FOR DOLLY: Joyful Mourning in America and Beyond
By David Dow Bentley III “The People’s Critic” As our nation struggles to come to grips with the sudden passing of that brightest of entertainment lights, Dolly Parton, perhaps it was …
By David Dow Bentley III “The People’s Critic” As our nation struggles to come to grips with the sudden passing of that brightest of entertainment lights, Dolly Parton, perhaps it was …
By David Dow Bentley III “The People’s Critic” On this MOTHER’S DAY Weekend,,, … and with all due respect to Stevie Wonder, “I Just [ Write ] to say, I LOVE YOU!” In the proces…
Posted on March 19, 2004 by The People’s Critic [NOTE: This story was PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED in March of 2004] It was August 5, 2001 when the Houston Community Newspapers published my rev…
By David Dow Bentley III “The People’s Critic” [Photos Below Courtesy of The Players Theatre Co. *Click any photo to enlarge*] For Montgomery County fans of serious theater, your time …
By David Dow Bentley III “The People’s Critic” In my humble opinion, never has a local theater company been more deserving of a special occasion than Houston’s own MUSIC BOX THEATRE,…
By David Dow Bentley III “The People’s Critic” [CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE.] When the renowned composer and lyricist, Stephen Schwartz, came to Houston last year, it was to collabor…
 By David Dow Bentley III "The People's Critic" [CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE.] It has been more than four decades since the national and world-wide explosion of excitement surrounding the…
By David Dow Bentley III "The People's Critic" [CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE.] This Easter season is a time of miracles, so it seems an appropriate opportunity to reflect upon another miracle …
By David Dow Bentley III "The People's Critic" [CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE.] Back in 1959 the renowned filmmaker, Billy Wilder, served up a comedy masterpiece that would go on to becoming, i…
By David Dow Bentley III "The People's Critic" [CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE.] By all accounts, it was the social event of the year in Conroe, Texas. Under the watchful eye of President & …
 By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III "The People's Critic" I guess we all have moments in life when we more fully realize the truth of the old saying that, "Time Flies." So it was for me when I rea…
By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III "The People's Critic" For fans of F Scott Fitzgerald's classic 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, the long wait is over for a chance to see the splashy, Tony Award-winnin…
By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III "The People's Critic" [All photos by Spry Art Photography. Click any photo to enlarge] As children we all learned the enchanting mystery of fairy tale stories. We kn…
[CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE] Crighton's "Of Mice and Men" is a Heart-Wrenching Journey By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III "The People's Critic" In the printed program for Crighton Theatre's current pr…
By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III "The People's Critic After a delightful family holiday afternoon, blending terrific Citrus Bowl football from the Texas Longhorns, the belated opening of Christma…
By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III The People's Critic For many years I have been an enthusiastic follower of the brilliant pop singing star, Michael Bublé. When it comes to skillful renditions of Th…
By David Dow Bentley III The People's Critic Anyone familiar with Texas knows that we are a Football force to be reckoned with. Complementing that are the amazing worlds of high school and c…
By David Dow Bentley III "The People's Critic" [PHOTOS by D. Torres   Click Any Photo to Enlarge] It was a lovely spring evening in Oak Ridge North, Texas, when the new officers f…
[Click any photo to enlarge] By DAVID DOW BENTLEY IIIÂ Â Â "The People's Critic" My dear late mother had worked her way through college as a waitress many years ago. Subsequently, a…
By DAVID DOW BENTLEY IIIÂ Â "The People's Critic" [CLICKÂ ANYÂ PHOTOÂ TOÂ ENLARGE] It was a sunny and lovely Palm Sunday afternoon in Houston and it seemed like the perfect…
By DAVID DOW BENTLEY IIIÂ Â "The People's Critic" After severe storms earlier in the day, the night of Saturday April 5th in The Woodlands, Texas, was to be a splendid one, full of muc…
By David Dow Bentley III "The People's Critic" Every now and then I feel compelled to use the word perfection, and this is one of those occasions. I cannot say enough about the inspired exce…
By David Dow Bentley III "The People's Critic" [CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE.] For more than two decades I have had the honor of documenting the Concert of Finalists that concludes the annual …
