Wild Animals You Should Know

Last review before the Thanksgiving break: Thomas Higgins' Wild Animals You Should Know.

An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin

In my case it was an afternoon, since I saw this show at the Sunday matinee. Never mind the time: An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin is a terrific production, and it certainly surprised me.

Seminar

Theresa Rebeck's new Broadway comedy, Seminar, cruises into port with a great cast led by Alan Rickman and Lily Rabe. My review's here.

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular

If it's mid-November, it must be time for Yule cheer. Yep, I saw The Radio City Christmas Spectacular last year -- not sure if it was my 6th or 7th time. This edition introduced quite a few tweaks, and I wasn't crazy about all of them. More details in my review.

Private Lives

Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross duke it out in a revival of Private Lives on Broadway. Much to my surprise, I was delighted by Cattrall, while Gross -- whom I loved in Slings & Arrows -- left me cold.

Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays

The subtitle of the new anthology Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays needs a hyphen. After all, the pieces are about gay marriage -- they're not gay takes on marriage on general. More quibbles in my review.

Burning

Thomas Bradshaw moves up to off-Broadway with Burning, at the New Group. He insistently pushes a lot of buttons — like a man pressing a buzzer again and again and again. My review's thataway.

How Much Is Enough?

The Foundry Theatre examines our values in its new participatory piece, How Much Is Enough? A bit too consensual for my taste.

Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway

Who can carry this type of razzmatazz singing-and-dancing solo show at this point in time? I can only think of one, and it's Hugh Jackman. His Back to Broadway is a hoot, and left me grinning ear to ear.

Nightwish is back!

I'm taking a break from linking to my theater reviews to breathlessly gush about the new Nightwish song. Yes, Nightwish, ie the most grandiose band on Earth, is back at long last. New single "Storytime" was worth the wait: It's basically steroidal neo-romantic metal Abba! Clearly this song was written just for me.

Also, the video has evil clowns.

The Blue Flower

When was the last time Second Stage did a musical? Could it have been Sherie Rene Scott's Everyday Rapture, back in May 2009?  That place doesn't produce many of them, and I'm afraid The Blue Flower, sweet and misguided, won't do much to change that attitude.

King Lear

The third King Lear of the year is the weakest. Only hardcore fans -- of Sam Waterston, Bill Irwin or the play itself -- would want to catch this middling production at the Public.

Venus in Fur redux

After Other Desert Cities, another off-Broadway show moves up -- this time, Venus in Fur. Though the balance between the two characters is much improved with the casting of Hugh Dancy, I'm not sure David Ives had to make his play longer. At 1:45, it overstays its welcome.

Godspell

Godspell is back on Broadway for the first time since 1977, and I really wish I'd liked the revival more. I may have been more lenient if I was 13. My review's here.

Other Desert Cities redux

Other Desert Cities reopens on Broadway with a couple of casting switcheroos: Rachel Griffiths in for Elizabeth Marvel, Judith Light in for Linda Lavin. How does the show fare?  My take here.

Now the Cats with Jewelled Claws

Tennessee Williams wrote Now the Cats with Jewelled Claws two years before his death, and you can tell that 1) he had nothing to lose anymore and 2) his brain was foggy. Which means that it's completely fascinating, and the production at La MaMa stars no less than Everett Quinton and Mink Stole. My review's here.

Love's Labor's Lost

Shakespeare's comedy gets slightly Americanized at the Public — and that includes not just the title, but references to Beyoncé and "Boo-yah!" My review's here.