Poor Behavior

Where's the line between being a jerk and being a psycho? This and more in Theresa Rebeck's new play, Poor Behavior. My review's here.

Some TV posts

Who likes TV? I do, I do! So I wrote about it this week. Here are the handy links:

- a roundup of classic romance miniseries

- the Lego trailer for S5 of The Walking Dead

- a quick guide to Prisoners of War, the Israeli series that inspired Homeland (and is so so much better)

Revolution in the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter

A couple of Icelandic guys are living the dream, putting up their new musical in New York. If only it was good... Click here for my review.

The Maids

Yeah Blanchett and Huppert's The Maids is over the top and doesn't work on every level, or not even that many of them. But that berzerk energy! My review of the Lincoln Center Festival production's here.

Sticker shock at The Maids

Theater ticket prices have been ridiculous for a while -- $450 premium for NPH in Hedwig, my friends -- but $375 for a Jean Genet play has an extra layer of bitter irony to it. Click here for my thoughts on the subject.

Phoenix

Is it too much to ask to have Julia Stiles in decent-fitting clothes? Phoenix doesn't even get that right. My review's here.

The Opponent

When it comes to theater and sports, there's really only one option and it's boxing. So here we go again with The Opponent, a Chicago import. My review's here.

King Lear

My third King Lear of the year, but it's not the charm. Click here for my review of this Shakespeare in the Park disappointment.

Summer Shorts Series B

Albert Innaurato's been away from the NY stages for almost 25 and he's bottled up a lot of issues -- his jaw-dropping one-act "Doubtless" is the most memorable segment of Summer Shorts Series B. My review's here.

Between Riverside and Crazy

Stephen Adly Guirgis' latest puts the great Stephen McKinley Henderson centerstage. My review's here.

Cirque du Soleil's Varekai

Cirque du Soleil's current arena show actually dates back to 2002, and boasts one of the company's most inane concepts. My review of Varekai's here.

Mala Hierba

The characters may be archetypes but that doesn't mean they aren't compelling in Tanya Saracho's new play, Mala Hierba. A good bet for the summer. My review's here.

Interview with The Honorable Woman's Hugo Blick

It's always a pleasure to interview people who not only have put some thought into what they do, but can also articulate their process. Thataway to my chat with Hugo Blick, the writer-director of The Honorable Woman. 

The Lightning Thief

Tip of the hat to Theatreworks USA for tackling the first book in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, but, er, maybe that was a big bite? My review's here.

Summer Shorts Series A

The annual anthology of one-act plays returns with — what else? — an uneven first batch. Click here for my review.

Drop Dead Perfect

I could watch Everett Quinton all night but Drop Dead Perfect isn't good enough for his talents. My review's here.

Movies that fizzled onstage

Theater producers are looking at movies for inspiration, but a word of warning: Just because something worked on screen doesn't mean it's going to work on stage. Click here for my look at five adaptations that fizzled this past season.

Pump Boys and Dinettes

A lack of firepower only underlined the slightness of Pump Boys and Dinettes at City Center. Click here for my review of the last Encores! Off-Center of the season.

Randy Newman's Faust

At long last, I have seen Randy Newman's Faust! It was just as bonkers as I imagined -- even more, actually -- and the songs were heavenly (pun not intended). My review is here.

The Lion

What a meek roar this big cat has... My review of Benjamin Scheuer's solo musical is here.

The Muscles in Our Toes

How I wish the characters' actions made more sense in The Muscles in Our Toes, because Anne Kauffman's production is sterling and Jeanine Serralles kicks major butt, as usual. My review's here.

tick, tick...BOOM!

I saw Rent early in its run at New York Theatre Workshop -- it may even have been the first week. I was a volunteer usher and the place was so packed, I had to sit on the stairs to watch the show. I remember thinking, "This is so lame! It'll never go anywhere." Which was as prescient as when I left halfway through an early-days gig (1990 I believe) by Nirvana at Maxwells. I just thought they didn't hold a candle to opening act Jesus Lizard.

But I digress.

Anyway, I saw Rent again after that first encounter, most recently the ill-fated New World Stages revival. And while the show is supposed to strike a chord when you're young, I've found myself enjoying it more as I've gotten older. And I found myself loving Larson's lesser-known tick, tick...BOOM! -- and not just because the show marked the (temporary?) unretirement of Karen Olivo. Click here for my review of the Encores! Off-Center concert.

The Old Woman

Mikhail Baryshnikov and Willem Dafoe are live-action Itchy and Scratchy in this new Robert Wilson production. My review's here.

Holler If Ya Hear Me

There's a way to do gangsta rap on Broadway — the old-school way! Click here for my review of the Tupac Shakur musical, Holler If Ya Hear Me.

Jane Lynch at 54 Below

As we wait for Jane Lynch to do another play or musical, her cabaret debut at 54 Below will do. My review's of one very entertaining evening is here.

When We Were Young and Unafraid

Sarah Treem's new play isn't perfect, far from it, but it sticks with you. And it's just a delight to hear so much 1970s feminist lingo! My review's here.

