Thursday, December 17, 2015

Twin Pleasures for Jazz Greats Basie & Ellington by David Dow Bentley III

For those of us fortunate enough to have become familiar with the brilliant musical talents of the Anderson Twins (via their previous successes with Le Jazz Hot and Those Fabulous Dorseys at…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 02:55PM
Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Jopling Brings Joy to the World at Peekskill’s Paramount by David Dow Bentley III

[Click any photo to enlarge.] For those lucky enough to have been part of last Sunday’s packed house at the PARAMOUNT Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill, New York, the Christmas season got…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 04:16AM
Thursday, November 19, 2015

A Talented “CINDERELLA” Anchors John Cooper Production by David Dow Bentley III

[ Click any photo to enlarge. ] As much as I enjoy my work reviewing professional performing arts productions of all kinds, there is something refreshing about now and then getting back to b…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 09:40PM
Monday, November 16, 2015

Intimacy and Steve Lippia Triumph in MCPAS Celebration of SINATRA by David Dow Bentley III

I had a wonderful surprise last Saturday night at Conroe’s elegant Crighton Theatre. It had been just exactly one week since my reviewing a sensational Sinatra Centennial concert at Housto…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 12:26AM
Thursday, November 12, 2015

Talent Overcomes Audio Problems in Class Act’s FIDDLER by David Dow Bentley III

The consistent excellence of musical performances from Class Act Productions are well known here in Montgomery County and The Woodlands, Texas. Over at the Nancy Bock Center for the Performi…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 02:50AM
Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Houston Symphony’s SINATRA CENTENNIAL a Spectacular Success by David Dow Bentley III

The Houston Symphony certainly started off this month of November with a sensational concert in Jones Hall. Titled, SINATRA’S CENTENNIAL, the program was a wonderful look back at the count…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 05:40PM
Friday, October 30, 2015

Cheerful ALICE is a Mixed Bag at Texas Rep by David Dow Bentley III

I always enjoy it when my trips to Texas coincide with scheduled productions of the Texas Repertory Theatre. The company’s current cheerful offering of Joan Micklin Silver & Julianne B…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 03:18AM
Thursday, October 29, 2015

CYT’S “PINOCCHIO” BRIGHTENS A RAINY WEEKEND IN TEXAS by David Dow Bentley III

It was arguably the most dismal, rainy and dreary weekend in recent Montgomery County memory, but on the stage of the Crighton Theater in Conroe, Texas, the angelic voices and beaming faces …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 03:10PM
Thursday, October 22, 2015

PIPPIN Charms Houston with Mystery and Magic by David Dow Bentley III

Until the current BROADWAY at the Hobby Center offering, I had somehow never managed to actually see a production of the longtime hit musical, PIPPIN. I recall once reading a lengthy plot su…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 05:53AM

MCPAS Offers a Whirling Good Time from THE SPINNERS by David Dow Bentley III

Last Saturday it was Opening Night for the 37th season of the Montgomery County Performing Arts Society, and the five dazzling stars of the evening comprise the rhythm & blues singing gr…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 12:00AM
Thursday, October 8, 2015

BONNIE & CLYDE Go Underground at TUTS by David Dow Bentley III

[ Click Any Photo to Enlarge ] In these half dozen years since its World Premiere in La Jolla, California, composer Frank Wildhorn’s ambitious musical, BONNIE & CLYDE, has had numerou…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 06:15AM
Thursday, October 1, 2015

A HAUNTING PROGRAM TONIGHT FROM HOUSTON BALLET by David Dow Bentley III

Last week at Houston’s Wortham Theatre Center I had the privilege of attending Thursday’s Opening Night of Houston Ballet’s FALL MIXED REPERTORY, presented in advance of the company’…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 03:42AM
Thursday, September 24, 2015

A Fond Good-Bye to BYE BYE BIRDIE at the Owen Theatre by David Dow Bentley III

[Click any photo to enlarge ] As I put pen to paper for this review, I am reminded of that wise old expression: “Better late than never.” As a critic, I have never been fond of reviewing…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 06:25AM
Thursday, September 17, 2015

Crighton Strikes Gold with “ON GOLDEN POND” by David Dow Bentley III

[ Editor’s Note: Click any photo to enlarge ] There was a special kind of warmth and intimacy coming across the footlights when director, Jim Walker, stepped out on the Crighton Theatr…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 03:25AM
Saturday, September 12, 2015

Epic Concert and Soloist for Houston Symphony at Pavilion by David Dow Bentley III

For those of us fortunate to have homes in The Woodlands, Texas, there have been countless opportunities through the years to enjoy the wonderful concerts of the Houston Symphony Orchestra a…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 01:32PM
Sunday, September 6, 2015

