Austin Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations

REVIEW: FAT HAM at the Austin Playhouse
by Lynn Beaver - June 07, 2025

A bold, hilarious, and deeply moving reimagining of Hamlet. Austin Playhouse’s Fat Ham is a theatrical triumph—perfectly cast, brilliantly directed, and bursting with heart, humor, and power. Don’t miss this unforgettable ride....

Review: FOR THE PLEASURE OF SEEING HER AGAIN at Different Stages Repertory At The Vortex
by Sabrina Wallace - June 01, 2025

Directed with heart, performed with soul, For The Pleasure of Seeing Her Again is a luminous tribute to mothers, memory, and the quiet magic of everyday life. #ATXTheatre #BWW...

Review: GRAND HOTEL at The Alchemy Theatre At Zach
by Sabrina Wallace - June 01, 2025

Grand Hotel is a reminder that even in the most gilded rooms, behind the velvet curtains and crystal chandeliers, the true drama lies in the lives of those passing through—and in what they leave behind. #ATXTheatre #BWW...

Review: SINCE WE’VE NO PLACE TO GO at The Rosette
by Sabrina Wallace - May 29, 2025

Since We’ve No Place to Go trades Hallmark holiday tropes for something messier, funnier, and deeply human. Real performances with heat and heart. Now playing through 6/1. #ATXTheatre #BWW...

Review: RUMORS at City Theatre
by Sabrina Wallace - May 06, 2025

Rumors at City Theatre: Neil Simon’s farce at its most absurd! No life lessons here, just pure, well-paced chaos and big laughs. Sometimes that's exactly what we need....

Review: ANNIE at Texas Performing Arts
by Sabrina Wallace - May 06, 2025

Annie is a heartfelt, faithful revival and a timeless message of hope. The red-haired orphan and her cast of outcasts left the audience smiling and on its feet, proving once more that “The sun’ll come out tomorrow”...

Review: WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME at ZACH Theatre
by Sabrina Wallace - May 05, 2025

What the Constitution Means to Me at ZACH Theatre isn’t just a play — it’s a reckoning. With fierce performances, blistering honesty, and questions we can’t ignore, this production dares us to confront the systems we take for granted. Unmissable....

Review: A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER at Bastrop Opera House
by Victoria Schwarz - May 02, 2025

From April 25 to May 11, the Bastrop Opera House presents Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak’s hilarious musical A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER as part of its 2025 season. ...

Review: LEND ME A SOPRANO at The Wimberley Playhouse
by Victoria Schwarz - April 30, 2025

From April 25 to May 18, The Wimberley Playhouse proudly presents LEND ME A SOPRANO, Ken Ludwig’s side-splitting comedy adapted from his beloved hit Lend Me a Tenor. Set in 1934, the story is set in a hotel room while the Cleveland Grand Opera Company waits in anticipation of a one-night-only perfor...

Review: FEAST at Shrewd Productions @ Hyde Park Theatre
by Sabrina Wallace - April 27, 2025

FEAST is a cynical, poetic, and unflinching reminder of our flawed humanity: we don’t learn from our mistakes. The cycle of greed, power, and self-destruction keeps repeating. It is a reckoning for the monsters we’ve become—and the ones we’ve allowed to thrive....

Review: FEAST - Shrewd Productions At Hyde Park Theatre
by Lynn Beaver - April 26, 2025

Shrewd Productions has extended a tantalizing invitation, and you won’t want to miss it: a FEAST where vengeance is served alongside wit, wonder, and a retelling of one of the oldest stories in Western literature....

Review: THE ILLUSIONARY GAMES OF EDWARD RYE at The Filigree Theatre
by Sabrina Wallace - April 25, 2025

The Illusionary Games of Edward Rye at The Filigree Theatre is a spellbinding thriller on power, illusion, & manipulation. Ashley Griffin’s sharp script and Elizabeth V. Newman’s deft direction make this worldwide premiere a must-see! ...

Review: WANNA PLAY – Christine Hoang Sets High Score
by Lynn Beaver - April 15, 2025

WANNA PLAY is a sharp, heartfelt new play by Christine Hoang that brings a video game world to life on stage—complete with high-stakes challenges, emotional quests, and unexpected laughs. With standout performances, inventive design, and a script that’s both witty and moving, this production levels ...

