Friday, April 26, 2013

Pippin

Stephen Schwartz's hippie-dippy musical Pippin — the one he wrote after the hippie-dippy Godspell — returns to Broadway in a crackling production helmed by Diana Paulus. My rave's here.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

I'll Eat You Last — A Chat with Sue Mengers

Bette Midler returns to Broadway 38 years after the Clams on the Half Shell revue. The play's meh, but she's divine as ever. My review's here.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Here Lies Love

A feel-good musical about Imelda Marcos? That's what David Byrne and Fatboy Slim delivered with Here Lies Love. Click here for my review.

The Trip to Bountiful

I was surprised to see that the current production is the first Broadway revival of The Trip to Bountiful — I assumed this play would have been done every 10 years or so. Loved Cuba Gooding Jr., Vanessa Williams and Condola Rashas, Cicely Tyson a bit less so. My review's here.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Testament of Mary

It's simple: Whenever Fiona Shaw and Deborah Warner collaborate on a show, you've got to see it. My review of The Testament of Mary (on Broadway!) is here.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Macbeth

Second go for Alan Cumming's one-man version of Macbeth, this time on Broadway. The show actually shrunk on me after another viewing. My review's here.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Jekyll & Hyde — The Musical

As a lover of bombastic rock, I was ready to enjoy the revival of Jekyll & Hyde — The Musical. Alack, the production is drab, as if embarrassed by Frank Wildhorn's pomp rather than proud of it. Click here for my review.

Orphans

In an interview, the cast of Orphans — Alec Baldwin, Tom Sturridge, Ben Foster — expressed surprise at the amount of laughter their drama elicits. Mostly it works, though. My review's here.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

The Assembled Parties

After Breakfast at Tiffany's and before Far from Heaven, the Richard Greenberg season continues with The Assembled Parties at the Friedman. Click here for my review.

Collapse

After scoring with Bethany and Jackie, Women's Project trips with its last show of the season, Collapse. Two out of three ain't bad though. My review's here.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The Big Knife

I so wanted to love The Big Knife: Odets, nice cast studded with several favorites like a Christmas pudding full of candied fruits. But it is so flat and affectless. My review's here.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The Nance

A look at the end of burlesque and conflicted feelings about one's sexuality, The Nance clearly means a lot to Douglas Carter Beane and Nathan Lane. Maybe that's why it spells things out too much. Still: a good evening at the theater. Click here for my review.

Monday, April 15, 2013

The Call

While it's got problems, Tanya Barfield's The Call — about a white couple who wants to adopt from Africa — is another success for Playwrights Horizons. My review's here.

Motown: The Musical

Bad sound on Broadway is one of my pet peeves, but at least Motown: The Musical delivers in that respect: The PA is a wonder. But beware the fugly sets, bad choreo and laughable book. My review's here.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Sleeping Rough

This brag doesn't even try to be humble: I'm pretty sure I got the majority of the music references in Kara Manning's Sleeping Rough — sadly, I actually remember Menswear. But references alone do not make a play. Click here for my review.

Matilda

The musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel Matilda is finally on Broadway, and it's absolutely enchanting. My rave review's here.

Saturday, April 06, 2013

Kafka's Monkey

Kathryn Hunter is sensational in the monologue Kafka's Monkey, which Theatre for a New Audience brought over from the Young Vic. My review's here.

Friday, April 05, 2013

Kinky Boots

Mild praise for Kinky Boots, a musical that aggressively wants to be loved. My review's here.

Thursday, April 04, 2013

Good with People

David Harrower's latest chamber piece, Good with People, left me cold. Full review here.

Buyer & Cellar

What would happen if an unemployed actor was hired to work in the shops in Barbra Streisand's basement? Jonathan Tolins answers that question in Buyer & Cellar, the spring's funniest comedy. Click here for my review.

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

The Last Five Years

Jason Robert Brown's musical The Last Five Years walks the line between clever and too clever. My review of the Second Stage musical, which he directed himself, is here.

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Lucky Guy

Considering how much I dislike Nora Ephron's work, I was surprised to enjoy Lucky Guy so much. It's not a good play, but it's a good show. My review's here.

Monday, April 01, 2013

Three Trees

Serious-minded but dull, Pan Asian Rep's Three Trees looks at the relationship between Alberto Giacometti and one of his (male) models. Click here for my review.