We reviewed most all the Thespie winning performances, here’s what we said and how you can join us

Here are excerpts from City Pulse reviews pulled from the three shows that each took home five Thespies in this year’s annual local theater awards, now carried by City Pulse.

Our reviewers went to most of this year’s award winning productions. City Pulse’s pages included reviews of 15 of the 19 productions that earned Thespies this year. No one else comes close to the City Pulse’s coverage of local theater productions and artists.

If you’d like to join City Pulse’s roster of local theater reviewers, we’d love to hear from you. Send Nicole an email at nicole@lansingcitypulse.com

Here’s the Thespie winners

How they were picked and more about the winners by Mike Hughes

Summer 2026 productions

If you like reading our stream of reviews or our monthly guides to upcoming shows or our regular Behind the Curtain features, do yourself a favor and sign up for our mailing list. Don’t miss out on any of our local theater coverage, including a list of local theater companies and a list of upcoming summer 2026 performances.

Here are the reviews:

“Ride the Cyclone” by Dana DeMint

After reading a plot synopsis of “Ride the Cyclone,” Peppermint Creek Theatre Co.’s first show of the season, I was skeptical that the production would be compelling. The gist: Following a tragic rollercoaster accident, six deceased teens in limbo at a carnival meet the Amazing Karnak, an animatronic fortune teller who introduces a game of life and death in which one by one, the teens must reveal information about their life, hopes and dreams through song for a chance to live again.

I was gearing up for something rote and clichéd. However, this energetic and outrageous musical was anything but that.

This show would be nothing without its stunning talent. There wasn’t just one stand-out performance; everyone in the cast was stellar. Fenton High School student Izzy Edmonds-Hogan (Jane Doe) impressed with her vocal versatility and range. It was difficult to take my eyes off Zoë Schultheiss (Constance Blackwood), whose vulnerability and inner light glowed in each scene. Mason Olvera’s (Noel Gruber) shapely, fishnet-stockinged legs pulsated in time to his catchy cabaret number. Christopher Pongracz (Mischa Bachinski) dazzled with his mercurial rapping, and Robert Mueller’s (Ricky Potts) sexy space-age bachelor performance in “Ricky Sting” had the audience laughing out loud. 

After seeing “Ride the Cyclone,” I wonder if it will one day have a cult following similar to that of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The eclectic music, ranging from hip-hop to rock to cabaret, had the audience dancing in their seats. Each performance had a campy and absurd glam-rock element but also told a story with deep emotional relatability. Under music director John Dillingham, director James Aaron Curtis, sound designer Nathan Tykocki and choreographer Karyn Perry, this production hums like a fine-tuned machine.

“The Shark is Broken” by Courtney Bowerman

Nobody expected “Jaws” to be a blockbuster, least of all the long-suffering cast and crew, who were at the mercy of a mechanical shark named “Bruce” that didn’t fare well in the salty ocean water.

The constant malfunctions delayed filming for days and weeks at a time, leaving the three lead actors — Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss — stranded on the Orca.

Their behind-the-scenes drama has been recounted in many documentaries and specials. And in 2019, Ian Shaw, the late Robert Shaw’s son, wrote a play depicting those agonizing, slow weeks of filming.

“The Shark Is Broken,” from Riverwalk Theatre, was a small, intimate production that focused on the dynamic of the three main actors.

Scheider (played by Michael Palmer) as the mostly mild-mannered peacemaker, though even he wasn’t above being frustrated by the working conditions. Shaw (Jeff Magnuson) as the Brit who drinks like a fish and tries to modify his lines to his liking. Dreyfuss (Kameron Going) as the newcomer whose bravado masks a desperate insecurity. Predictably, Shaw and Dreyfuss wind up at each other’s throats. Dreyfuss loathes Shaw but respects his craft and craves his approval, while Shaw sees the younger actor as an arrogant little nobody.

All three actors are compelling to watch. Going nails Dreyfuss’ fidgety mannerisms, and Maguson all but disappears into Shaw. Palmer makes a great straight man who just wants to finish making a movie.

“Jesus Christ Superstar” by Vic Rauch

Riverwalk Theatre’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” is appropriate for this time of year. The rock-opera rendition of Jesus’ last days goes all the way to his crucifixion and burial, a story retold in many Christian churches on Palm Sunday and Good Friday.

Recalling the turmoil in the year 0033, and again when the album was released in 1970, it also fits today. In the opening scene, followers of Jesus carry signs and a banner protesting brutality and terrorism on the part of ICE agents. Is it like living through a crucifixion every day?

Judas, played by Meghan Malusek in fishnet stockings and a denim jacket, opened Act 1 with a stirring rendition of “Heaven on Their Minds.”

Quentin Villa, as Jesus, displayed a truly impressive vocal range. Kelly Stuible-Clark, as Mary Magdalene, brought warmth and comfort to Jesus through words and movement.

I’ve been singing or humming most of the music for decades, but I always look forward to “Herod’s Song,” which has been done so many times in so many ways.

King Herod, played by Elle Bergan, delivered with a vampish rendition that drew the strongest applause of the night. It was a mocking, necessary stress reliever, akin to King George’s finger-waggling “You’ll Be Back” from “Hamilton.”

The band (Metatron, directed by Kait Wilson) was virtually flawless, impressive and omnipresent while never overwhelming the vocals.

The entire cast maintained a level of activity and inclusion at all times, never out of character. This was a high-level performance by nonprofessional players who never missed a step.