Theater News

Author: John Davis | PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida Published February 19, 2026 Players Circle Theater adds performances of “Over the Tavern” due to popular demand while preparing for “4,000 Miles” Players Circle Theater’s currently running production of playwright Tom Dudzick’s comedy-drama “Over the Tavern” has been so successful, the company is adding additional performances due to overwhelming demand. At the same time, Players Circle is also preparing for the next production of their seventh season, which will by playwright Amy Herzog’s contemporary family drama “4,000 Miles.” Both plays contain strong autobiographical elements

Happenings Magazine Published February 7, 2026 Over the Tavern at Players Circle Theater Next up at Players Circle Theater is Tom Dudzick’s Over the Tavern, playing Feb. 10 through March 8. In that most idealized period of 20th century America, the Eisenhower years of the 1950s, the Pazinski family has a lot going on in their cramped Buffalo apartment. The youngest of the bunch, 12-year-old Rudy, is a smart, wise-cracking kid who’s starting to question family values and the Roman Catholic Church. When Rudy goes up against the ruler-wielding Sister Clarissa (played by Carrie

Martin Dreyfuss | Gulf Coast News Fort Myers Published February 12, 2026 'Over The Tavern' live at the Players Circle Theater in Fort Myers FORT MYERS, Fla. — Right now, you can check out a brand-new play at the Players Circle Theater in Fort Myers. Tom Dudzick's "Over the Tavern" is a comedic play set in the 1950s about a family crammed in an apartment over their family bar. "All hell breaks loose" when the youngest member of the Pazinski, 12-year-old Rudy, begins to question family values and the Roman Catholic Church, Dudzick says.

Fran Thomas | Author, Broadway World Published January 16, 2026 OVER THE TAVERN Comes To Players Circle Theater in February Players Circles Largest Production To Date Paves Way for All-American Family Comedy! Rave reviews are pouring in from audiences and critics alike over Players Circle’s most recent production of LITTLE WOMEN – THE MUSICAL. Hailed as their largest production to date, Players Circle’s unique conceptual design for this familiar, heartwarming classic features over 2,000 technical cues, 100 props, 50 costumes, 8 wigs, and a cast of over 10 from all over the country.

Dave Elias | Reporter, Gulf Coast News Fort Myers Published January 18, 2026 Gulf Coast Theatre Review: 'Little Women' FORT MYERS, Fla. — The actors of “Little Women: The Musical” are delivering a surprisingly big performance at Players Circle Theater in Fort Myers, just off McGregor Boulevard. From the moment I walked into the space and saw the set, I found myself wondering how this intimate theater would manage all the scene changes needed to tell such a sweeping story — especially when the stage initially resembles the side of a barn. The answer

Fran Thomas | Author, Broadway World Published January 10, 2026 Review: LITTLE WOMEN: THE MUSICAL at Players Circle Theater The production runs through Feb. 1. I’m betting that the vast majority of female writers who read Little Women as girls wanted to grow up to be Jo March. I know I did. Now, I’ve had the opportunity of seeing and hearing Jo and her siblings in the flesh in Players Circle Theater’s production of Little Women: The Musical. The four women cast as the March sisters could not be more perfect. Kimberly Suskind

Author: John Davis | PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida Published January 8, 2026 Cast members from Players Circle Theater's production of "Little Women: The Musical" including Kimberly Suskind (Jo March), Paulette Oliva (Marmee), Lexi Rae Smith (Beth March), Emily Ahrens (Amy March), and Rachel Querreveld (Meg March). Listen To The Interview (29:59) Players Circle Theater performs “Little Women: The Musical” Players Circle Theater in Fort Myers began performances this week of the Broadway hit “Little Women: The Musical.” It’s a musical stage adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved, classic

Charles Runnells | Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News Published January 8, 2026 Lifelong 'Little Women' fan gets dream gig, stars in SWFL musical For Emily Ahrens, the March sisters aren’t just characters from a famous book. They're real people. And they feel like her own sisters — not just words on a page. “I've had those sisters with me my whole life,” she says. Ahrens has known “Little Women” and the four March sisters — Jo, Beth, Amy and Meg — since she was about 12 years old and first cracked open