Matthew Murphy News

With stunning design elements, a highly professional cast, and an engaging plot, Beetlejuice is very worthy of its nearly sold-out run at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati, OH.

What did our critic think of FUNNY GIRL at Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis? Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott and direction from Michael Mayer, this love letter to the theatre has the whole shebang!

What did our critic think of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's COMPANY at Straz Center For The Performing Arts?

We chat with Minnesota native and cast member Jackson Grove about Funny Girl and being back in Minnesota! 

When actor and singer Robert Petkoff was cast to play Harold Zidler in the North American tour of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” there was no question about his knowing the score.

Hello, friends, and welcome to my 2023 Broadway World Year in Review. I literally doubled the number of articles this year from last year, and I’ve had the best time!

Rehearsals are officially underway for the upcoming Broadway musical Water for Elephants. Check out photos from inside the first day of rehearsals here!

The show is a jukebox musical that tells the story of Tina’s career and incorporates some of her biggest hits to do so. It was created under the executive production of Tina Turner herself and her second husband, Erwin Bach. Tina Turner passed away last year, so this show is a fitting celebration of the woman who broke every single rule in music and cemented her legacy as an icon. She was simply the best, and this musical seems to know that.

What a way to open a brand-new year of live theater in Nashville: in Funny Girl, audiences may have found exactly what they were longing for as Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s touring presentation provides a portentous kick-off to 2024. In fact, we can’t recall a standing ovation more gratifyingly sincere and genuine in the 35+ years we’ve been reviewing shows at TPAC than the one with which the company was rewarded on opening night in Andrew Jackson Hall. It was appreciative and effusive – downright enthusiastic and straight from the heart – the thunderous and sustained reaction to two-and-a-half hours of gloriously exhilarating musical theatre straight out of the golden age.

What did our critic think of TINA TURNER MUSICAL at Walton Arts Center?

The nationally traveling version of the Broadway musical has made its Washington premiere at the Kennedy Center and is already attracting large crowds of adults and many children, some of which are attired in the costumes of its lead characters Elsa and Anna (though mostly Elsa).

Today’s subject Faith Seetoo is currently living her theatre life on the conductor’s podium as the musical director of the North American Tour of Disney’s Frozen. The show is currently running in the Opera House at Kennedy Center continuing through January 21st,2024.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical, debuted in Boston in 2018, and seems like an incredibly logical adaptation of a wildly successful musical film.  The stage version, showing at PPAC through December 31, hews very closely to the film in terms of plot and the bigger musical numbers, but also adds some new songs and showcases some exceptional sets and lighting that really make this production feel new on the stage.  While jukebox musicals can feel tedious, this is a refreshing re-envisioning that sparkles with well-chosen songs and outstanding vocal performances.

This high-flying musical has been thrilling audiences of all ages for close to 70 years and is now being brought back to life in a new adaptation by celebrated playwright Larissa FastHorse, directed by Emmy Award-winner Lonny Price and choreography by Lorin Latarro.

“(Zidler's) a man with big appetites and that drives him to make bad choices. He’s dancing on the razor's edge, but thinks he can pull it off one more time. Robert Petkoff on his character

What did our critic think of PETER PAN at Ordway Center For The Performing Arts?

State Theatre New Jersey will present the Broadway musical, Come From Away on Friday, January 5 at 8pm; Saturday, January 6 at 2pm and 8pm.

The North American Tour of the Tony Award®-winning musical comedy Shucked will make its Nashville debut at Tennessee Performing Arts Center®’s Jackson Hall November 5-10, 2024. Learn how to purchase tickets!

Pretty Woman: The Musical doesn’t live up to the award-winning romantic comedy that it is based on.

Is It Thursday Yet? opens tonight, Tuesday, December 12 at the Perelman Performing Arts Center. Check out all new production photos here!