The Village Bike

Greta Gerwig makes a convincing stage debut in The Village Bike at MCC. My review's here.

When January Feels Like Summer

The title of Cori Thomas' new comedy at Ensemble Studio Theater is a reference to a global-warming subplot, and it doesn't do justice to the show's shaggy-dog charm. My review's here.

Greta Gerwig's favorite NY places

A real treat: talking to Greta Gerwig about some of her favorite New York places. Click here to see what made the cut.

How three Tony nominees got into their real-life roles

Click here to see the little tricks that helped Mary Bridget Davies, Audra McDonald and Jessie Mueller get into the real-life-inspired roles that earned them Tony nominations.

Macbeth

Kenneth Branagh brings over a Macbeth full of sound and fury signifying very little — but fun! My review's here.

The best show tunes of the season

Listening to a whole bunch of cast albums to find the season's catchiest tunes: There are worse assignments. Thataway to my selection of show tunes.

Just Jim Dale

Jim Dale's solo is genial but oddly unrevealing. Click here for my review of this fans-only outing.

The Killer

Theater for a New Audience resurrects Ionesco's semi-obscure The Killer (aka Tueur sans gages). This is the type of play that demands daring European-type staging, which alas isn't what we get. My review's here.

The Anthem

I can now say I've seen two radically different stage adaptations of Ayn Rand's 1938 novella, Anthem: a straightforward play and an '80s-flavored musical featuring the cowboy from Village People. My review of the latter -- which is even worse than you can imagine -- is here.

American Hero

Modest of scope and big of heart, Bess Wohl's new play at Second Stage Uptown gets a topnotch production and excellent cast. My review's here.

battle of the songs at World Cup 2014

It's 2014, which means World Cup, which means Official Song. This year, it turns out the unofficial one is better than the FIFA-sanctioned one. Of course I had to compare them.

Is it miscasting when the age difference is too small?

People always gripe about the age difference between men and women in some movies -- as in, what's that old dude doing with that young chick? But what about a movie in which a parent (usually a mother) must have had her child (usually a son) when she was, like, 12? Click here for a gallery I had fun working on.

Preview of Early Shaker Spirituals

Totally psyched about the Wooster Group's latest project, Early Shaker Spirituals! My preview of this "record album interpretation" is here.

More Shakespeare this summer

Non-newsflash: Shakespeare dominates our outdoor stages. I have no idea on how it started but that's just the way it is. Click here for my piece on what's coming up this summer.

The Few

Samuel D. Hunter's latest, The Few, doesn't go anywhere, which is ironic for a show using trucking as a background. My review's here.

Rosemary's Baby

What's worse, snooty French people or Satanists? What if they're both?!? My review of the Rosemary's Baby remake is here.

Irma la Douce

At long last Encores! does a non-American musical — and a French one to boot! — and it's a disappointment. At last I got to hear Marguerite Monnot's score live. Click here for my review.

The Lovesong of Alfred J. Hitchcock

I could hear about Hitchcock for hours but this play is an unconvincing Freudian omelette. My review's here.

Under My Skin

The curse of the Little Shubert Theatre strikes again! Thataway for my pan.

The City of Conversation

Some are wondering if The City of Conversation could transfer to Broadway. The show's quite involving but needs the antagonist, a raging Republican named Anna, to be better written. My review of the current Lincoln Center production is here.

An Octoroon

Loved Branden Jabobs-Jenkins' riff on the old chestnut The Octoroon — even if I'm not entirely sure what he's trying to say. Soho Rep delivers yet another good one. My review's here.

Red-Eye to Havre de Grace

Sadly this show about Edgar Allan Poe's last days isn't as good as its title. My review's here.

Peddling

Full disclosure: I've never been able to watch an entire Harry Potter movie. Still, I do know Harry Melling was in some of them. And now he's in a tight little solo show he's written himself, called Peddling. My review's here.

Surprises and snubs at the Tony nominations

It was action-packed this morning! Click here for my insta-take following the announcement of this year's Tony nominations.

The Substance of Fire

Second Stage revives Jon Robin Baitz's 1991 drama. After the unconvincing return of The Film Society, I'm beginning to wonder if maybe Baitz hasn't been a late bloomer -- his best work is more recent. Thataway for my review.

The Great Immensity

For the first time I've felt let down by a Civilians show. Click here for my review of The Great Immensity at the Public Theater.

My dream Tony nominations

Why wait until Tuesday for the real Tony nominations when you can discover my fantasy list now? Thataway to the fun stuff.

Cabaret

There were worse ways for the Roundabout to make a buck than to bring back its 1998 production of Cabaret — and the company was lucky Alan Cumming was still willing and able to return as the emcee. My review of this re-revival is here.

