Eccentricity Abounds, Hilarity Ensues in CBT’s ‘You Can’t Take It With You’
Directed with non-stop energy and a knack for comic timing by CBT first-timer Melissa Rain Anderson, this wildly attractive and hilarious production features a return of a number of actors familiar to CBT audiences for brilliant performances, as well as some delightful newcomers. ...One of the most interesting features of this production is that director Anderson has managed a really remarkable degree of ensemble performance from actors accustomed to bearing the weight of starring roles.

Theater review: ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ gets a playful production at Westport Playhouse

The fast-paced physical comedy approach works well here. So does a close attention to all the nuances of all those lines. To its immense credit, the director and cast even find brand new comedy in the play, riffing off words like “nothing.” Both Wilde scholars and those who’ve never seen “The Importance of Being Earnest” will feel in good hands here. ...This production hits all the right notes, not just accurately but with wonderful expression.

The Westport Country Playhouse production is well-served by Melissa Rain Anderson's direction—which keeps the play's affable, quizzical tone throughout—and by the sumptuousness of the set, costumes, hair, lighting and sound. ...The cast presents an inspired version of the necessary British air of easily punctured sangfroid. Everyone has at least one instance—more like several—to exasperate or to be exasperated. The voices and tones of the characters are sharply realized, and that's the point (or the joke) quite often. ...There are many such touches that are worth watching for, and it's to Anderson's credit that the show doesn't rush through the play but rather lets the cast nimbly tread dear Oscar's patiently planted minefield. Thumbs up!

The Importance of Being Earnest benefits from pinpoint acting which maximizes mistaken identity and subsequent confusion. Should one be in the mood for sharp comedy, this show fits that bill. ...Director Melissa Rain Anderson, facing the challenging tasks of realizing Wilde's intentions through delivery and movement, is undaunted. Hers is a multi-task effort and she excels. Anderson is smart to push pace while she highlights humorous opportunities. The presentation relies upon detailed timing which the talented actors demonstrate. Performer Michael Raver leads the way as he energizes John Worthing, oftentimes the focal point of the presentation.

This play almost always satisfies and this production is blessed with an impeccable cast and lovely set design (by James J. Fenton). Also, director Melissa Rain Anderson has done a great job staging this play and the show is literate and satisfying all the way to the conclusion. ...For a tasteful, elegant evening at the theater, I doubt you could do better than to attend “The Importance of Being Earnest” at Westport Country Playhouse. ...It’s such a pleasure to sit in a theater and to be able to see a production of “The Importance of Being Earnest” that manages to capture all of the wit, comedy, and style associated with this play. The director keeps the pacing of the show at a steady clip, though she does allow for all the intricate wordplay and sophisticated laughs to ring out terrifically. Westport Country Playhouse has a real winner in its production of “The Importance of Being Earnest” and this show can be most highly recommended.

...humans have not changed and that’s probably why Mark Shanahan, WCP Artistic Director chose this amusing play. The Opening Night audience agreed with Shanahan as they identified with the humor and laughed heartily. ...Melissa Rain Anderson directed an entertaining, well-seasoned cast. ...For a laugh at the false values folks place on themselves, this is your ticket.

The timeless comedy, often called Wilde’s theatrical masterpiece, is filled with charm, wit and clever humor, plenty of delightful deception and some sharp social satire. The action is fast-paced in what is at its heart a ridiculous romp through Victorian society. ...The director ensures that all of the best comedic lines land securely and highlights Wilde’s gift for language, maintaining the wonderful rhythm of the lines throughout the two acts.

We had the pleasure of seeing The Importance of Being Earnest on opening night, November 1, 2025, and the Westport Country Playhouse was filled with patrons who were looking for, and found, an enjoyable evening of theatre. ...Director Melissa Rain Anderson elicits the very best from her stellar cast of notable actors. ...Their onstage chemistry makes them a delight to watch as they parlay the fast-paced banter with the ease of professional tennis players. ...Witty dialogue, farcical characters, and mistaken identities had the audience laughing often and out loud all night long. The Importance of Being Earnest was the perfect season opener to celebrate the Playhouse’s 95th season. If you need a night of laughter, do head to Westport for The Importance of Being Earnest.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO BE EARNEST? WESTPORT PLAYHOUSE ENTHUSIASTICALLY SAYS YES!