For Rockaway: THE SHOW GOES ON! by David Dow Bentley III

As I close in on completion of two decades of work as a critic, I feel compelled to weigh in on what is surely destined to be one of the great New York City engineering projects of our gener…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 10:38PM
Monday, July 20, 2015

A Brilliant “LA CAGE” from Goodspeed Opera House by David Dow Bentley III

[Click any photo to enlarge] There are rare times in the world of the theatre that all the elements just seem to come together perfectly. The current Goodspeed Opera House production of La C…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 05:04PM
Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Summer Fun from GUYS & DOLLS at RTC by David Dow Bentley III

[ Click on any photo to enlarge ] It doesn’t get much better than this for residents of the once Sandy-ravaged Rockaway Beach. The pleasantly warm summer weather and low humidity have the …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 03:10AM
Tuesday, June 16, 2015

KEN HOWARD Wows ’em at The Lambs Club by David Dow Bentley III

From time to time my occasional work as a performing arts critic in Texas causes me to miss some important event here  in New York. That was never truer than on last March 9th when Marc Bar…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 08:44PM
Sunday, June 14, 2015

A Little LAMB Who Shines on New York Cabaret Scene by David Dow Bentley III

She is a member of America’s oldest theatrical club, The Lambs established in 1874, and those fellow Lambs who have been fortunate enough to hear talented singer and cabaret performer,…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 08:10PM
Thursday, May 14, 2015

THE MUSIC MAN: Fresh as Ever at Theatre Under the Stars by David Dow Bentley III

[ CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE ] Anthony Crane as Harold Hill and Sara Jean Ford as Marian Paroo with cast. Photo by Bruce Bennett, courtesy of Theatre Under The Stars.   Like the seasons…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 01:02AM
Sunday, May 3, 2015

A Woodlands Weekend of Wonders from Gaga, Bennett & “Chicago” by David Dow Bentley III

CHICAGO lights up stage at Lone Star College-Montgomery *Courtesy Photo*  [ CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE ] Last weekend approached with ominous Houston-area Friday morning thunderstorms that …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 01:57AM
Sunday, April 26, 2015

TOMMY TUNE AWARDS : “The Biggest Celebration” by David Dow Bentley III

Whenever he was distressed about disturbing current events in the news, it was not uncommon for my late father to announce, “The world is going to hell in a handbasket!” If he could have…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 01:23AM
Thursday, April 23, 2015

Houston Symphony plus Peking Acrobats=Pure Magic by David Dow Bentley III

For those who witnessed the stunning Opening and Closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics hosted by China in Beijing, the artistic talent and cultural splendor of those memorable Chine…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 05:22PM
Friday, April 17, 2015

Energy & Romance Propel MAMMA MIA! Skyward Once Again by David Dow Bentley III

It seemed more like attending some grand and joyous party than it did attending a run-of-the-mill musical. The fun began right in the elevator that took my guest and me up to the orchestra l…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 02:37AM
Saturday, March 21, 2015

Excellence Abounds at YTA Concert of Finalists by David Dow Bentley III

As the Young Texas Artists music competition entered its fourth decade of showcasing the very finest of our state’s young, classical musicians, it would be no surprise that last Saturday n…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 10:33PM
Friday, March 20, 2015

“JOSEPH” Gives the People What They Want at TUTS by David Dow Bentley III

With Spring Break underway for many in surrounding Houston areas, the Theater Under the Stars offering of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT had no opening week shortage of eager y…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 05:02AM
Thursday, March 12, 2015

ONCE Upon a Time There Was Love and Music by David Dow Bentley III

It is a story of love, and it is most certainly a story of music, and when the two come together they weave a tale as sweet as the melodies that bind together all the charms of the musical…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 03:51PM
Saturday, February 28, 2015

Romeo, Juliet, & Dance Magnificence from Houston Ballet by David Dow Bentley III

Even before the opening curtain, there was a ballet of sorts in the Wortham Center’s soaring lobby, with its steep and rolling escalator, towering windows, and the high walls adorned with …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 10:36PM
Thursday, February 26, 2015

A Comical PINOCCHIO from Disney & Class Act by David Dow Bentley III

***Click Any Photo to Enlarge*** Before curtain time at the Nancy Bock Center for the Performing Arts, the room was filled with the familiar buzz of audience excitement that one has come to …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 02:03AM
Thursday, February 19, 2015

An Exceptional SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN at Crighton by David Dow Bentley III

For lovers of musical theatre there is something incredibly important and very wonderful going on at Conroe’s Crighton Theater. Brilliantly directed by Manny Cafeo, the current production …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 02:45AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards