experience @ Cleveland Public Theatre



Through November 8, 2025
(216) 631.2727 ext. 501

 

Roy Berko
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Howard Gollop
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Howard Gollop's review here.

Sheri Gross
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Sheri Gross' review here.

Mark Horning
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Laura Kennelly
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Laura's posts at Cool Cleveland.

Kate Klotzbach
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Kate's posts here.

Gwendolyn Kochur
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Gwendolyn's posts here.

Dr. Yuko Kurahashi
Written and performed by Chris Webb, directed by Jimmie Woody, and staged at Cleveland Public Theater’s James Levin Theatre, The End of Black Excellence explores what it means by “achieving excellence” for Webb, a Black man who has been aware of enormous pressure to fit into a specific frame of success and fame set by “America.”  Indeed, he has been successful since his teens, when he attended the Black Theatre Festival (NC) as a cast member in a production directed by Jimmie Woody. One of the nostalgic and memorable markers from this early stage of his “excellent” trajectory includes a picture taken with celebrities, including Janet Hubert Whitten, famous for her role as “Viv” in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.


To see a full review of this show, read Yuko's posts here.

Joey Morona
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Joey's posts here.