Melissa Rain Anderson directs this thoroughly entertaining foray into Oscar Wilde's zany world, with a sturdy troupe of skilled performers, georgeous set by James J. Fenton, lovely costumes by Annie J. Le, lighting designer by Alexander Fetchko and sound and original music by John Gromada.

There's nothing trivial about this production.

Believe it or not, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is being presented for the first time at the Westport Country Playhouse. But it’s worth the wait and the weight of James J. Fentn’s jaw droppingly gorgeous set, with its dual staircases. ...Every part of the set was used cleverly, with nothing superfluous. ...Director Melissa Rain Anderson tweaked the setting from the dark, heavy Victorian era into the Edwardian Age to make the show lighter and more buoyant.

Victorian hilarity ensues. ...the Playhouse production, directed by Melissa Rain Anderson, is as taut as a 125-year-old comedy can be, with sprightly direction and good pacing.

Let the joyous news be spread: The Wizard of Oz dazzles in Montgomery.

The stellar cast, impeccable direction, and sumptuous visuals combine to create a production that is a whirlwind of excellence. ...Melissa Rain Anderson has the courage to direct this production, and she could do no wrong with The Wizard of Oz. Anderson trusts the source material and does not try to reinvent the show. But she interjects humor and heart into the story ...Anderson has a special talent for "stand and deliver" songs that feature one character singing their feelings. "Over the Rainbow" exceeds all expectations I had for the song because of the way Anderson embraced its simplicity and dreaminess. Her direction for "If I Were King of the Forest" gave the song some faux solemnity that made me respect the Cowardly Lion, flaws and all. The Wizard of Oz couldn't ask for a better woman behind the curtain than Anderson. ...Every artist involved in The Wizard of Oz is at the top of their craft. The talent and passion poured into every aspect blew me away. And that is what is most remarkable about this production: The Wizard of Oz is not supposed to blow you away, let alone a cynical middle-aged theatre critic. But it did anyway. Attending The Wizard of Oz at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival is a no-brainer.

It's not hard to see why the musical has had so much success over the years, but if you want a prime example, head over to the Hobby Center ASAP because you won’t find a more perfect production of Little Shop of Horrors than what’s over at Theatre Under the Stars right now. Director Melissa Rain Anderson’s production leans right into the campy absurdity and humor, and it moves at lightning speed. Seriously, it’s blink and you’ll be wishing you could turn the clock back two hours to watch it again.

It's no small feat to switch suddenly from cartoonish humor to genuine human emotion, and "Little Shop" does it effortlessly. Director Melissa Rain Anderson and choreographer Monica Josette understand that balance and enact it expertly onstage.

Dial ‘M’ for Murder opened at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and it was an out-and-out triumph. It is surely one of the most perfect productions I’ve seen there in some years. It was a happily full house. There was an air of real excitement, and at intermission the lobby was overwhelmed with the buzz of enthusiastically chatting theater-lovers.
Director Melissa Rain Anderson has put together a very nearly perfect show. The pace is tight, the movement and timing are deft and precise. It’s quite gripping.

Director Melissa Rain Anderson and her fabulous cast deliver charm and thrills aplenty in The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ elegantly old-school production of the venerable “Dial M for Murder” by playwright Frederick Knott, which opens The Rep’s 52nd season.

Some Rep fans may recall that Anderson directed The Rep’s production of The Play That Goes Wrong, the last show of Steve Woolf’s tenure as the company’s Augustin Family Artistic Director. It can only be a good omen that Anderson returned to direct the first show of Kate Bergstrom’s tenure in the same position.

Under the direction of Ms. Anderson, there's this whole giddy, wobbling sense of truth and lies jousting at one another, knocking them off-kilter ...
Dial "M" twice: for magnificence and mischievousness.