Mrs Smith's Broadway Cat-tacular

Ah, old-school drag: how good it feels! My review of the silly romp is here.

Scenes from an Execution

Jan Maxwell said this would be her last show. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. In the meantime, my review's here.

Amazing Grace

A different kind of bio-musical: this one is about a song — but it's still about a guy. My review's here.

The Wild Party

Encores! briefly revives Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party. Not quite the right part for Sutton Foster but others in the cast are simply fantastic so yeah, go if you can. My review's here.

Ruthless!

Ruthless! is exactly the kind of musical I'm usually a sucker for, but this production doesn't stick. My review's here.

DruidShakespeare

Let's just come out and say it: Some of the acting in DruidShakespeare falls short. My review of the epic undertaking at Lincoln Center Festival is here.

HBO's missed the latest TV train

HBO used to lead when it comes to creativity on television, now it follows at best. My column on the subject is here.

Penn & Teller on Broadway

Have we become resistant to non-Harry Potter magic or is it just harder for Penn & Teller to find their mark in their latest Broadway show? My review's here.

Skippyjon Jones Snow What

If I had kids, I'd take them to this new musical from Theatreworks USA. My review's here.

Bebe Rexha

My interview with Bebe Rexha, among my fave new pop stars, is here.

Little Shop of Horrors

In decades of seeing theater, I don't recall many ovations like that one that welcomed Ellen Greene at this Encores production. Unbelievable. My review's here.

Of Good Stock

What happened to Melissa Ross? Nice Girl was so good, and Of Good Stock is so blah! Was she Manhattan Theatre Club-ized? My review is here.

Shows for Days

What can I say? I loved it! Click here for my review of Douglas Carter's Beane's vehicle for Patti LuPone.

The Decline of Western Civilization

At last, all three of Penelope Spheeris' Decline of Western Civilization docs are on DVD! My take on this long-overdue release is here.

Larry Kramer in Love and Anger

Timely! My review of the new HBO doc about Larry Kramer's here.

A New Brain

I adored A New Brain when I saw it in 1998, but I'm not sure it's aged that well. My take on the Encores! revival is here.

Wayward Pines

After reviewing the early episodes, I checked back on Wayward Pines. And it's still good! Click here for what makes the show work.

My favorite French Touch tracks

OK, so this is far from exhaustive but it's a good sampler. And sure, I include Stardust -- it's still great! Click here for the fun house.

Significant Other

Joshua Harmon's new play is a lot of fun but so conventional under its contemporary trappings. My review's here.

Doctor Faustus

Chris Noth and Zach Grenier star in a brave attempt that doesn't land. My review of the CSC revival is here.

Gloria

Hell yeah, Gloria! Read my rave here.

The Tempest

It's Tempest in a teapot in Central Park. My review is here.

Deutschland 83

My review of the new German series, about Cold War spy games between East and West Germany.

Preludes

Dave Malloy's new one is maybe a little too diffuse for my taste but man, the guy can write songs! My review's here.

The Qualms

Bruce Norris' new dark comedy doesn't dig very deep but it's pretty entertaining. My review's here.

Guards at the Taj

Nope, didn't care for Rajiv Joseph's latest at the Atlantic.

10 Out of 12

Anne Washburn's latest is so typical of her approach: offbeat and smart, with a gimmick that's so much more than just a gimmick. My review's here.

Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait

It's rare that the production values are better than the play itself in cash-starved off-Broadway theaters, but that's exactly what happens at this frustrating show. My review's here.

Cuddles

Cuddles is a strong contender for the year's top 10. I won't soon forget it. My review's here.

Interview with Blanca Li

I chatted with choreographer Blanca Li about some of the music videos and commercials she's worked on. Fun chat here!

Looking back at the 2015 Tonys

History is made at night, as they put it in Bombshell. And that's what happened at this year's Tonys. Click here for my wrap-up.

Steve Guttenberg is doing Shakespeare in a park!

Riverside Park, that is. Click here for the deets.

The Baloneys

Welcome to the first edition of the Baloneys, my awards to the worst Broadway ladled out this season! Click here for the fun.

Heisenberg

Mary-Louise Parker's mannerisms are not to everyone's taste but if you enjoy her, Heisenberg is a vehicle worth hopping on. My review's here.

Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs

Thank god the title of Alan Cumming's cabaret show is deceiving and the setlist isn't all tearjerkers. My review is here.

The Spoils

Jesse Eisenberg finally took the familiar character he always plays to his logical extreme and came up with a fine indictment of the contemporary entitled, narcissistic man-child — and his best play  yet. My review's here.

A Human Being Died That Night

Good vs. evil: It just doesn't get old, does it? My review of the new Apartheid-themed play is here.

Geneva Carr

Click here for my short piece on Geneva Carr, who is making quite the Broadway debut in Hand to God.

Cagney

I'm not the biggest fan of biopics, bioplays, biomusicals, biotech, but Cagney goes down easy. My review's here.

An Act of God

Playing God is actually below Jim Parsons' skill set. My review of his latest Broadway show is here.

Nice Girl

Melissa Ross' Nice Girl embodies what Labyrinth does best. My review's here.

The best and worst of Eurovision 2015

As Eurovision fans know, the best and worst are often the same thing at the contest. This year didn't disappoint. Click here for my selection.

The Other Thing

The Other Thing is what happens when you won't commit to your topic. My review of this dull show is here.

The Sound and the Fury

The bad news is that The Sound and the Fury is confusing. The good news is that it doesn't matter. My review of Elevator Repair Service's Faulkner staging is here.

Tuesdays at Tesco's

The play itself isn't all that great but Simon Callow is well worth a trip to 59E59. My review's here.

Permission

Hand to God and now Permission: Robert Askins is my favorite bard of American repression! My review of his new show is here.

The Way We Get By

I've become a Neil LaBute fan but this new one feels not quite finished. My review's here.

Six key David Guetta team-ups

I picked six key David Guetta team-ups that have appeared on his own records, not other artists'. Click here for some big beats.

What I Did Last Summer

A.R. Gurney's What I Did Last Summer isn't that great of a play, but it got a very nice production at Signature. My review's here.

The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek

Athol Fugard's latest opens at Signature. My review's here.

Wayward Pines

M. Night Shyamalan makes his TV debut with a promisingly spooky thriller. My review's here.

Thoughts on The Good Wife's season finale

Of course there was no way The Good Wife could top its stellar season 5, but the show did flounder this past year. My thoughts on the season finale are here.

Cool Hand Luke

I'm on board with what the Godlight company is doing (stage adaptations of iconic novels), but Cool Hand Luke is just half a success. My review's here.

Zorba!

Zoe Wanamaker and John Turturro can't really sing but they can zorba! My review's here.

Dinner with the Boys

Fans of flaming turkeys may want to check out Dinner with the Boys just to see what an excruciatingly bad show looks like. My review's here.

Forever

It's not taking anything away from Dael Orlandersmith's experience to say that the exploration of her childhood in her new show is harrowing but also strangely banal. Click here for my review.

Why success is killing Veep and House of Cards

As soon as their main protagonists got what they wanted — ie they became president — House of Cards and Veep went down the drain. Click here for my column about it.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

I've had issues with Fiasco's previous shows but the company's approach works really well with this Shakespeare comedy. My review's here.

What happened to Kalinda on last night's Good Wife?

We need closure, people, closure! Also, Lana. Click here for more.

Tis Pity She's a Whore

Seeing John Ford's Tis Pity She's a Whore on the Deuce is fitting. If only the show were better. My review's here.

Grounded

Julie Taymor and Anne Hathaway: yep, it's worth going. My review is here.

Happyish

My review of the new Showtime series Happyish, or at least its first three episodes, is here.

The Visit

If only for Chita Rivera, go go go to The Visit. My review's here.

Airline Highway

What a letdown Lisa D'Amour's new show is after the excellent Detroit. Click here for the full account.

Something Rotten!

Sitting at Something Rotten, it felt glaringly obvious: This is a big fat hit. Click here for my review.

Doctor Zhivago

Oof, what a boring show! My review's of the misfire is here.

My favorite meat and potatoes TV shows

Just that: TV's answer to comfort food from someone who watched all 10 episodes of The Last Ship this weekend. Click here for the list.

Living on Love

Renée Fleming and Douglas Sills are well matched in this new boulevard comedy. My review's here.

Fun Home redux

I'm very happy Fun Home is out there on Broadway, even if I don't share the delirious love many of my colleagues have for the show. My review's here.

Orphan Black

As a promising show ever deteriorated as rapidly as Orphan Black? It seems as if its creators just don't realize why we all got hooked in the first place. My review of S3's first two eps is here.

The King and I

What a gorgeous treat this revival is! Except for, you know, half of the title. More in my review here.

