Jeff Davis

This particular production is winner. There's plenty to enjoy about The Playhouse's production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The campy, over-the-top farce is wildly entertaining, and overall it's a feast for the eyes and ears.

The production has several aces up its sleeve, the first being John Logan's script. Logan-the scribe behind the plays Red and I'll Eat You Last, films Gladiator, The Aviator, Sweeney Todd, Hugo, and Skyfall, and the T.V. show Penny Dreadful-is easily one of the greatest contemporary writers in any medium. His gift for creating edge-of-your-seat pacing, engrossing and flawed characters, and witty dialogue shows through in Never the Sinner, Logan's 1985 work and first play.

It's become a trend, both locally and nationally, for theater companies to reprise a production several years later with the same cast. Of course, if a show gets an encore, it better be deserving of it. In the case of Austin Playhouse's I'm Not Rappaport, the encore is more than well deserved, and its two stars put on a veritable master class in acting.

There are some shows that are ageless. Kiss Me Kate is one of them. The Cole Porter musical, while 67 years young, still entertains with ease, and Texas State University's current production of it showcases all that makes the show great.

The only thing more disappointing than a show that completely bombs is one that is astoundingly good in some areas but misses the mark in others. That's exactly the case with The Robber Bridegroom, now playing at the Mary Moody Northen Theatre at St. Edwards University. While the show is visually stunning, the music tuneful and complex, and some performances are wonderful, the show misses many an opportunity to land a joke.

GOD'S FAVORITE plays Sam Bass Theatre (600 Lee Street, Round Rock) now thru May 2nd. Performances are Thursday - Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets are $13-$18. For tickets and information, please visit www.sambasstheatre.org

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS plays the Kleberg Stage at Zach Theatre (202 S. Lamar, Austin 78704) now thru April 25th. Performances are Saturdays at 11am and 2pm. Tickets are $20 adults and $17 youth. For tickets and information, please visit www.zachtheatre.org

THE LAST FIVE YEARS, produced by Penfold Theatre, plays the Trinity Street Theatre (901 Trinity Street, 4th Floor, Austin 78701) now thru April 12th. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 5pm. Tickets are $20 regular, $18 students/seniors. For tickets and information, please visit www.penfoldtheatre.org

Ask any musical theater junkie what's the best musical of all time, and any worth their spit will answer with one word: Gypsy. The iconic show is highly regarded to this day with good reason. The score's infectious, the sets and costumes eye-catching, and the characters, particularly that of Mama Rose, are on par with those found in plays by Arthur Miller or Tennessee Williams. Gypsy isn't just musical theater. It's a great American Drama, and all that the show can and should be comes to vivid life in The Playhouse's current production.

There isn't much to say about the idea of the American Family that hasn't already been said, but as Table Settings proves, it's not what you say but how you say that matters. The joyous comedy, written by James Lapine and directed by Frank Benge, ops for episodes and sketches rather than a linear plot to give us a glimpse into the lives of a surnameless Jewish family, and each slice of life placed on the table is more delicious than the last.

Do you believe in love at first site? Written and performed by Luciann Lajoie and based on interviews with a wildly diverse group of more than 150 online daters (young, old, straight, gay, Mormon, Jewish, etc.), Date* is a hilarious and candid multimedia show explores the hits and misses of one woman's surprising quest to find love online. Here's what Luciann Lajoie had to say about her show and the idea of romance in the digital age…

Andrew Llloyd Webber, Stephen Swartz, and everyone at Disney Theatrical, I hope you're taking notes. A musical doesn't need falling chandeliers, flying green girls, a budget larger than the GDP of most nations, or even show-stopping numbers to be successful. All a show really needs to resonate with an audience is a strong story and interesting characters. Those two elements are precisely why Fiddler on the Roof has enchanted audiences for 50 years and counting, and The Playhouse's current production of it is a wonderful example of how moving this simple musical can be.

Given the incredible talent of the show's creators, creative team, and cast, it's crystal clear why A Year With Frog and Toad has such a wide appeal to such a wide audience. There's not an unlikeable thing about it. For any parents wishing to expose their young children's to theater, Frog, Toad, and their pals are the perfect theatrical introduction for any tadpoles in your pond.

Look up "Broadway Flop" on Google, and Carrie is bound to be the first title to show up. Though the material still is a bit rough around the edges, Austin Theatre Project's staging of Carrie manages to straddle the show's unintentional line between camp and seriousness while finding a compelling story and interesting characters, brought to life by performers who could easily rival many a Broadway star.

The history of Peer Gynt is now almost as legendary and epic as the story itself. Henrik Ibsen based his epic piece of theater on the Norwegian fairytale of Per Gynt (Ibsen gives Per's first name an extra vowel), a young man who has a slew of misadventures involving trolls and other mythical creatures. Ibsen's theatrical interpretation of the fairytale is noted for its poetic style, blend of fantasy and reality, its disregard for the limitations of the stage, and its five hour length (hey, epics aren't short).

Some of Broadway's most acclaimed musical theater actresses will be in San Antonio over the coming months in the Broadway @ Woodlawn Theatre Celebrity Series with host Seth Rudetsky. Starring as host, interviewer and pianist, Rudetsky is a Broadway accompanist, Sirius XM radio host, comedian, and musical theatre expert. In each show, Seth Rudetsky mixes songs with a live interview of a guest Broadway star's life and career. Insider stories are also revealed from the friendship of Seth and each Broadway star.

Anyone who says that perfection can't be improved upon is a liar. Perfection can be improved, as evident in Woodlawn Theatre's current production of The Rocky Horror Show. Woodlawn's 3rd annual production of Rocky Horror manages to surpass the success of last year's production with its use of an imaginative and unique concept and an incredible cast.

From the successful writing team that brought you Dearly Beloved, Christmas Belles, and The Dixie Swim Club, comes the Texas premiere of the newest, Jones Hope Wooten, Southern-fried comedy! Meet the Wilburn family of Mayhew, Arkansas, and spend an outrageously funny day at The Reel 'Em Inn--finest little fishing lodge in the Ozarks. Can the lodge be saved from gangsters, love-starved females, jealous husbands, ruthless corporate executives, bad Swedish accents, a cranky, senior citizen maid packing heat, a jittery man masquerading as a woman, and vicious varmints right outside the door? By the delightfully chaotic climax of this one remarkable day, love has blossomed, truths have been revealed and the lives of all - family, guests and gangsters alike - change in incredible and surprising ways in this laugh-'til-your-sides ache Jones Hope Wooten comedy.

Last Act Theatre Company's production of Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt is well underway, and BroadwayWorld Austin recently caught up with director Bridget Farias Gates, actor Andrew Bosworth, and music director Mario Silva to hear about this imaginative new production.