From left: Glory Yepassis-Zembrou, Mundo Ballejos, Jake Wernecke, Sadie Jayne Kennedy, Marquise Neal and Brandon James Butorovich in the 2024-25 National Touring Production of “Dog Man: The Musical” (Photo by Jeremy Daniel) Most kids who have read the books in the “Dog Man” series by Dav Pilkey have likely never heard the author’s voice. But in the pre-show announcements, the kids are treated to the dulcet tones of the man himself, at which point my son turned to me and asked, “Is that really...

From left: Jeff LeBeau and Tim Cummings in “Grangeville” at Ruskin Group Theatre (Photo by John Perrin Flynn) When Luke Skywalker crash-lands his X-wing on the planet Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back, the swamp he finds himself stuck in is dark, murky and constantly simmers with a tension that hints at dangers lurking beneath the surface. Viewed through the lens of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey (as the Star Wars films have been), Luke’s arrival on Dagobah is a retreat to a primal space...

Maya Drake (Ali), right, and the company of the North American Tour of Alicia Keys’ “Hell's Kitchen” (Photo by Marc J. Franklin) The Public Theatre in New York City may be the theatrical equivalent of Max Martin or Quincy Jones in terms of its hitmaking history. The shows it has sent to Broadway over the years have included iconic, award-winning works like “Hair,” “A Chorus Line,” “The Normal Heart,” “Topdog/Underdog”, and more recently “Hamilton,” “Fun Home,” “Fat Ham,” “Suffs” and, yes,...