All stories by David Dow Bentley III on BroadwayStars

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Musical Soap Opera a New 80's Twist at the Music Box by David Dow Bentley III

By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III Regular customers of The Music Box Theatre (and there are plenty of them filling the house at each performance), are very familiar with the way each month-long produ…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 08:12AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 4, 2018

LONE STAR LYRIC and Kelli Estes Are a Perfect Match for Broadway Music by David Dow Bentley III

By David Dow Bentley III     www.ThePeoplesCritic.com      [Click any photo to enlarge] And speaking of a "match," the wonderful "BROADWAY LIGHTS" production Miss …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 06:36AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 31, 2018

"W I Z" Fans Ease on Down the Road to TUTS by David Dow Bentley III

By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III   www.ThePeoplesCritic.com It was just before curtain time when Dan Knechtges, the very enthusiastic Artistic Director of Houston's Theatre Under the Stars, st…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 05:06AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Stage Right's Enchanting Journey INTO THE WOODS by David Dow Bentley III

The music of Broadway composer, Stephen Sondheim, is unusually complex and sophisticated, but sometimes considerably dark as well. It would never be confused with the cheerful Rodgers & …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 08:24AM[SHARE]
Thursday, October 18, 2018

Dancing is the star of Class Act's THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE by David Dow Bentley III

By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III     www.ThePeoplesCritic.com [All photos by Tracy Robinson/spryART. Click any photo to enlarge.] It would be another terrific musical offering from Montg…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 06:32PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 10, 2018

The Wondrous Blend of Houston Symphony, ABBA, and RAJATON by David Dow Bentley III

By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III   www.ThePeoplesCritic.com It was a night of music that I dare say will not be soon forgotten by those of us blessed to be in the Jones Hall audience for the H…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 09:54PM[SHARE]
Friday, September 28, 2018

K. D. Lang Captivates Adoring Fans at Houston's Jones Hall by David Dow Bentley III

By David Dow Bentley III   http://www.ThePeoplesCritic.com With a one-night performance in Houston Symphony's Jones Hall, it was more than a concert. It was truly a blockbuster event w…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 05:18AM[SHARE]
Monday, September 24, 2018

Music Box Fulfills its Promise to KEEP IT BRASSY by David Dow Bentley III

By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III       www.ThePeoplesCritic.com The talented cast on stage at Houston's popular nightclub, THE MUSIC BOX THEATRE, included most of "the usual suspec…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 04:18PM[SHARE]
Thursday, September 20, 2018

SAVANNAH Laughter Rocks the Crighton by David Dow Bentley III

By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III www.ThePeoplesCritic.com It's hard to believe that STAGE RIGHT PRODUCTIONS has just completed its first decade as the resident company in Montgomery County's crown j…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 08:36AM[SHARE]
Friday, September 14, 2018

Twin Pleasures Illuminate TUTS Production of OKLAHOMA! by David Dow Bentley III

[ All Photos by MELISSA TAYLOR.  Click any photo to enlarge ] There is bittersweet irony in the fact that the supremely joyful current OKLAHOMA! production from Theatre Under the Stars be…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 06:48PM[SHARE]
Saturday, August 18, 2018

Anderson Twins' "SUMMIT" Celebrates Luminaries of the American Songbook by David Dow Bentley III

[Click any photo to enlarge] For the ever-growing Big Apple fan base of the musically gifted young Anderson Twins (Peter & Will), it will come as no surprise that they are now in the mid…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 08:06AM[SHARE]
Saturday, June 23, 2018

A Seemingly Ageless TOMMY TUNE Charms Fans at the Paramount by David Dow Bentley III

It was yet another coup for the magnificently restored 1930 Paramount Theater in the quaint Hudson Valley town of Peekskill, and it graced that stage on the recent afternoon of Father's D…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 04:36AM[SHARE]
Monday, April 30, 2018

Houston Symphony Presents THE BEST OF JOHN WILLIAMS by David Dow Bentley III

  Earlier this season the Houston Symphony returned from it first major European tour in two decades. There had been triumphant performances in such cities as Brussels, Warsaw, Vienna, …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 01:42AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 24, 2018

ELEPHANT MAN a Courageous Departure for Crighton Theatre by David Dow Bentley III

Fans of the historic Crighton Theatre in Conroe, Texas, are well-acquainted with the high quality work of its resident company, STAGE RIGHT PRODUCTIONS, all under the guidance of producers, …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 05:36AM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 25, 2018

"BROADWAY" Returns to Houston at the Music Box by David Dow Bentley III

Yes, it’s happily that time again. Spring is here, and Houston’s evermore popular MUSIC BOX cabaret is presenting its 2018 edition of “Broadway at the Box.” This litt…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 05:38PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Stellar Ensemble Illuminates TUTS Production of BRIGHT STAR by David Dow Bentley III

