John McDaid

Into the Woods is a magical work. This multiple-Tony-winning show features some of Sondheim's most gorgeous music and lyrics and a clever book by James Lapine. The Contemporary Theater Company has mounted a crisp, stylish production with outstanding voices and a talented ensemble. Get yourself to Wakefield for this one. It's a delight. Suspend disbelief for an evening of fairy tale logic.

Burbage Theatre Co concludes its 14th season with William Shakespeare's "problem play" Measure for Measure, and this production shows how to take on the text's problems head-on. What emerges over two and a half hours is a Measure for Measure that treats the play as neither salvageable comedy nor failed tragedy but as something stranger and more contemporary: a study of surveillance, sexual coercion, and managed crisis that turns out to be uncomfortably relevant in 2026.

he set immediately grabs you when you walk into the theatre: An intricately crafted dining room, set on a stage with a pronounced tilt, in front of which sits one of those little museum gallery cards in a frame: "Dining Room. American. 20th Century." It is immediately clear that director and set designer Russ Ekstrom has a vision for the show, and he has worked capably with this local cast to bring it to life.