Casa Valentina

The first act of Casa Valentina hits all its marks. Things get trickier in the second, but then ending a play is often the biggest challence. Still, what a pleasure to see Reed Birney as a villain! My review of Harvey Fierstein's latest is here.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

People will eat up Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig and the Angry Inch but you know who I'd love to see play Hedwig? Vintage Kiki. Rock & roll, man! My review's here.

The Velocity of Autumn

The Velocity of Autumn may have found an audience in a smaller theater but opening at the end of a busy Broadway season is a bad move -- the play just isn't strong enough. My review's here.

Violet redux

The Roundabout had the great idea to bring back last summer's Encores! production of Violet, once again led by Sutton Foster. Everybody wins. Click here for my review.

The Cripple of Inishmaan

Daniel Radcliffe is the big draw in The Cripple of Inishmaan, but that's my least favorite of his three Broadway appearances. In any case the Atlantic production a few years ago was much superior. My review's here.

Harvey Fierstein and Katherine Cummings talk cross-dressing and Catskills

Ahead of the Casa Valentina opening next week, Harvey Fierstein and Katherine Cummings talk cross-dressing and Catskills. One of the most fun dinner conversations I've had in ages.

The Mystery of Irma Vep

Charles Ludlam's camp classic returns to New York. Thataway for my review of the Red Bull revival.

Act One

I'm not among the legions of people obsessed with Act One, but I did enjoy the book, especially the first half. The new adaptation from James Lapine, on the other hand… My review is here.

Of Mice and Men

I do like Anna D. Shapiro's production of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, even with James Franco letting her -- and us -- down. My review's here.

The Library

Steven Soderbergh has long been one of my favorite film directors but I was mightily impressed by his NY stage debut, The Library. Now that's a show that works as theater, not a stage version of TV. I loved the clinical tone as well. My review's here.

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill

Does great mimicry a Broadway show make? Thataway for my review of this new production with Audra McDonald.

Bullets Over Broadway

Woody Allen and Susan Stroman's musical adaptation of Bullets Over Broadway hit the sweet spot for me. My review's here.

The Heir Apparent

I quite like David Ives' work, especially when the comic engine gets in high gear, but he trips with his latest, The Heir Apparent. My review's here.

Greta Gerwig comes to off-Broadway

A short piece about Greta Gerwig replacing Maggie Gyllenhaal in the upcoming play The Village Bike.

The Most Deserving

Culture wars unfurl in a small Kansas town, but the satire is gentle rather than sharp. My review of this Women's Project show is here.

The Threepenny Opera

How can you stage The Threepenny Opera without anger or humor? Answer at the Atlantic. Thataway for my review.

The Realistic Joneses

Will Eno finally makes it to Broadway and the least I can say is that he didn't do it by compromising. For better or for worse, The Realistic Joneses is pure Eno. Thataway for my review.

A Raisin in the Sun

A terrific production of a terrific play: Latest revival of A Raisin in the Sun is commercial, mainstream Broadway at its finest — and no, that is not an underhanded compliment because that stuff is devilishly hard to pull off. My review's here.

The Most Happy Fella

New Encores! production makes unimpeachable case for Frank Loesser's The Most Happy Fella. Utterly glorious. Too bad I didn't have more space for my review, but hey, it's better than nothing.

Nashville stars hit the road

That would be stars of the TV show Nashville, not the actual city. And I for one am excited! Click here for my little guide as to who's going to turn up onstage.

Heathers: The Musical

The musical adaptation of Heathers sanded out the nihilistic edges but it's still a very fun show. My review's here.

If/Then

Idina Menzel's new vehicle If/Then is ambitious but flawed. Still, I liked seeing a female lead character on Broadway who's not a hysterical mom or a plucky heroine. My review's here.

Before the Walking Dead S4 finale

In anticipation of The Walking Dead's season 4 finale this Sunday, I look at the so-called back-eight episodes. I came around on Carl: That's the power of Michonne! Click here for some zombaction.

Mountain-climbing gallery

Who doesn't like a climbing movie, in which men (usually men) hang from fraying ropes or fall into crevasses? Even better if there's gunfight, too! Thataway for my selection.

King Lear

Another King Lear rolls down the pike, this time at Theatre for a New Audience. And it really, really annoyed me. Wanna know why? Head over there.

Hellman v. McCarthy

Maybe because I identify with cranks, maybe because Roberta Maxwell is so good in the part, but I was kinda rooting for Lillian Hellman in the new play Hellman v. McCarthy. Thataway for my review.

