The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore

The Roundabout's revival of Tennessee Williams' The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore gently goes off the rails. Or, more accurately, it never gets on the rails. My review's here.

What the Public Wants

Arnold Bennett's What the Public Wants is about a tabloid magnate who ... I'll say no more! Just know that the play was written in 1909 and is freakishly prescient. My review of the Mint company's revival is thataway.

The Uberbowl

The closest I get to American football is Friday Night Lights, which the Sheila and I have just started watching. (Yeah, we're years behind. Whatevs.) But I'm looking forward to the Uberbowl at Joe's Pub on February 6. At last, a Super Bowl party for those of us who don't know their tight ends from their running backs. You can read all about it in my preview here.

And now, back to the Australian Open, and wondering if Maria Riesch will prevail over Lindsey Vonn.

The New York Idea

David Auburn does a "gut renovation" of the 1906 play The New York Idea. Alas, the production lacks zip. My review's here.

The Misanthrope

The Pearl company's production of Molière's The Misanthrope gets a lukewarm review today.

The Walk Across America for Mother Earth

I'm bummed to report that Taylor Mac's new show, The Walk Across America for Mother Earth, is a total misfire. Something unexpected did happen the night I went, so head over to my review for more details.

Room 17B

The Parallel Exit company delivers a neat little evening of physical comedy with Room 17B, now playing at 59E59. My review's here.

ScreenPlay

Satire is hard. Hollywood satire harder still. Scott Brooks couldn't pull it off in ScreenPlay at 59E59. My pan's here.

John Gabriel Borkman

Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw and Lindsay Duncan rock BAM's Harvey Theatre in John Gabriel Borkman, a semi-obscure play by Ibsen (my review's here).

The on-stage blizzard at the end hit a little too close to home -- there were still banks of snow outside the theater when I saw the show last week -- but you could also argue the real storm is the one happening on Fiona Shaw's face. What a great performance!

Other Desert Cities

The second of today's two reviews is Jon Robin Baitz's Other Desert Cities, which is crackling at Lincoln Center. The play's very good and the cast will make your head explode -- Stockard Channing gives her best performance in years.

The Importance of Being Earnest

The first of today's two reviews is the Roundabout revival of The Importance of Being Earnest at the American Airlines. I know, I know: period piece plus Roundabout usually equals yawns, but this one's fun.

Blood from a Stone

Today's review is of Blood from a Stone, a new drama by rookie Tommy Nohilly, presented by the New Group. Ethan Hawke, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Natasha Lyonne, etc. Good people, not-so-good play.

Green Eyes

Lord no, not the Coldplay song: Today's review is of a long-lost Tennessee Williams one-act play from 1970 called Green Eyes. It's not going to make us reconsider his latter-years output, but it's an interesting show because it's staged in an actual hotel room.

A Small Fire

Today's review is of Adam Bock's new show, A Small Fire, at Playwrights Horizons. A good cast led by Michele Pawk and Reed Birney, but the play doesn't add up to all that much. Watch for the talkbacks featuring Oliver Sacks! (Just kidding -- though they'd make sense.)

Dracula

First review of the new year and first pan: Dracula opened last night. Oh my, it's bad.

My stage debut

To the wild clamoring of strictly no one, I will make my stage debut in the January installment of Project Shaw, 1912's Androcles and the Lion — yes, I'm starting off with no less than a play by George Bernard Shaw!

Much to my relief, I only have six lines. More fun is the fact that the cast is entirely made up of theater wags. You've seen their bylines, now come hear their lines.

Tickets are $25 and you can get them here.

Coil festival

I open the new year with a preview of the upcoming Coil festival, organized by PS 122. It happens at the same time as the Public's Under the Radar fest, so those interested in theater's outer limits are going to be busy for the next two weeks.