The Caucasian Chalk Circle

After The Master Builder, here's another play defeated by fuzzy directing — this time Brecht's parable about the arbitrary follies of totalitarianism. My review's here.

The Weir

Conor McPherson isn't a favorite, but still, The Weir should be more compelling that it is at Irish Rep right now. Click here for my review.

Basilica

Too bad Basilica devolved into soapy suds -- I liked its blue-collar, South Texas setting. My review's here.

Murder Ballad

I'm not entirely sure the new rock musical Murder Ballad needs its gimmicky surround staging — it'd be still good without it — but at least that doesn't hurt it. My review's here.

Preview of Shakespeare in the Park

I talked to three of the actors appearing in this summer's Shakespeare in the Park productions, as well as composer Michael Friedman, who's doing the Love's Labour's Lost musical adaptation with Alex Timbers. Click here for my preview.

Laura Benanti

It's always a pleasure to see Laura Benanti, even if I wished she'd cut a few ballads from her new cabaret show at 54 Below. My review's here.

The Master Builder

There are interesting ideas in Andrei Belgrader's take on The Master Builder at BAM, but mostly they're clumsily executed. My review's here.

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

Dave Malloy and Rachel Chavkin's musical remains enchanting in its new home. Go go go. My review's here.

Colin Quinn Unconstitutional

Amazing what a change of venue can do. I didn't care for Colin Quinn's show on Broadway, but in smaller setting the new one is just fine. My review's here.

Preview of Showgirls — The Musical

Amazing that it took almost 20 years to see an unauthorized musical version of Showgirls. And now it's coming…to a gay club near us. Click here for my preview.

City Council Meeting

As a fan of local democracy, I was looking forward to City Council Meeting. At least the show fails out of too much ambition, instead of not enough of it. My review's here.

A Family for All Occasions

Philip Seymour Hoffman directs Bob Glaudini's latest at the Bank Street Theater. Click here for my review.

A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney

In Lucas Hnath's new play, A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, at Soho Rep, Disney sounds like a combo of Yoda and Gertrude Stein — the better to eat you with. Click here for my review.

Bunty Berman Presents…

A great idea for a musical — backstage on a Bollywood set in the 1950s — that could have used some trimming: That's Bunty Berman Presents…, brought to us by the New Group. My review's here.

On Your Toes

Encores! strikes again with Rodgers and Hart's On Your Toes. We all know Christine Baranski's great, so the real revelation was ABT principal Irina Dvorovenko, hilarious as an overly dramatic Russian ballerina. My review's here.

Old-Fashioned Prostitutes (A True Romance)

Yet another puzzle from Richard Foreman. I have no idea what was going on, so I split the star rating down the middle: two out of four. It could just as easily have been zero or four. My review's here.

Nikolai and the Others

Richard Nelson's latest has a cast of 18 and almost as many ideas and subplots going on. Maybe it would have worked if the show was nine hours rather than two and a half? My review's here.

The Girl I Left Behind Me

Mezzo sings the blues? I think not. But Jessica Walker handles the rest of the material winningly in this charming cabaret show about male impersonators. Click here for my review.

Bull

After Cock, Mike Bartlett gives us Bull. It's also set in the round but this time it's not about desire but hate and humiliation in the workplace. Click here for my review.

The Memory Show

Nothing memorable about this one, though as always Leslie Kritzer is worth seeing. My review of this new musical is here.