There are many people who hear about a new production of "Fiddler on the Roof" and dismiss it outright because they've seen this popular musical one time too many.  But I would caution any who might make that assumption about Lyric Theatre's current production.

While there's nothing worse than a perfunctory staging of "Fiddler," Lyric's current staging proves that this musical can still be heartfelt and humorous when treated with the care that director Alan Souza has imparted to his talented cast.

I found myself laughing more than I ever thought possible in a show that is not exactly lighthearted.  But Souza clearly encouraged his cast to trust the material.  Give audiences a well directed show, and they'll reward the cast with giggles and belly laughs that catch them off guard.

Clearly, not all "Fiddlers" are created equal.  But Lyric Theatre's production proves that Souza and his capable cast are a match that even Yente would approve of.

The Full Monty is hardly the best musical to play on the Maltz stage. But it just may be the best production.....The Full Monty is not an easy show to pull off, but you would never know from the inventive, assured staging by Alan Souza.....you have a show that is at least the equal of the National Tour.....with its terrific rendering of it, the Maltz Jupiter has grown up too.

The Full Monty simply is not a good musical. It's lame, erratic, and superficial. Why anyone bothered to musicalize a film that needed no gilding in the first place is an unfathomable mystery. So it is amazing to report that the Maltz Jupiter Theatre has mounted such an unreservedly entertaining production, one that is significantly better than the road show the slinked through here in 2004 There will be four-letter words, blue jokes, and bare butts tonight. Thank goodness. Director Alan Souza stages matters deftly while preserving the good-natured raunch and he gets unusually believable performances out of the entire ensemble.

Director Alan Souza has wisely created relationships and embedded them into the existing material. From 31 musical numbers he has managed to give us 31 shows in one short evening, by treating each individual song as if it were a play unto itself. This is the way true revue material is supposed to be written -- but since these songs have all been extracted from previously existing shows, Souza had to do the work that the book writer didn't. And he's done it with dazzling results....Souza has not only directed but meticulously choreographed the evening as well.....Every moment has its payoff - every joke has its delicious landing.....These elements all work perfectly with Souza's overall vision of the evening which is sleek, sophisticated, devlishly sly, funny, and poignant - like the work of Mr. Sondheim.....I hope to see Mr. Souza direct a great big, fat musical on the Main Stage, perhaps (or anywhere else for that matter)!

The cast of the Walnut Street Theatre's production of Side by Side by Sondheim fulfilled director Alan Souza's aim to stage these 30 some songs as one-act plays. Inventive direction and strong vocal performances are needed....The structure of this revue isn't entirely fluid, but wherever possible, Souza finds ways to shade and draw out Sondheim's dimensions, so it doesn't play like a concert of strung together songs. No gimmicks here.