The Who and the What

Ayad Akhtar has so much to write about, but his plays tend to be overwhelmingly didactic and obvious. Once he learns to trust the audience to read between the lines, he'll fulfill his potential. My review of his latest, at LCT3, is here.

Much Ado About Nothing

Having Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater play the lovebirds in Much Ado About Nothing was what we call "une fausse bonne idée" in French, ie something that looks like a good idea but turns out not to be in the end. Click here for my review.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's My Uptown New York

I chatted with Lin-Manuel Miranda about some of his favorite spots.

World Cup commercials

Because you can't avoid them anway, here's a sample of some World Cup 2014 commercials. Me, I vote for the Chilean miners...

Our New Girl

Our New Girl is an interesting play whose production should have been a lot better than it is. My review of this new Atlantic Theater show is here.

Fly by Night

Fly by Night is as close as theater gets to a YA musical — in sensibility at least. My review's here.

The Village Bike

Greta Gerwig makes a convincing stage debut in The Village Bike at MCC. My review's here.

When January Feels Like Summer

The title of Cori Thomas' new comedy at Ensemble Studio Theater is a reference to a global-warming subplot, and it doesn't do justice to the show's shaggy-dog charm. My review's here.

Greta Gerwig's favorite NY places

A real treat: talking to Greta Gerwig about some of her favorite New York places. Click here to see what made the cut.

How three Tony nominees got into their real-life roles

Click here to see the little tricks that helped Mary Bridget Davies, Audra McDonald and Jessie Mueller get into the real-life-inspired roles that earned them Tony nominations.

Macbeth

Kenneth Branagh brings over a Macbeth full of sound and fury signifying very little — but fun! My review's here.

The best show tunes of the season

Listening to a whole bunch of cast albums to find the season's catchiest tunes: There are worse assignments. Thataway to my selection of show tunes.

Just Jim Dale

Jim Dale's solo is genial but oddly unrevealing. Click here for my review of this fans-only outing.

The Killer

Theater for a New Audience resurrects Ionesco's semi-obscure The Killer (aka Tueur sans gages). This is the type of play that demands daring European-type staging, which alas isn't what we get. My review's here.

The Anthem

I can now say I've seen two radically different stage adaptations of Ayn Rand's 1938 novella, Anthem: a straightforward play and an '80s-flavored musical featuring the cowboy from Village People. My review of the latter -- which is even worse than you can imagine -- is here.

American Hero

Modest of scope and big of heart, Bess Wohl's new play at Second Stage Uptown gets a topnotch production and excellent cast. My review's here.

battle of the songs at World Cup 2014

It's 2014, which means World Cup, which means Official Song. This year, it turns out the unofficial one is better than the FIFA-sanctioned one. Of course I had to compare them.

Is it miscasting when the age difference is too small?

People always gripe about the age difference between men and women in some movies -- as in, what's that old dude doing with that young chick? But what about a movie in which a parent (usually a mother) must have had her child (usually a son) when she was, like, 12? Click here for a gallery I had fun working on.

Preview of Early Shaker Spirituals

Totally psyched about the Wooster Group's latest project, Early Shaker Spirituals! My preview of this "record album interpretation" is here.

More Shakespeare this summer

Non-newsflash: Shakespeare dominates our outdoor stages. I have no idea on how it started but that's just the way it is. Click here for my piece on what's coming up this summer.

The Few

Samuel D. Hunter's latest, The Few, doesn't go anywhere, which is ironic for a show using trucking as a background. My review's here.

Rosemary's Baby

What's worse, snooty French people or Satanists? What if they're both?!? My review of the Rosemary's Baby remake is here.

Irma la Douce

At long last Encores! does a non-American musical — and a French one to boot! — and it's a disappointment. At last I got to hear Marguerite Monnot's score live. Click here for my review.

The Lovesong of Alfred J. Hitchcock

I could hear about Hitchcock for hours but this play is an unconvincing Freudian omelette. My review's here.

Under My Skin

The curse of the Little Shubert Theatre strikes again! Thataway for my pan.

The City of Conversation

Some are wondering if The City of Conversation could transfer to Broadway. The show's quite involving but needs the antagonist, a raging Republican named Anna, to be better written. My review of the current Lincoln Center production is here.

An Octoroon

Loved Branden Jabobs-Jenkins' riff on the old chestnut The Octoroon — even if I'm not entirely sure what he's trying to say. Soho Rep delivers yet another good one. My review's here.

Red-Eye to Havre de Grace

Sadly this show about Edgar Allan Poe's last days isn't as good as its title. My review's here.

Peddling

Full disclosure: I've never been able to watch an entire Harry Potter movie. Still, I do know Harry Melling was in some of them. And now he's in a tight little solo show he's written himself, called Peddling. My review's here.

Surprises and snubs at the Tony nominations

It was action-packed this morning! Click here for my insta-take following the announcement of this year's Tony nominations.

The Substance of Fire

Second Stage revives Jon Robin Baitz's 1991 drama. After the unconvincing return of The Film Society, I'm beginning to wonder if maybe Baitz hasn't been a late bloomer -- his best work is more recent. Thataway for my review.

