"Jersey Boys," through Saturday in Shea's Performing Arts Center. ★★★½
From the review: "The decision to keep this glorious music native to its roots is the smartest thing the show does. It allows the story to steer the dramatic narrative arc, which is what Valli and his brothers – not to mention a tiring, pervasive theatrical genre – deserve. The amount of musical numbers is impressive, yet this still feels like a play with songs and not a musical with dialogue." --Ben Siegel
"Moonlight and Magnolias," through Saturday in the American Repertory Theatre of Western New York's home in the Church of the Ascension. ★★★
From the review: "Actors David Mitchell (Selznick), Todd Fuller (Fleming), and veteran Guy Wagner (Hecht) [are] at each other’s throats and physically manic for three acts. They’re loud and silly and frequently over-the-top on a Lauren Millman set. It all makes for an impressive rendering by [director Gail] Golden and the cast in a funny and occasionally crude piece." --Ted Hadley
Christian
Brandjes, Jose Rivera and Brian Mysliwy appear in the Irish Classical
Theatre Company's production of "American Buffalo."
"American Buffalo," through Sunday in the Irish Classical Theatre Company's Andrews Theatre. ★★★★
From the review: "[Director Chris] Cavanagh has insisted that the economical speech patterns, the fragmented or unfinished sentences, the pulsating unrelenting cadence, the “scatological buckshot,” as the famed Jack Kroll once described Mamet’s work, remain intact and non-stop and he has assembled just the cast to do that." --Ted Hadley
Kristen Tripp Kelley, Eileen Dugan and Sheila McCarthy star in the Kavinoky Theatre's production of "August: Osage County."
"August: Osage County," through Sunday in the Kavinoky Theatre. ★★★
From the review: "The Kavinoky has pulled off a fine production of [Tracy] Letts’ modern classic under the smart direction of Bob Waterhouse, a British-born man of the theater who clearly understands the peculiarly American sensibility and mood this play requires." --Colin Dabkowski
"Blood on the Cat's Neck," through Sunday in Torn Space Theatre. ★★★
From the review: "A tuned cast makes this chilling but tedious piece, sometimes subtitled, inexplicably, 'Marilyn Monroe vs. The Vampires,' work." --Ted Hadley
Andrea Andolina and Matthew Nerber star in the New Phoenix Theatre and Subversive Theatre Collective's production of "On the Waterfront."
