Matt Ritchey

Stephen Spielgel gives a charming, energetic, wonderful performance as JWB! Owning the stage and setting the scene for Sic Semper Tyrranus, Spiegel exudes a "Tom Cruise does theatre" magnetism! Bravo!... full review

What is the nature of humanity when there is no more humanity? Can our personal fears and relationship insecurities stop us from connecting even when there's only one person left to connect to? How can you trust someone to help bear your weight when they may not be able to bear their own? These are some of the questions explored in a truly impressive movement/character piece featuring great performances and effective staging. I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I first sat down, but by the... full review

This show is fucking amazing. The best thing CPC has done, bar none. Packing eleven million people onto the postage stamp stage of Three Clubs doing an Elizabethan wedding dance to "Smells Like Teen Spirit"?? Seriously? How did they do this???? Bar. Raised. Every character had an arc, the new players were spot on, the choreography was amazing, the (vague spoiler) Ophelia scene was a new unbelievably dark shade to the usual fun times, it was laugh out loud funny, super sexy (as always), I alway... full review

A super cute night of short musicals! While the shows vary in idea and writing quality, they're all well put on by a committed cast - and some of the ideas - CLIMB THE SMALLEST MOUNTAIN and ESCAPE ARTISTS - are really fun! Some great performances and funny lyrics to boot! ... full review

What's to say that hasn't been said? Engrossing, brilliantly written, brilliantly acted, brilliantly directed. Gorgeous imagery and dialogue within a barren, desolate world. Ben Moroski's Boone (imagine if Sid Vicious and Danny Zucco fused) and Michael Shaw Fisher's Chester (a grounded mix of Yosemite Sam and Sammy Hagar - complete with a "5150" namecheck) are wonderfully at each other's throats and psyches for sixty minutes that I would gladly enjoy again. The character physicalization and lang... full review

He's done it again, kids. Ryan JW Smith plates out another wordtastic dish for the educated masses and hits the mark once more. Having seen three of Smith's shows now, the thing that's wonderfully clear is not how skilled and talented he is (I figured that one out last year), it's how talented his casts are! The use of language, asides and TIMING are always on point and make the shows fly by wonderfully. He's a Renaissance Man, I am once again annoyed by his great talent, and of the fantastic wor... full review

I had a BLAST at THUG TUNNEL! A big leap forward in clarity and storytelling from last year's TIMEHEART (and let me be clear: TIMEHEART was one of my top five favorite shows last year), RTATAP have created a goofy, energetic, and emotional spectacle worth seeing twice! The performances across the board were terrific but Chris Bramante, Dave Reynolds, and Nikki Muller in particular blow the doors off the place! And Miles Crosman's "Trash" was a standout! Clever writing, great choreography, great u... full review

A fantastic location for noir and a truly cool intro for each act - I love the live horn slowly building you into the world! A slew of great performances and some incredible vocals, especially solo work by Lauren Byrd and Nathan Ondracek. The lighting got a bit dark (I mean, hey, I know, it's noir), but the characterizations were right on, the mystery was a slow build. I am once again impressed at the huge production quality by this talented crew!... full review

Where do I begin? The script by Carla Neuss is a gutsy, well-crafted, and funny/sad exploration of one woman's journey to remain a virgin until she finally marries The One. The smart and simple direction by Payden Ackerman connects the audience to the show in a much more emotionally connected way than most fourth-wall-breaking shows. This, of course, is largely due to the great performances of the two actors. Josh Bross does fantastic work as NUMEROUS characters, all quite different and, more imp... full review

First off, I love and am insanely jealous of Peter Fluet's writing. This show (a former Serial Killer) is just rapid-fire amazing dialogue and characters that hangs on and doesn't let go (like an eel with teeth..... also known as a Lam--) Praise also goes to the fluid comic choreographed directing by Victor Isaac and the hysterical performances by the ENTIRE cast, but particularly Peter Fluet himself and genius performance of Carrie Keranen (in the title role as the eponymous Lamp--) Raise a toas... full review