Theater Plays
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Protecting Whimsy: Tigard High’s “Merry Wives of Windsor”
In Tigard High’s “Merry Wives of Windsor,” whimsy became something more than comic relief — it became defiance. This was Shakespeare filtered through jazz, rhythm, and rebellion: a queer, feminist, and joyously modern retelling shaped by courage, community, and play.
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“Dracula”: The Gothic Reimagined as Ritual
Lakewood Theatre’s 2025 revival of “Dracula” doesn’t seek to modernize him — it excavates him. A world drained of color, where red appears only by permission, transforms the Gothic into ritual. What emerges is not nostalgia, but endurance: a reflection of power, control, and the ghosts still haunting us.
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“Dial M for Murder”: Soft Drapes, Sharp Edges
Clackamas Repertory Theatre’s “Dial M for Murder” was more than a clever thriller — it was a reclamation. Under Karlyn Love’s direction, Margot and Maxine carried the heart of the story, transforming a mid-century classic into a matinee worth preserving in the archive.
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“The Crucible”: A Reckoning in High School Theatre
Performed by Gen Z students, Tualatin High School’s “The Crucible” was no classroom exercise. This production reframed Miller’s allegory for a generation raised amid misinformation and division, with non-binary voices, young women in authority, and performances that turned warnings of the past into urgent, present-tense theatre.
Scott Bryant 