Brigadoon @ Porthouse Theatre

July 24-August 9, 2026

www.porthousetheatre.com.  

(330) 672-3884    

Roy Berko

BRIGADOON is the type of musical that is enjoyed by audience’s if it has a good performance.  They get just that with the stylized direction of Terri Kent, the inventive choreography of  Martin Céspedes and a generally talented cast.
 

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Mark Horning

Trust me...as you are exiting the Porthouse Theater venue following “Brigadoon” you will find yourself humming, singing and or whistling a number of songs from the show. It is simply that good and that good feeling will carry forward all the way home. With a little work on toning down the dialect we have a major hit on our hands.

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

Dr. Yuko Kurahashi

The 2026 Porthouse production of Brigadoon (Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner; Music by Frederick Loewe), directed by Terri Kent, choreographed by Martín Céspedes, and with music direction by Jennifer Korecki, is an energetic, rhythmic, lyrical, and fantastic work about a fantasy world conjured in the minds of people in 1947, just after WWII, offering a tremendous sense of nostalgia as well as new meanings for Porthouse’s multigenerational audiences in 2026. It could be perceived as escapism, but it is a genuine reflection of our yearning for a peaceful and loving place to live. The bitter reality in the musical, however, is that even a dreamland like Brigadoon has conflicts, animosity, and jealousy that result in tragedy. Certainly, the creators, Lerner and Loewe, were aware of the new trend in American musicals, as popularized by Oklahoma! (1943) and Carousel (1945). 

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

 

Macbitches @ Convergence-Continuum

Through August 15, 2026

https://www.convergence-continuum.org/

(216) 687-0074

 

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

Five female actors at a performing arts college with various strong and distinct personalities during a night of heavy drinking as jealousy rears its ugly head...what could possibly go wrong? Take my word for it...it does. This is 90 minutes of intense.

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

Convergence-Continuum’s production of macbitches by Sophie McIntosh, directed by Kate Smith, is a visceral, disturbing, and truthful work that raises issues surrounding young actors in an academic setting. The intensity of this work’s unapologetic revelation of young female BFA in Theatre students’ “burst” of frustration and jealousy, along with a constant fear of being “cast aside,” is comparable to that of Alexis Scheer’s Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, a play about high-school girls’ competitiveness, ambition, control over others, rituals, and obsession with their “hero,” Pablo Escobar. 

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.

 

MEAN GIRLS

BECK CENTER FOR THE ARTS

JULY 10-AUGUST 9, 2026

Roy Berko

Tina Fay’s MEAN GIRLS, with the right level of farce can be a delightful experience.   Beck’s staging, inspite of a talented cast, was pleasant.  It could have been great with the right concept.  Go?, Of course! Most audience members, as displayed by the standing ovation at the end of the performance I attended, displayed their like-level of enjoyment.

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Howard Gollop

As said before, does the entertainment world really need another go-round of a teen outsider navigating the trials and tribulations of high-school life and its social-cliques hierarchy? Well, if that go-round has the wit and heart of "Saturday Night Live" legend Tina Fey, why not? And if a return engagement of that musical gets the kind of kinetic, intelligent production value that the Beck Center is able to provide, all the better.

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

SIDE SHOW IN CONCERT

PORTHOUSE THEATER

July 7-18, 2026

 

Roy Berko

SIDE SHOW IN CONCERT, which is nicely staged and performed,  continues through July 18^th at Porthouse Theatre on the grounds of Blossom Center.  This is one of the few opportunities to see this seldomly produced script. 

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

The Lion King @ Playhouse Square

Through August 16, 2026

https://www.playhousesquare.org/

(216) 241-6000

 

Howard Gollop

But nothing tops that opening vista of the African animal kingdom -- an atmospheric triumph of set design by Richard Hudson and lighting design by Donald Holder -- paying homage to the titular star of the show. The opening also pays tribute to one of the greatest Broadway talents of contemporary Broadway -- Oberlin's Julie Taymor.

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

Mark Horning

Many of our children grew up watching the animated version of this Disney classic on a continuous loop throughout their formative years so are well acquainted with the story and music. Nothing...and I mean NOTHING can compare to this live performance that puts it all on stage in its grand presentation. It is the finest rendition of this work ever to hit the theaters.

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

Once Upon a One More Time @ Rubber city Theatre

Through July 13, 2026

https://www.rubbercitytheatre.com/

330-227-4787

      WORTH NOTING: 

In order to bring attention to local productions of merit at theaters that are not on the Cleveland Critics Circle’s approved Equity Theater list, members of the Circle who attend a community or educational theater production that is perceived as of high quality will have the option of listing that production on the CCC blogsite.  These review(s) fall into that category.

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

Dane CT Leasure brings each performer’s uniqueness to the fore, infusing their personalities and traits into their characters. Kayla Streem’s mermaid, deprived of her voice, embodies bewilderment and helplessness yet shows adaptability. Katie Soltis’s Sleeping Beauty is an innocent, unquestioning princess who develops an attitude influenced by Lila Wagner-Gleeson’s Princess from “The Princess and the Pea,’ who puffs a cigarette and drinks liquor from a flask, far from the Anderson version of the princess, who is considered sensitive and considerate. Ilse Zijlstra, as Rapunzel, demonstrates a strong voice and animated, expressive facial expressions.

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.