Summer Shorts Series A

The annual anthology of one-act plays returns with — what else? — an uneven first batch. Click here for my review.

Drop Dead Perfect

I could watch Everett Quinton all night but Drop Dead Perfect isn't good enough for his talents. My review's here.

Movies that fizzled onstage

Theater producers are looking at movies for inspiration, but a word of warning: Just because something worked on screen doesn't mean it's going to work on stage. Click here for my look at five adaptations that fizzled this past season.

Pump Boys and Dinettes

A lack of firepower only underlined the slightness of Pump Boys and Dinettes at City Center. Click here for my review of the last Encores! Off-Center of the season.

Randy Newman's Faust

At long last, I have seen Randy Newman's Faust! It was just as bonkers as I imagined -- even more, actually -- and the songs were heavenly (pun not intended). My review is here.

The Lion

What a meek roar this big cat has... My review of Benjamin Scheuer's solo musical is here.

The Muscles in Our Toes

How I wish the characters' actions made more sense in The Muscles in Our Toes, because Anne Kauffman's production is sterling and Jeanine Serralles kicks major butt, as usual. My review's here.

tick, tick...BOOM!

I saw Rent early in its run at New York Theatre Workshop -- it may even have been the first week. I was a volunteer usher and the place was so packed, I had to sit on the stairs to watch the show. I remember thinking, "This is so lame! It'll never go anywhere." Which was as prescient as when I left halfway through an early-days gig (1990 I believe) by Nirvana at Maxwells. I just thought they didn't hold a candle to opening act Jesus Lizard.

But I digress.

Anyway, I saw Rent again after that first encounter, most recently the ill-fated New World Stages revival. And while the show is supposed to strike a chord when you're young, I've found myself enjoying it more as I've gotten older. And I found myself loving Larson's lesser-known tick, tick...BOOM! -- and not just because the show marked the (temporary?) unretirement of Karen Olivo. Click here for my review of the Encores! Off-Center concert.

The Old Woman

Mikhail Baryshnikov and Willem Dafoe are live-action Itchy and Scratchy in this new Robert Wilson production. My review's here.