[Click any photo to enlarge.] It was a big day to begin with. It was Super Bowl Sunday, so only the most devoted theater buffs, (along with family & friends of the talented young cast), …
[CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE] Back in the 1990's of another century I had the first of what would become dozens of pleasant opportunities to review the full scale musicals of Class Act Produc…
By David Dow Bentley III "The People's Critic" Whenever other obligations have me out-of-town for a time, it is always a treat to return to the lighthearted fun and musical talent that alway…
[All photos by Meredith Mashburn Photography. Click any photo to enlarge] By David Dow Bentley III  "The People's Critic" I don't think I have seen so many smiling faces at Housto…
By David Dow Bentley III "The People's Critic" In the year 2001 author, Amanda Brown, published her novel, "Legally Blonde," based, in part, on her own experiences as a blonde at Stanford La…
By David Dow Bentley III    "The People's Critic" Conroe COURIER 3-31-2024 [PHOTOS: Courtesy of The Music Box. Click any photo to enlarge] It may sound a bit bold, but I…
By David Dow Bentley IIIÂ Â Â Â "The People's Critic" Conroe COURIER March 17, 2024Â Â [Click any photo to enlarge] It was a wondrous spring evening in Texas as classical music…
One of my proudest moments as a Performing Arts critic took place two decades ago in 2003, when I received a Houston Grand Opera invitation to attend the preview performance in Texas of the …
It is sad to report the recent death of Broadway actress, Sheila Smith. In New York, at America's oldest theatrical organization, THE LAMBS, Sheila was the beloved longtime partner of Lambs …
[Click Any Photo to Enlarge] By David Dow Bentley IIIÂ Â Â Â "The People's Critic" Houston's MUSIC BOX THEATER continues to amaze audiences with their seemingly bottomless reservoir…
[PHOTOS Courtesy of Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Click any photo to enlarge] By David Dow Bentley IIIÂ Â Â Â "The People's Critic" They say that "Seeing is Believing," but for l…
[All photos by SPRY ART PHOTOGRAPHY. Click any photo to enlarge.] By David Dow Bentley IIIÂ Â Â Â "The People's Critic" Those familiar with the witty short stories of newspaper colu…
By David Dow Bentley IIIÂ Â Â Â "The People's Critic" [Click Any Photo to Enlarge] They say, "Time Flies When You're Having Fun," and when I think back over the many times during th…
By DAVID DOW BENTLEY IIIÂ Â Â Â "The People's Critic" [Click any photo to enlarge] As one of the world's premier outdoor amphitheaters since Frank Sinatra was its Grand Opening star…
By DAVID DOW BENTLEY IIIÂ Â Â Â "The People's Critic" [Click any photo to enlarge] An assortment of out-of-town commitments had taken me away from Texas for just over two years, so …
[All photos by SPRY ART PHOTOGRAPHY. Click any photo to enlarge.] By DAVID DOW BENTLEY IIIÂ Â Â Â "The People's Critic" It was exactly one quarter-century ago when I had the first o…
By DAVID DOW BENTLEY IIIÂ Â Â Â "The People's Critic" [Click any photo to enlarge.] A brief transportation delay in reaching the new location may have caused me to miss the first mo…
[All Photos by Melissa Taylor. Click any photo to enlarge.] By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III "The People's Critic" It was bold. It was brassy. It was rowdy. It was brazen. It was "in-your-face." And…
By DAVID DOW BENTLEY IIIÂ Â Â Â "The People's Critic" [Photo by Spry Art Photography] It was Thomas Wolfe who famously wrote, "You Can't Go Home Again." But I'm thinking that maybe …
Only rarely do I venture into the realm of film criticism, preferring as I do, reviewing live performances of all kinds, from theatre to symphony, ballet to opera, and assorted concerts as w…
By David Dow Bentley III "The People's Critic" It was an electrifying way to start the Fall Season at Peekskill's magnificent 1920's movie palace, The Paramount. The main event would be the …
[Click any photo to enlarge] By David Dow Bentley III "The People's Critic" It was an electrifying way to start the Fall Season at Peekskill's magnificent 1920's movie palace, The Paramount.…
 A VERY WONDERFUL SEASON… …of very wonderful American Jazz music, has recently gotten under way from New York's renowned jazz virtuosos, Peter & Will Anderson. I had the pleasure…
The month began with a miserable April Fool's Day on Friday, and wintry weather had been delaying spring's arrival for too long. But 24 hours later, Saturday began to warm things up with ple…
It was a concert long in the planning, but who could have known the added significance Mozart's "REQUIEM" would take on amid the swirl of cataclysmic world events that would surround Sunday'…
By DAVID DOW BENTLEY III "The People's Critic" As the world mourns the recent loss of legendary musical genius, Stephen Sondheim, I was moved to look back over the many times in the last two…
Anderson Twins + Vince Giordano & Friends = Return of Musical Joy By DAVID DOW BENTLEY IIIÂ Â Â Â "The People's Critic" It had been nearly two Pandemic years since I had the ple…