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 Welcome to the Critical Review blog site! We will be publishing reviews that show exemplary eye for critique. 

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‘The Phantom of the Opera’ Lands in Minneapolis, Haunting and Stunning as Ever by Peyton Webb

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Daniel Lopez as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny and Jordan Lee Gilbert as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera North American Tour Photo: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman Over a year after the conclusion of its record-breaking Broadway run, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera is back to enchant theater-goers across the nation. The North American tour hit the Orpheum last Friday, November 21, the second stop of its highly-anticipated return. Producer Cameron Mackintosh promised “a dazzlingly fresh version of the much-loved original,” and dazzlingly fresh he delivered, indeed. This updated Phantom reopened in 2021 at His Majesty’s Royal Theatre and was applauded by London critics and everyday fans alike. Now, the production has come to haunt American stages, and it’d be a shame to miss the wondrous horrors it brings. The newer version maintains much of the late Maria Björnson’s original award-winning designs. Her magnificent sets feature the grandness and ornamentation of a...
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& Juliet: I Don’t Really Want It That Way by Katelyn Keyes

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Out of all the musicals I’ve seen, I feel that & Juliet is a tough one to find my opinion on. Did it have a powerful impact that left me changed? Not really. Did it have breathtaking dancing, Oscar-worthy acting, or astounding songs? Not really. But, did I have fun? Absolutely.  I began to get a sense for the fun when it opened with a jazzy preshow, where some of the actors come onstage before the official start to dance and liven up the audience. The dancers seemed to be quite talented, and that raised my hopes for the show itself, but sadly, there was no big dance number that showed off the amount of talent in this ensemble. By that beginning, and the general hip-hop vibe of the show, I had thought that it would be a lot more dance-heavy. The dancing that was there wasn’t bad by any means; in “Blow” there was some large-scale choreography to emulate a club, and the ensemble proved to be effective backup dancers in “Problem/Can’t Feel My Face.” But if the dancing had been m...
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Tragedy Turned Triumph: & Juliet by Maddy Campbell

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Who needs Romeo when you have self-worth, a glitter cannon, and a chance to write your own ending? It’s certainly not Juliet! In David West Read and Max Martin’s & Juliet , Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is reimagined to uplift independence and femininity. The show begins at the end of the Shakespeare classic by asking the question: What if Juliet decided to not die alongside her lover and instead move on? What follows is a high energy performance that is fun all around. Although I found the jukebox format occasionally distracting and disjointed, this tour delivers a visually dynamic and unapologetically modern interpretation that is sure to be a night well spent at the theater. Overall, the whole vibe of & Juliet stood out to me. The contrast of the classical Shakespearean characters with a modern street-style production brought a new life to this iconic story. My favorite element of this production was the set design by Soutra Gilmour. The urban playground and graffiti-spla...
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