Finding Neverland

After much advance publicity Harvey Weinstein's debut theatrical production has finally opened on Broadway. My unimpressed review is here.

Hamlet

I didn't care all that much for Peter Sarsgaard's previous stage outings at CSC but I was impressed with his take on Hamlet. Too bad the rest of the production wasn't as good as his performance. My review's here.

It Shoulda Been You

Tough to see such a good cast wasted in such a non-starter of a show. My review's here.

Ghosts

Nothing can top Ingmar Bergman's Ghosts, seen at BAM in 2003, but Lesley Manville is pretty damn good in Richard Eyre's production. My review's here.

An American in Paris

An American in Paris aims for something elusive on Broadway: beauty. A little bit of brawn would have helped, too. My review's here.

interview with Anna Chlumsky

I'd been familiar with Anna Chlumsky's career, of course, but I gained a new appreciation for her after seeing her in David Adjmi's 3C. Click here for my brief chat with Chlumsky, as Veep starts again.

Clinton The Musical

Thank god for Kenneth Starr, who tried to sink Clinton -- The Administration but almost saves Clinton -- The Musical. Click here for my review.

Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall is long and feels longer. There's a limit to my taste for British period drama, and this show is pushing at it. My review's here.

Buzzer

Gentrification comes to the Public Theater in the new play Buzzer. My lukewarm review's here.

Gigi

I have a feeling I'm going to be an outlier for not hating Gigi. Click here for my guardedly positive review.

Hand to God redux

I preferred Hand to God off-Broadway, the way I prefer seeing a band in a small club rather than an arena. Still, it's a fab show that deserves to be where it is now. My rave is here.

The Undeniable Sound of Right Now

The sound in Laura Eason's play is neither undeniable nor right now (the action takes place in 1992). My review's here.

Skylight

Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan as a former couple? Sorry, don't buy it. My review of the West End import is here.

Music Hall

We don't often see plays by Jean-Luc Lagarce in New York, so this Music Hall at 59E59 is welcome. Especially since the production is quite good. My review's here.

Dinner and a show for $50

Theater tickets are expensive, you say? And yet I found five theaters where you can see a show — a good one at that — and get dinner for $50! Click here for more info.

New York Spring Spectacular

What annoys me most about the new Radio City Spectacular is that it wastes the Rockettes. The Rockettes! Click here for my review.

Which star is going to be born again?

So now it's Bradley Cooper who's supposed to direct the new remake of A Star Is Born. Here are some of my suggestions for the female lead. Or maybe it's not a woman.

Lord of the Rings on the subway

How cool is that Lord of the Rings-themed mock signage in the subway? I asked the man behind it a few questions here.

Small Mouth Sounds

I can't recommend enough Bess Wohl and Rachel Chavkin's new show at Ars Nova. My review's here.

The Heidi Chronicles

Maybe it was just too perfect to actually work: Turns out the pairing of Elisabeth Moss and The Heidi Chronicles doesn't pan out. My review's here.

Posterity

Tough luck for Posterity, an old-fashioned period drama that comes out at a time when the genre is being dynamited by the likes of An Octoroon and Hamilton. My review's here.

Josephine and I + Cabaret redux

Cush Jumbo's tribute to Josephine Baker, Josephine and I, makes for a wonderful evening of performance (my review's here). What I would give to see what Jumbo's take as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, because Sienna Miller doesn't quite cut it as the latest Kit Kat Club chanteuse (click here for my third review of the re-revival).

The Liquid Plain

Naomi Wallace's latest at Signature is ambitious — not a couch play! — but so frustrating. My review's here.

The Audience

Anglophiles will eat up The Audience, and so will admirers of Helen Mirren (I'm in the second camp only). My review's here.

The Returned

The American remake of The Returned (Les Revenants) has landed. My question is: why? Click here for my review.

Jessie Mueller leaves 'Beautiful'

It's been a long, great ride for Jessie Mueller. My piece on her pre-departure thoughts is here while the one on the new Carole King, Chilina Kennedy, is here.

Fish in the Dark

Can't do better than the Post's headline aces here: Larry David delivers Larry David-ness. Click here for my review.

Paradiski feature

It was a pleasure exploring the Paradiski resorts in January — although a couple of days for La Plagne and Les Arcs isn't nearly enough. Click here for all the ski goodness.

The Mystery of Love and Sex

I was really happy to see Diane Lane onstage, but why didn't we get Sweet Bird of Youth?  My review of The Mystery of Love and Sex is here.