Broadway Show Reviews & Critics' Ratings

The Trots are so poor they don’t have a bean to their name and what’s more, the evil and greedy giant Glaikitguts is terrifying the village. Will they really have to sell Buttercup, the family cow just to survive?

​​​​​​​Tokyo ComicCon: Since its launch in 2016, Tokyo Comic Con has served as a celebration of pop culture, offering fans the chance to interact with internationally renowned actors and acclaimed artists, view and photograph screen-used props, and connect through cosplay and fan communities. The event has previously welcomed global stars such as Chris Hemsworth and Orlando Bloom, and its ninth edition returned from December 5 for a three-day run in 2025. This year, the appearance of Johnny Depp generated nationwide excitement. The edition also featured an unprecedented number of celebrity guests, including Elijah Wood (“The Lord of the Rings”), Christopher Lloyd (“Back to the Future”), Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead”), Mads Mikkelsen (“Fantastic Beasts”), and Sebastian Stan (“Thunderbolts*”). Koji Yamamoto served as the official ambassador, while the main stage was hosted by Yuichi Nakamaru and LiLiCo. This article presents a digest of the highlights from the event’s three days on the main stage.

Twenty or so dancers parade before an oversized Art Deco clock, to the familiar strains of ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ from a brass band offstage. In other words, the stage is set for a reassuringly old-fashioned taste of the Golden Age of movie musicals.

​​​​​​​東京コミコン：2016年以来、海外の有名俳優や著名アーティストとのコミュニケーション、映画で使用された小道具の展示・撮影、コスプレイヤー同士の交流の場などを設けているポップ・カルチャーの祭典。過去にはクリス・ヘムズワース、オーランド・ブルームなどが集結し、東京コミコン 2025が12月5日から3日間開催。9回目となる今回はジョニー・デップも参加し、日本中で大きな話題を呼んだ。他にもアンバサダーに山本耕史、来日セレブにイライジャ・ウッド（『ロード・オブ・ザ・リング』等）、クリストファー・ロイド（『バック・トゥ・ザ・フューチャー』等）、ノーマン・リーダス（『ウォーキング・デッド』等）、マッツ・ミケルセン（『ファンタスティック・ビースト』等）、セバスチャン・スタン（『サンダーボルツ＊』等）ら、過去最多のセレブが参加。また、メインMCを中丸雄一とLiLiCoが担当した。こちらでは三日間のメインステージの様子を写真でお届けする。

Doris Walker, played by Ellie Baker, was the star of the show, and in more ways than one, her angelic voice and quick wit really played into the fast-talking talking powerful female, Macy’s exact executive, her child, and charisma was matched only by The Man and Red himself. Kris Kringle brought joy and magic to the role of Santa Claus; his calming singing voice and father-like charisma made me, as a 33-year-old, believe in Santa Claus once again. I love the chemistry between Susan Walker, played by Charlotte Surak, and Fred Gailey, played by Truman Griffin.

What did our critic think of A CHRISTMAS CAROL: RADIO PLAY at Rialto Community Theatre?

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s holiday season engagement is underway at New York City Center, marking a new chapter for the company under Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack, who was appointed in November 2024. The five-week engagement runs from December 3, 2025, through January 4, 2026, and the December 11 program showcased a dynamic range of work, including two world premieres that highlighted both innovation and legacy.

Drag legends Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme have crafted an extravaganza that combines all the stupidity and raunchiness of a campy nightclub act with all the sparkle and polish of the lighter fare being doled out at Radio City this time of year.

On December 16, the Dutch Treat Club hosted a spectacular array of talented performers who sang and danced for an overflow audience of club members and their guests at the end of year special holiday lunch. See photos and a review of the event.

Winner of 26 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the 2022 Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, SIX is the story of the six wives of Henry VIII who reclaim their identities in the shadow of their infamous spouse.  With bright, bold costumes and fire in their soul, think CHICAGO meets Spice Girls in this nonstop powerhouse musical.

The Royal Opera House’s Turandot has now been running so long it feels less like a revival and more like a listed structure. You don’t attend it so much as pass through it, like a familiar corridor or a particularly grand roundabout. With close to 300 performances under its belt and two runs in this calendar year alone, this production has become the most frequently staged opera in Europe, second only to Zeffirelli’s La Bohème at the Met in the global endurance league. If cockroaches ever start staging Puccini after the apocalypse, this is the version they’ll use.

Christmas is the season for goodwill, warm hearths, and ghosts, real and imagined. Dark days and chill nights conjure tales of things tapping at the window or lingering in the shadows.

MOANA JR. at Theatre Arts Observatory, directed by Sonwa Sakuba, is joyful, visually rich holiday theatre, captivating young audiences with a story of courage, self-belief and bravery.

Traditionally when you think of what an opera is, visions of four hour long extravaganzas with beautiful singing but with stilted or no acting at all come to mind. The question then becomes how does this entertainment genre attract the youngest of audience members to its productions? Let’s face it, The Ring Cycle is a bit much for an eight year old to sit through.

And now, the end is near and Phantom Peak will soon face its final curtain at their Canada Water site. Wipe away the tears, though: a new location is apparently in the works for this hilarious slice of immersive theatre.

As the southland welcomes a return visit from The Acting Company, things remain as topsy-turvey as they must needs be in the woods of Athens. The company visit is a quick hit, but Risa Brainin’s production of Shakespeare’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM is the kind of crowd-pleasing, take-no-prisoners experience that audiences should devour.

The national tour of The Wiz is a high-energy, visually stunning experience that’s taking Minneapolis by storm at the Orpheum Theatre. Running from December 16 to 21, 2025, this revival of the Tony Award-winning musical brings new life to the classic story, with a fresh take that feels as relevant and exciting today as it did when it first hit Broadway. D

One of the most effective things the musical gains by moving from page to screen to stage is permission to reframe the story without betraying it. By leaning harder into the Curtis brothers as the emotional spine, the musical clarifies a distinction that’s always been present in the text but rarely foregrounded this explicitly: Darry, Soda, and Ponyboy are family by blood, bound by obligation and grief; while the Greasers are family by choice, bound by loyalty and survival.

Based on Sara Gruen’s 2006 novel of the same name. Water for Elephants follows Jacob Jankowski, a Polish-American college student who during the Great Depression, loses both of his parents in a car accident. As a result, he jumps on a moving train unsure of where the road will take him. Yet, he finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life, and love, beyond his wildest dreams.

“And thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges.” Following rave reviews, the RSC’s most recent production of Twelfth Night finally makes its way to London as part of the Barbican’s winter season. Directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah, it sees Samuel West, Freema Agyeman, Michael Grady-Hall and others reprise their roles for this limited run - but does this “midsummer madness” feel at home in the festive season?