Misha Berson

Misha Berson, Seattle-based writer and teacher, was the head theater critic for The Seattle Times from 1991-2016. She is the former theater critic for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and has contributed to American Theatre, Los Angeles Times, Oregon ArtsWatch, Crosscut.com and Salon.com, among other outlets. She is the author of three books, including Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination (Applause/Hal Leonard Books). She was chair of the jury for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama, and has been a Pulitzer drama juror three additional times. She has taught at several universities, including Seattle University and University of Washington.

‘Kimberly Akimbo’: A quick-aging teen’s musical dash through time

The Broadway hit, the touching and often funny tale of a girl whose body ages rapidly far beyond her years, settles into Portland's Keller Auditorium for an eight-show run.

Letter from Seattle: Holiday greetings from Jeeves, John Waters & more

Heading north during the holiday season? Seattle's theaters are hoisting multiple cups of onstage seasonal cheer (and a couple of spirited shows without the holiday theme).

Dámaso Rodríguez and the skin of Seattle’s teeth

The former artistic director of Portland's Artists Rep picks Thornton Wilder's "The Skin of Our Teeth," which he directed to acclaim in Portland, as his first show as artistic leader of the flagship Seattle Rep.

Curtains up on Seattle’s new theater season

As the city's vaunted theater scene navigates some major shifts, a lively fall lineup ranges from a ribald political farce to a trip to the Taj Mahal, the NW premiere of 2024's Pulitzer-winning play, a "Jubilee," a "Funny Girl" and more.

Letter from New York: So many good shows, so little time

As Broadway revs up for this year's Tony Awards, Misha Berson takes in the tales of "Stereophonic," "The Outsiders," "Water for Elephants," "Uncle Vanya" and "Patriots" – and wishes for more.

Octavio Solis’s ‘Quixote Nuevo’ quest

The Oregon playwright's contemporary twist on Cervantes' classic tale has tilted at a few shifting windmills of its own on its long journey to Portland Center Stage.

Letter from Seattle: 7 winter stage picks

From a Cirque du Soleil hit to updates on Don Quixote and Maxim Gorky to an opera about Malcolm X and more, Seattle's stages are bringing some heat to the chilly season.

Letter From Seattle: Ho Ho Ho? Or Woe Woe Woe?

Seattle's theater companies are hoping a sleigh full of holiday shows will bring in audiences and help overcome a slow bounceback from the pandemic and a soaring cost of living.

Remembering August Wilson

As a new biography hits the book stands, Seattle theater critic Misha Berson recalls her own interactions with the late, great American playwright.

Letter from Seattle: A theatrical shakeup

New faces in key places, final chapter for the lamented Book-It Rep, a little Jeeves and Wilde, and some Wagner at the opera keep the summer unsettled but hopping.

Letter from New York: Broadway gets (some of) its mojo back

As the Tony Awards approach, Misha Berson takes a long deep look at the shows that are getting Broadway back on its feet.

The Temptations, Motown and me

As the jukebox musical "Ain't Too Proud" rolls into town, Misha Berson revels in memories of sweet sounds from the transistor radio as she was growing up near Detroit.

Letter from Seattle: Back in the swing

From the nouveau-cirque of Teatro ZinZanni to Jane Austen, Mr. Dickens, and some holiday noir, the city's theater scene is flying high again.

Letter from Broadway: Curtains up at last

After a long Covid layoff the Great White Way is bursting with energy, from "Hadestown" to "Six" to "A Strange Loop" and more.

Letter from Seattle: The many faces of Imogen Cunningham

"One also sees the beauty in the organic, in the actual, the particular": At the Seattle Art Museum, an eloquent look at the great West Coast photographer.

Letter from Seattle: Theater, again

The Emerald City is tiptoeing back into live performances. It's still spotty – but Shakespeare's in the parks.

Letter From Seattle: Holiday Edition

Seattle stages offer a variety of Christmas treats, but the big gifts are Broadway-aspiring musicals such as "Shout Sister Shout!"

A little ‘Medea’ in modern clothes

In Seattle, Yussef El-Guindi sets off an uncivil war in his new play "People of the Book."