Telling stories concerning everything from a dinner party for unwanted new neighbors to a crazy night at a Miami art gallery, here are the 2025 Orlando Sentinel honorees for best director of a comedy as selected by theater critic Matthew J. Palm. Note that as Jim Helsinger previously directed “The Hound of the Baskervilles” for Orlando Shakes, for which he was awarded a Critic’s Pick in 2017, he was not eligible to be honored again.
Although it’s impossible for one person to see every local production, as the Orlando Sentinel’s theater critic, each year I see a broad array of dramas, comedies and musicals. The individuals selected for this 2025 theatrical honor roll, presented here alphabetically, elevated Central Florida’s theatrical arts. Go to OrlandoSentinel.com/entertainment to see the honorees in other categories, and check back on Dec. 22 to learn the Critic’s Pick in this category.
Marianne DiQuattro directed the Rollins College production of “Everybody” at the Annie Russell Theatre. (Courtesy Tony Firriolo via Rollins College)
Marianne DiQuattro
‘Everybody’ Annie Russell Theatre
IN FEBRUARY: Marianne DiQuattro handled the sometimes outrageous scenes of “Everybody” with flair, including a techno dance number featuring black-lit skeletons. With an eye on history and a winking nod to theater of the absurd, DiQuattro made the highly unusual “Everybody” funny — and curiously compelling.
Roberta Emerson directed “Welcome to Matteson,” with Keri Hollingsworth. (Courtesy Tony Firriolo via Orlando Shakes)
Roberta Emerson
‘Welcome to Matteson’ Orlando Shakes
IN MARCH: Roberta Emerson had her top-notch actors hit the issues being raised in “Welcome to Matteson” — does “moving up” mean “selling out,” and should we even be using the term “moving up” — with just the right amount of emphasis. And she developed fascinating relationships among the play’s four characters while keeping them all grounded in reality without sacrificing laughs. This is her ninth appearance in the theater honors; she has two previous Critic’s Picks.
Gabriel Garcia directed the Ensemble Company production of “Meteor Shower,” with Brenna Arden, from left, Jonna Kae Volz, Jeremy Wood and Nicholas Luisi in the Ensemble Company production of “Meteor Shower.” (Courtesy Matthew MacDermid via The Ensemble Company)
Gabriel Garcia
‘Meteor Shower’ The Ensemble Company
IN DECEMBER: Gabriel Garcia kept “Meteor Shower,” an exercise in absurdity if there ever was one, moving along brightly and briskly. He got bold performances out of actors in showy roles. But where Garcia especially shone was in the way he had his actors go all in but yet retain something recognizable, something human in their cartoonish behavior. This is his eighth appearance on the year-end theater list.
Cherry Gonzalez directed the Renaissance Theatre Company production of “Laughs in Spanish,” with Marisol Robles and Danielle Bloom. (Courtesy Jake Pearce via Renaissance Theatre)
Cherry Gonzalez
‘Laughs in Spanish’ Renaissance Theatre Company
IN MARCH: At Orlando’s Renaissance Theatre, director Cherry Gonzalez didn’t amp up the telenovela-like details of “Laughs in Spanish” to get laughs — trusting that comedy would land on its own, which it did. Instead, she focused on the characters themselves to provide the humor. So while the laughs weren’t always as big as they might have been on the surface of things, they were based on something deeper than parody — they came from the heart.
Tara Kromer directed the Theater West End production of “Sordid Lives,” with Robert Crane. (Courtesy Mike Kitaif via Theater West End)
Tara Kromer
‘Sordid Lives’ Theater West End
IN APRIL: For “Sordid Lives,” which requires a balance of humor of heart to succeed, director Tara Kromer found a winning solution: Just focus on the laughs. Through them, the deeper emotions and ideas emerged on their own. It was a message play where the audience didn’t hear the message of tolerance and love — they felt it in the hearts and heard it through the laughter. This is Kromer’s seventh appearance on the list; she was awarded a Critic’s Pick in 2021 for directing Theater West End’s “Driving Miss Daisy.”
Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/12/15/director-comedy-best-orlando-theater/
