Friday, January 31, 2014

A Man's a Man

On the one hand I like that Classic Stage is putting on so many Brecht plays, like Galileo, The Caucasian Chalk Circle and now A Man's a Man. On the other hand, the productions have all been mediocre. My review of A Man's a Man is here.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Stop Hitting Yourself

I have the same issue with Stop Hitting Yourself that I had with the other Rude Mechs productions I've seen: It comes up short of its stated ambitions. My review's thataway.

Intimacy

Thomas Bradshaw strikes again with Intimacy, possibly the most sexplicit play I've ever seen. Click here for my stunned review.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

In praise of Episodes

Showtime's sitcom Episodes doesn't reinvent the wheel -- it's only very, very good. Plus, you know, Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig! Click here for my paean to this unjustly neglected series.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Row After Row

Civil War re-enactors: a fascinating subject, to be sure. But it's only half-cooked in the new play Row After Row, reviewed here.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Outside Mullingar

Someone's Irish whimsy is someone else's...well, let's just say Outside Mullingar wasn't my cup of tea. Click here for my review of John Patrick Shanley's latest.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

Moving Alan Sillitoe's story from 1950s northern England to 2012 London isn't a bad idea, and neither is changing the hero's race from white to black. It's the execution that's lacking in the new Atlantic 2 production. My review's here.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Loot

Has any modern playwright aged as badly as Joe Orton? Exhibit A: Loot, currently in a middling revival by Red Bull. Click here for my review.

Interview with Walton Goggins

I love talking to character actors, and Walton Goggins delivered. Click here for my interview with Justified's one and only Boyd Crowder.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Green Porno

Isabella Rossellini adapts her Sundance series, Green Porno, for the stage, and it's comically droll. Thataway for my review.

Friday, January 17, 2014

King Lear

Here we go again with yet another King Lear. This time Frank Langella steps into the kingly role at BAM. My review's here.

Machinal

After The Winslow Boy the Roundabout is two for two with a revival of Machinal that's even better. This counts as a streak! Click here for my review.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

The Surrender

Good timing: The nominations for this year's Razzies are coming out at the same time as my review of The Surrender — a play that would have scored a nom if it were a movie. Click here for my review.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Year of the Rooster

Thanks to Ensemble Studio Theatre for bringing back Year of the Rooster, which I'd missed on its first go-round. As much as cockfighting revolts me, this is one heck of a good show. Click here for my review.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Beautiful -- The Carole King Musical

Yes, Beautiful is boomer-bait. So what? Does anybody think Broadway producers don't target specific audiences? Also it's a bit rich of AARP-age critics to make fun of the AARP-age audience. My review's here.

Thursday, January 09, 2014

Tyson vs Ali

Theater's totally infatuated with boxing. Example No. umpteenth is Reid Farrington's Tyson vs Ali. Click here for my review.