July sci-fi

 July sci-fi: hey, it rhymes! My latest batch of streamable nuggets is here.

A Quiet Place Day One

A Quiet Place is emerging as one of my favorite franchises and even when a movie has problems, like the new prequel, I have a good time. More, please! I reviewed A Quiet Place: Day One for the Times.

A trip to the Jimmys

The Jimmy Awards have become a major scouting ground for casting directors, and the 15th edition did not let anybody down. Check out my report and see what the kids are up to.

Babylon Primer primer

The great German historical series is finally back to the US with new episodes! It's been a while since the last time we met with Gereon, Lotte et al., so I wrote a primer to prep viewers for Season 4. Click here.

Find Me Here

Crystal Finn's play is middling but its cast is absolutely sterling so I'd say it's a go. My review is here.

Musicians on Broadway

Please, let's have more stories about musicians on Broadway! Not biomusicals — stories about made-up musicians. They give writers, directors and actors a lot more leeway than the hagiography and mimicry required by biographical material. I wrote about a positive new trend for the Washington Post.

R.I.P. Françoise Hardy

I took that loss hard. It was hard to pick just eight songs to trace Françoise Hardy's career arc but you can find my YouTube picks here. I also wrote the intro to a wonderful gallery put together by the photo department, and that's here.

How Suffs changed for Broadway

I wasn't crazy about Suffs at the Public Theater but the Broadway version may well be my favorite musical of the year, tied with Dead Outlaw. I talked to Shaina Taub and Leigh Silverman about the changes they made to their show over the past two years. Click here for my story. 

What to see during Pride month

I rounded up some theater performances of interest for Pride month. Some of them are settled on Broadway but others have short runs so don't sleep on them. Go for it! 

Godzilla leads the sci-fi pack this month

Godzilla Minus One is finally streaming so of course I had to lead the latest installment of my sci-fi column with it! What a great movie. The column can be found here.

The Watchers

Ishana Shyamalan's debut feature has a lot of issues but Dakota Fanning is, as always, a compelling screen presence. Click here for my review.

Becoming Karl Lagerfeld

I became interested in the intersection of fashion and nightlife in 1970s Paris after reading Alicia Drake's great book The Beautiful Fall a few years ago. Many of the same characters, events and settings pop up in this Hulu series. I talked to a few of the principals and recommend watching the show. My feature is here.

The Great Lillian Hall

Catching up with a lot of stories so get ready for a link dump! 

I reviewed this HBO production starring Jessica Lange as an aging theater star, and wow is the movie tailor-made for her. It really made me want to see Lange do The Cherry Orchard, as she does in the film. Thataway for the review.

Usus

Clubbed Thumbed's Summerworks is one of my favorite theater series and even when a show doesn't entirely work, like Usus, I enjoy going. My review is here.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

Julia Masli's Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha is impressive in many ways, which is why I wanted it to cut so much deeper. She stops just short of where it becomes really interesting. My review is here.

Nobody Cares

Yes, that title sounds a bit like Laura Benanti is fishing for compliments but she pulls off a really fun show at Minetta Lane, produced by Audible. Click here for my review.

Dungeons and Dragons

I went to Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern and wow, it really brought me back to my role-playing days! It's fun to see the game enjoy a resurgence and extending to new mediums like the theater. Click here for my review.

Crying at Broadway shows

Have you been crying at Broadway shows this season? It's ok — so have I, and a lot of other people too. Click here for my Washington Post story.

Science fiction for May 2024

Here's another batch of under-the-radar sci-fi movies that are new (or at least newish) to streaming and VOD this month.

Eurovision 2024

Once again I joined the New York Times team covering Eurovision. World news have really intruded on that pop stage in the past few years, even more so at this year's edition. You can find our live commentary at this link. I also had separate articles touching on some specific aspects: a guide to the 2024 contest,  how the voting works, the pop powerhouse known as Sweden.

The Miser

I ventured — and by that I mean that I walked —to Prospect Park to check out Molière in the Park's production of The Miser. Like pretty much everybody who grew up in France, I read Molière in school, so I'm always excited to see one of his plays here in the US. You can check out my review here.

Stars on Broadway

Four screen stars, four Broadway shows: I wrote about Rachel McAdams, Steve Carell, Jessica Lange and Eddie Redmayne for the Washington Post — article here.

Orlando

Signature brought back Sarah Ruhl's adaptation of the Virginia Woolf novel, now directed by Will Davis. "Wildly uneven" is the quickest way to describe the production. My review is here.

The Heart of Rock and Roll

Okay, let's face it: Huey Lewis isn't the heart of rock and roll. But the new jukebox drawing from his songs is a lot of fun. Yes, I had a good time. Click here for my review.

Hell's Kitchen

After a middling premiere at the Public Theater, the Alicia Keys musical is now on Broadway. Happy surprise: just like Suffs, it's really improved and now I can wholeheartedly endorse it. My review is here.