Beyond Therapy

I'm not sure Christopher Durang's 1982 farce Beyond Therapy hasn't gone past its expiration date, and the TACT company's new revival certainly doesn't make a good case for it. My review's here.

Mothers and Sons

I didn't care much for Terrence McNally's latest, Mothers and Sons. And that's an understatement. Thataway to my pan.

Les Misérables

You can't keep those French urchins away! I for one won't complain at having to see Les Misérables one time more -- I love me some bombast. Click here for my review of the latest version to hit Broadway.

Aladdin

Disney is often accused of making soulless corportate entertainment, which is a simply ridiculous accusation. Well, except in the case of its latest musical, Aladdin, which does feel designed by committee. My review's here.

Tales from Red Vienna

I think David Grimm's latest is going to be the subject of much derision — unfairly so. It's a failure, yes, but an interesting, ambitious one. And I suspect a lot of the mocking will be similar to the mocking of 1940s women's pictures, when Bette Davis or Joan Crawford sailed into the sunset alone but stronger. My review's here.

Preview of the xx at the Armory

Back to my first love with a music preview! Click here to read about the xx's forthcoming shows at the Park Avenue Armory.

Appropriate

What Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' Appropriate lacks in originality, it makes up for in sheer entertainment. Because really, who doesn't want to watch a family go up in flames at the theater? Click here for my review.

Rocky

Word to the wise: My review of the new Rocky musical is a lot more ambivalent than the headline suggests. Read for yourself here.

Hand to God

I'd missed Hand to God on its first two go-rounds at EST but hey, better late than never. My review of this formidably demented show is here.

Character Man

Jim Brochu's new "musical memoir" pays tribute to the character men (aka character actors) of yore. Thataway for my review.

All the Way

"All the Way with LBJ!" That was LBJ's campaign slogan in 1964, but it also applies to Bryan Cranston in his Broadway debut: The guy is fully committed. My review's here.

The Open House

The first of the two Will Eno plays of the spring is The Open House, at Signature. OMG, I kinda liked it! My review's here.

Sweeney Todd

The New York Philharmonic tackles Sweeney Todd again, this time with Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson. My review's here.

The Happiest Song Plays Last

So much potential, so little of it actually happening on stage: that is The Happiest Song Plays Last, which I reviewed here.

Middle of the Night

Middle of the Night is worth a look for a couple of reasons: it's a rare Paddy Chayefsky play and Jonathan Hadary gives a terrific performance. Thataway for my review.

Stage Kiss

I can't remember the last time I laughed so much as during the first act of Sarah Ruhl's Stage Kiss. A comic triumph. Click here for my review.

A Doll's House

I'd never have thought A Doll's House could be suspenseful but Carrie Cracknell's production is almost Hitchcockian -- without losing an ounce of emotional power. My admiring review's here.

London Wall

The Mint dug up a good one with John van Druten's London Wall, and gives it a worthy production. My review's here.

Kung Fu

David Henry Hwang's Bruce Lee bioplay Kung Fu misses the mark. Thataway for my review.

My Mother Has Four Noses

People were sniffling at Bridges of Madison County, but tears were really pouring at My Mother Has Four Noses, a new musical in which Jonatha Brooke talks/sings about her relationship with her dementia-afflicted mom. My review's here.

The Bridges of Madison County

I chose to see the Bridges of Madison County glass as half-full — click here for my review of the new musical.

Love and Information

New York Theatre Workshop delivers a really, really good production of Caryl Churchill's latest -- and it wasn't easy to stage. My review's here.

Transport

Thomas Keneally and Larry Kirwan's meh musical Transport opens at Irish Rep and my review's here.

After Midnight redux

It was a pleasure to return to After Midnight to check out new featured singer k.d. lang. The show still delivers, and so does she. Thataway for my review.

The Correspondent

Once in a while comes a play so bad, you have to pinch yourself. This time it's The Correspondent at the Rattlestick. Click here for the gory details.

Dinner with Friends

Donald Margulies' Pulitzer-winning Dinner with Friends returns in a Roundabout production. Click here for my review.

Bronx Bombers

I liked Bronx Bombers well enough off-Broadway, or at least I tolerated it. But the transfer to a bigger house didn't do the show any favors. Click here for my review of this unabashed paean to the Yankees.

Almost, Maine

Why sniff at Almost, Maine? Because it's popular in high schools? That's not a very good reason, and I for one had a nifty time at the Transport Group's revival. My review's here.

I Call My Brothers

Catching up with the cross-posting of reviews from this week (this is what happens when you go off the grid in Utah). I'd liked Jonas Hassen Khemiri's Invasion! but I was underwhelmed by his new one, I Call My Brothers. My lukewarm review's here.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Green Porno

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tyson vs Ali

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