With claims of being "inspired by real events," and with fine direction from Walter Bobbie, the current Theatre Under the Stars production of the Broadway musical, BRIGHT STAR, has no shorta…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 12:46AM[SHARE]
Saturday, March 17, 2018

For YOUNG TEXAS ARTISTS, You Can Go Home Again by David Dow Bentley III

[Click any photo to enlarge. All Photos courtesy of Young Texas Artists and Susan Love Fitts Communications.] The title of Thomas Wolfe's well-known novel declares, "You Can't Go Home Again,…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 02:26PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 7, 2018

A Houston Symphony Concert Worthy of an OSCAR® by David Dow Bentley III

Perfectly timed to coincide with this month's Hollywood excitement of the Academy Awards ceremony, the recent Houston Symphony concert titled The Oscars®: Best Original Songs was surely a…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 10:24PM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 4, 2018

Class Act's HUNCHBACK Takes on Amazing Challenges by David Dow Bentley III

  PHOTOS: Courtesy of Class Act [Click any photo to enlarge] For over two decades Class Act Productions has astonished audiences in The Woodlands, Texas with the quality of its performa…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 03:47AM[SHARE]
Monday, February 26, 2018

A Broadway-Worthy MEMPHIS from Houston's TUTS by David Dow Bentley III

[ Click any photo to enlarge. ] All Photos by MELISSA TAYLOR Every so often a great musical comes along with an opening number that is so spell-binding it seems like it should be a grand fin…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 12:41AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Carolyn Wong Triumphs in Crighton's "DOLLY" by David Dow Bentley III

After a historically sad and troubling week for Americans aware of the tragic events in Florida, the abundant joy that is now being offered by the Stage Right Players production of HELLO DOL…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 01:28AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 23, 2018

For Fascinating "BALLS," There's No Business Like Busy-Business by David Dow Bentley III

[ Click any photo to enlarge. All photos by Russ Rowland. ] As a modest player myself, and a frequent fan of the major tennis championships, I've been currently suffering my annual frustrati…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 08:23PM[SHARE]
Friday, December 8, 2017

CROSS THAT RIVER Reveals a Little-Known Cowboy World by David Dow Bentley III

[Click any photo to enlarge] It is not at all unusual for something special to be going on at one of New York's most sophisticated theatrical venues, the 59E59 Theatres. That tradition is be…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 09:24AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 10, 2017

The Lambs Meet the Nighthawks at Iguana by David Dow Bentley III

[CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE] For members of America's oldest theatrical club, THE LAMBS (https://the-lambs.org/), the evening would be a highlight of the summer season as members gathered at…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 11:48PM[SHARE]
Thursday, October 5, 2017

TRIXIE MEETS THE TEXANS AT THE LAMBS by David Dow Bentley III

[Click any photo to enlarge] It was yet another recent weekly night of "Low Jinks" fun for America's oldest theatrical club, The Lambs, established in 1874. (https://the-lambs.org/) It had b…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 05:24PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, September 19, 2017

SUTTON FOSTER Highlights Caramoor Summer Festival by David Dow Bentley III

It was my first visit to the elegant estate of CARAMOOR. This legacy of the original owners, Walter & Lucie Rosen, became what is now the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts near Kato…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 03:42AM[SHARE]
Thursday, September 7, 2017

GATLIN BROTHERS Concert to Benefit Hurricane Harvey Victims by David Dow Bentley III

It has been more than a decade since my first enthusiastic comments about Houston's multi-talented actor/singer/director, Steven Fenley, and the treasured Texas Repertory Theatre for which h…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 05:12AM[SHARE]
Sunday, July 9, 2017

Theatrical Whirlwind for ATCA San Francisco by David Dow Bentley III

[Click any photo to enlarge] #ATCASF17         For members of the American Theatre Critics Association, (AMERICANTHEATRECRITICS.ORG) their recent national conference …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 04:04AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, May 16, 2017

A Breathtaking WEST SIDE STORY Dances Into the Owen Theatre by David Dow Bentley III

All Photos by DigiSmiles Photography [Click any photo to enlarge] Something quite remarkable is happening at the Owen Theatre in Conroe, Texas. For those within the sound of my journalistic …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 12:33AM[SHARE]
Saturday, May 13, 2017

From Houston Ballet: A MADAME BUTTERFLY of Tragedy and Grace by David Dow Bentley III

[All photos courtesy of Houston Ballet. Photographer: Amitava Sarkar] Whenever I am privileged to report on an important ballet performance, I am reminded of a tender lyric in the legendary …

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 03:36AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, May 2, 2017

HSO and 007 Electrify Pavilion Audience by David Dow Bentley III

My two-decade journalistic journey through the delights of countless varied performances I have enjoyed at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion began when I reviewed the Houston Grand Opera p…

SOURCE: thepeoplescritic.com at 04:54AM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off