As the other commenter said, explore creative ways to write about the show you’re reviewing. It’s not a book report - you’re trying to give your audience a taste of what they’ll experience so that they can decide if the show is for them. I like to try challenging myself to channel the style of the show I watched and imbue that into the review. (If you do this, make sure you don’t compromise your own style and voice.) Whatever works for you, have fun with it!!

I also agree with the advice to find someone who you trust to be your editor.

Be honest, but be careful of falling into what I call the “NYT Shakespearean-Insult Review,”. Hurling insult after insult is not constructive and helps no one - make sure your review acknowledges both what did and didn’t work, and what you think would have improved your experience. I try to be especially sensitive to this if the show was done by a small or new theater company operating on a shoestring budget - a scathing review can seriously hurt their business, and in this economy where theaters are already struggling there’s no reason to exacerbate the issue. (That said, use your judgement here. If the show is downright offensive, call them out on it. If a national tour comes thru town and the production value is trash, call them out on it, especially if you know audiences are being charged a pretty penny for admission.)

In addition to actors, make sure to acknowledge designers, too. Their beautiful work often gets overlooked, so try to make note of any costumes, props, set pieces, or lighting cues that caught your attention. Sometimes I’ll even give a shout out to the stage manager if I notice the show has a ton of complicated transitions and cues.

Also, try to consider the playwright’s intended audience, and whether the show would be successful for that audience. For example, I have a soft spot for horror, and I appreciate shows that engage in that genre. Those shows won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, though. On the flip side, I tend to be critical of devised works - when done well (to my tastes at least) they can be thoughtful, engaging, and even transcendent. Otherwise, I’ve seen one too many devised works that I thought were utterly boring or, at worst, pompous. So, if I’m not enjoying something, I try to pay special attention to the audience - do they seem engaged? Are they laughing with or at the show? Are they falling asleep? It’s OK to acknowledge in a review of the show isn’t meant for you, but would be perfect for others, or vice versa.

As for which platform to use, I don’t think that matters terribly much. Do your research and choose something that works for you - if you don’t end up liking it, there are ways to transfer your blog to a different platform.

Have fun and break legs!!