Barrett Johnson is a writer of self-described "Importance. Potentially positive or negative." After growing up in Portland, Barrett attended Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, where he received 1st class Honors in Film and English Literature. He has since written short plays, poems for literary magazines, and has received top honors in the Indie International Songwriting Competition. Now back in Portland, Barrett reviews for BroadwayWorld and plays music at local venues. He longs to hear from you regarding his work, so please feel free to get in touch!
 BWW Reviews: THE HOMECOMING, defunkt Company Delivers Tension and Cold Calculation to Pinter's London Flat
October 31, 2012
I'd like you to think of this play as a boxing match. However, this is not a fight carried out with physicality, but with words, with implied meaning, and with silence. Words are our weapons here and words - equally - our weapons of defense. This is the nature of THE HOMECOMING.
 BWW Reviews SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, at Portland Center Stage: a Bloody Killer of a show!
October 9, 2012
Portland Center Stage opens up the season with SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, and a powerhouse ensemble makes this musical too impressive to miss. A great shot at show-of-the-year and a high end production that is packing the house. Tune in!
 BWW Reviews: THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Broadway Rose, a Well-Casted, 1950s B-Movie Romp
September 26, 2012
Broadway Rose returns with their well-casted, talent-fueled farce of the 1950s B-Movie in THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. With debuts and returns, the cast delivers a knockout!
 BWW Reviews: Oregon Shakespeare Fest's HENRY V - Propaganda Tale that Still Delivers
September 3, 2012
HENRY V may be well remembered for its iconic wartime speeches, but is its intention as honest as it seems? The text provides strong evidence for its inception as a propaganda piece, but a strong delivery and production value deliver in classic Shakespearean fashion, with one or two twists along the way!
 BWW Reviews: Oregon Shakespeare Festival's ROMEO AND JULIET Brings This Classic to Life
August 24, 2012
BWW journeys down to Ashland to the wildly magnificent Oregon Shakespeare Festival! First stop is ROMEO AND JULIET, set in California during the Mexican-American War. This treatment brings a fresh look and new conversation to the Bard's most famous romance. Part One in the OSF double feature!
 BWW Reviews: THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is an Entertaining (Albeit Superficial) 'Romp'
August 10, 2012
There's a question that I know we've all been wrestling with for a long time now. A question that was answered in New York in 2006 when THE DROWSY CHAPERONE first premiered on Broadway, and a question that the Broadway Rose Theater Company has finally allowed Portland to answer as well. Can a 1920s Jazz-Age musical in all its spectacle and glory be performed in an elderly man's apartment? Finally. And the answer is yes.
 BWW Reviews: Broadway Rose Theater's THE SOUND OF MUSIC a Visual Stunner with Powerhouse Talent
July 19, 2012
THE SOUND OF MUSIC remains as true to form as ever, made even more impressive by its slick direction, larger-than-life production value, and extensive cast that has talent (so close to literally!) pouring out into the aisles.
 BWW Reviews NOVEMBER, as Performed by JANE through July 21st
July 1, 2012
NOVEMBER by David Mamet falls short in this amateur production, but JANE theater company shows they've got heart.
 BWW Reviews: THE CENTERING, Opening the CoHo 'Solo Summer' Series
June 18, 2012
A clown in a one-man cell. CoHo opens their 'Solo Summer' series with an absolute home run and though THE CENTERING has ended its run, the rest of the shows are only just beginning!
 BWW Reviews: PENELOPE - One Moment for the Barbecue
June 5, 2012
Four men in a pool. Wearing speedos. For 90 minutes. Sometimes, plays are just destined to be successful. PENELOPE shows through June 17th at the Winningstad Theatre!
 BWW Interviews THE BLACK LIZARD, Playing at Imago Theatre through June 2nd
May 28, 2012
Getting to pick the minds of the director, dramaturge, and two leads in one of the most exciting plays of the season? Never let such an opportunity go to waste. BWW chats with Jerry Mouawad, Laurence Kominz, Anne Sorce, and Matthew DiBiasio concerning their recent success, THE BLACK LIZARD
 BWW Reviews THE BLACK LIZARD at Imago Theatre: The Dance of Kabuki and Noir
May 18, 2012
Though 'grotesque' and 'for adults only' are the buzzwords in the advertisement, THE BLACK LIZARD delivers a dynamic, entertaining, and incredibly knowing production at Imago Theatre, merging and subverting the traditional styles of Kabuki and Noir for a story that makes for more than just the wild ride.
 BWW Reviews: In and Out of Madness, an Opera's Tale - NEXT TO NORMAL at the Artists Repertory Theatre
May 8, 2012
At the Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, NEXT TO NORMAL shows that musicals just require some conviction and fire to be successful. Mixing an ensemble of hard talent, a very full docket of songs, and a story of mental illness in a fragile family takes the audience on a troubling but not unhappy ride.
 BWW Reviews: Glimpsing the Aristocratic Elbow - ANNA KARENINA at Portland Center Stage, Ends 5/6
May 1, 2012
Portland Center Stage puts on ANNA KARENINA, and the women of both the story and the show are more dynamic than they get credit for. Also a much-needed discussion concerning adaptation decisions, Modernism's place in realist fiction, and why selling a joke can ruin can ruin a punchline. Runs through May 6.
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