The Winter's Tale

Show No. 4 in the Royal Shakespeare Company's season at the Park Avenue Armory is the weakest one yet. This Winter's Tale is a big bore, especially if you were lucky enough to see Sam Mendes' version at BAM in 2009.

The Silver Tassie

The Druid Theatre returns to the Lincoln Center Festival with The Silver Tassie. Some nice stuff in there, but the singing gets tiresome quickly. Why does it so quickly turn into annoying folklorisms in Irish productions?

A Doll's House

Lily Rabe's performance in A Doll's House is worth a trek to Williamstown. I sure am glad I did the trip last weekend. Rabe is the rare actress equally at ease in modern material and in classics.

All New People

I'd been looking forward to Justin Bartha's return to the NY stage — I loved him in Lend Me a Tenor, and thought he'd been robbed of a Tony nomination. But Zach Braff's All New People isn't the right vehicle for him or for anybody else. Drats.

The Patsy

David Greenspan plays the title role — and everybody else — in the Transport Group's revival of the 1925 comedy The Patsy. It's a bit of stunt, but it has its moments.

Death Takes a Holiday

I was eagerly waiting for Maury Yeston's new musical, but unfortunately Death Takes a Holiday is rather tepid. Drats.

King Lear

The third show in the Royal Shakespeare Company's summer residency at the Park Avenue Armory is King Lear. Overall I greatly enjoyed it — it's much better than the drab production BAM presented in the spring. And it's always fun to see Goneril and Regan so relentlessly nasty!

Hair...yet again

My third review of Diane Paulus' Hair revival is in today's paper. Yes, third: I wasn't at the Post when it played the Delacorte, but then I weighed in on the Broadway opening and the replacement cast. Now the national tour's in town for the summer.

Romeo and Juliet

The RSC's New York residency continues with Romeo and Juliet, directed by Rupert Goold. I loved the first half, but thought the energy was overwhelming in the second. Fatigue set in. Still, this is a dynamic production and worth attending for Mariah Gale's Juliet and Jonjo O'Neill's Mercutio. My review's here.

As You Like It

The Royal Shakespeare Company begins its residency at the Park Avenue Armory with As You Like It. I loved it, and if the other four plays in the run are only half as good, this will be a genuine feast not just for Bard-o-philes but for all fans of theater.

Master Class

Tyne Daly puts on the pantsuit and the carré Hermès as Maria Callas in Master Class. If you think that's a bit of a stretch, you're right. My review's here.

Sex Lives of Our Parents + Unnatural Acts

After going off the grid on vacation, I'm back and ready to rock the new season.

In the meantime, here are links to a pair of reviews I'd filed ahead and which were published while I was away: Unnatural Acts at the Vineyard and Sex Lives of Our Parents at Second Stage Uptown.