Review: DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS at Austin Playhouse
by Sabrina Wallace - April 14, 2025

Austin Playhouse’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a masterclass in mischief—slick, funny, and full of heart. A talented cast takes audiences on a whip-smart, musically-charged, and laugh-packed ride to the Riviera Riviera....

Review: LIPSTICK at Austin Rainbow Theatre
by Victoria Schwarz - April 14, 2025

From April 11-26, Austin Rainbow Theatre presents Lane Michael Stanley’s LIPSTICK at the Ground Floor Theatre. LIPSTICK combines farcical humor with heartfelt emotion, serving as a love letter to the queer community with its sharp dialogue, vibrant characters, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments....

Review: HOOKMAN at Broke Thespians Theatre Company
by Victoria Schwarz - April 08, 2025

From March 28 to April 6, Broke Thespian’s Theatre Company presented Lauren Yee’s HOOKMAN at the VFW Post 3413 in San Marcos. HOOKMAN is a dark comedy thriller that follows Lexi, a new college student navigating the struggles of homesickness, a quirky roommate, and a campus under siege by a hook-han...

Review: ALL FOR ONE at The Baron's Men
by Sabrina Wallace - April 06, 2025

The Baron’s Men production of All for One (written and directed by Aaron Niemuth and Laura Trezise) flips the musketeer tale on its head—giving women the swords, the secrets, and the spotlight. Sharp, funny, and refreshingly female-forward....

Review: WALDEN (REMIX) at Mary Moody Northen Theatre
by Sabrina Wallace - April 05, 2025

Mary Moody Northen Theatre’s production of Walden (remix) is a moving sci-fi drama that critiques climate apathy, corporate greed, and the pressure on younger generations to clean up the mess we are handing them. It is bold and thought-provoking, even if preachy at times....

Review: MOTHERTREE at VORTEX Theatre
by Victoria Schwarz - April 03, 2025

The VORTEX Theatre, supported in part by the Save Our Springs Alliance, the Texas Commission on the Arts, TreeFolks, the City of Austin Economic Development Department, ATX Theatre, and Six Square Austin’s Black Cultural District, presents the world premiere of MOTHERTREE by Bonnie Cullum and Sarah ...

Review: LEND ME A TENOR at Bastrop Opera House
by Victoria Schwarz - March 31, 2025

From March 28 to April 6, Bastrop Opera House presents LEND ME A TENOR as part of their 2025 season. A farce written by Ken Ludwig, LEND ME A TENOR is set in 1930s Cleveland, revolving around a chaotic evening at the opera. The story begins when world-famous tenor Tito Merelli, set to perform the le...

Review: ARSENIC AND OLD LACE at Gaslight-Baker Theatre
by Victoria Schwarz - March 31, 2025

From March 28 to April 13, Gaslight-Baker Theatre presents ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, sponsored by Doug and Shari Foster, as part of their 2025 season. Written by Joseph Ketterling, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE is a dark comedy that centers on Mortimer Brewster, a drama critic who discovers that his sweet elderl...

Review: THE COVER OF LIFE at City Theatre Austin
by Sabrina Wallace - March 30, 2025

City Theatre’s production of The Cover of Life arrives just in time for Women’s History Month. A heartfelt story that lifts the veil on the lives of women whose stories have long gone untold: the wives and mothers who held their homes together during WWII. Worth a trip to the East Side next weekend!...

Review: COMPANY at Roustabout Theatre Company
by Sabrina Wallace - March 28, 2025

Sondheim’s Company, a landmark musical theatre for its structural innovation and unflinching gaze into adult relationships, gets a dazzling new revival in Austin. It showcases the depth of talent we host in this city. And as we can’t take the subway there, RUN, don’t walk, to the Dell Performing Art...

Review: VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE
by Lynn Beaver - March 26, 2025

Stage Austin presents the hysterical Christopher Durang comedy VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE from March 21st through April 8th at Sterling Stage Austin....

Review: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM at Georgetown Palace Theatre
by Victoria Schwarz - March 25, 2025

From March 28 to April 19, Georgetown Palace Theatre presents on their Springer Stage A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, sponsored by Joanne and Bill Harrah and the Assistance League, as part of their 2025 season....