The Great Immensity

For the first time I've felt let down by a Civilians show. Click here for my review of The Great Immensity at the Public Theater.

My dream Tony nominations

Why wait until Tuesday for the real Tony nominations when you can discover my fantasy list now? Thataway to the fun stuff.

Cabaret

There were worse ways for the Roundabout to make a buck than to bring back its 1998 production of Cabaret — and the company was lucky Alan Cumming was still willing and able to return as the emcee. My review of this re-revival is here.

Casa Valentina

The first act of Casa Valentina hits all its marks. Things get trickier in the second, but then ending a play is often the biggest challence. Still, what a pleasure to see Reed Birney as a villain! My review of Harvey Fierstein's latest is here.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

People will eat up Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig and the Angry Inch but you know who I'd love to see play Hedwig? Vintage Kiki. Rock & roll, man! My review's here.

The Velocity of Autumn

The Velocity of Autumn may have found an audience in a smaller theater but opening at the end of a busy Broadway season is a bad move -- the play just isn't strong enough. My review's here.

Violet redux

The Roundabout had the great idea to bring back last summer's Encores! production of Violet, once again led by Sutton Foster. Everybody wins. Click here for my review.

The Cripple of Inishmaan

Daniel Radcliffe is the big draw in The Cripple of Inishmaan, but that's my least favorite of his three Broadway appearances. In any case the Atlantic production a few years ago was much superior. My review's here.

Harvey Fierstein and Katherine Cummings talk cross-dressing and Catskills

Ahead of the Casa Valentina opening next week, Harvey Fierstein and Katherine Cummings talk cross-dressing and Catskills. One of the most fun dinner conversations I've had in ages.

The Mystery of Irma Vep

Charles Ludlam's camp classic returns to New York. Thataway for my review of the Red Bull revival.

Act One

I'm not among the legions of people obsessed with Act One, but I did enjoy the book, especially the first half. The new adaptation from James Lapine, on the other hand… My review is here.

Of Mice and Men

I do like Anna D. Shapiro's production of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, even with James Franco letting her -- and us -- down. My review's here.

The Library

Steven Soderbergh has long been one of my favorite film directors but I was mightily impressed by his NY stage debut, The Library. Now that's a show that works as theater, not a stage version of TV. I loved the clinical tone as well. My review's here.

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill

Does great mimicry a Broadway show make? Thataway for my review of this new production with Audra McDonald.

Bullets Over Broadway

Woody Allen and Susan Stroman's musical adaptation of Bullets Over Broadway hit the sweet spot for me. My review's here.

The Heir Apparent

I quite like David Ives' work, especially when the comic engine gets in high gear, but he trips with his latest, The Heir Apparent. My review's here.

Greta Gerwig comes to off-Broadway

A short piece about Greta Gerwig replacing Maggie Gyllenhaal in the upcoming play The Village Bike.

The Most Deserving

Culture wars unfurl in a small Kansas town, but the satire is gentle rather than sharp. My review of this Women's Project show is here.

The Threepenny Opera

How can you stage The Threepenny Opera without anger or humor? Answer at the Atlantic. Thataway for my review.

The Realistic Joneses

Will Eno finally makes it to Broadway and the least I can say is that he didn't do it by compromising. For better or for worse, The Realistic Joneses is pure Eno. Thataway for my review.

A Raisin in the Sun

A terrific production of a terrific play: Latest revival of A Raisin in the Sun is commercial, mainstream Broadway at its finest — and no, that is not an underhanded compliment because that stuff is devilishly hard to pull off. My review's here.

The Most Happy Fella

New Encores! production makes unimpeachable case for Frank Loesser's The Most Happy Fella. Utterly glorious. Too bad I didn't have more space for my review, but hey, it's better than nothing.

Nashville stars hit the road

That would be stars of the TV show Nashville, not the actual city. And I for one am excited! Click here for my little guide as to who's going to turn up onstage.

Heathers: The Musical

The musical adaptation of Heathers sanded out the nihilistic edges but it's still a very fun show. My review's here.

If/Then

Idina Menzel's new vehicle If/Then is ambitious but flawed. Still, I liked seeing a female lead character on Broadway who's not a hysterical mom or a plucky heroine. My review's here.

Before the Walking Dead S4 finale

In anticipation of The Walking Dead's season 4 finale this Sunday, I look at the so-called back-eight episodes. I came around on Carl: That's the power of Michonne! Click here for some zombaction.

Mountain-climbing gallery

Who doesn't like a climbing movie, in which men (usually men) hang from fraying ropes or fall into crevasses? Even better if there's gunfight, too! Thataway for my selection.

King Lear

Another King Lear rolls down the pike, this time at Theatre for a New Audience. And it really, really annoyed me. Wanna know why? Head over there.

Hellman v. McCarthy

Maybe because I identify with cranks, maybe because Roberta Maxwell is so good in the part, but I was kinda rooting for Lillian Hellman in the new play Hellman v. McCarthy. Thataway for my review.

Beyond Therapy

I'm not sure Christopher Durang's 1982 farce Beyond Therapy hasn't gone past its expiration date, and the TACT company's new revival certainly doesn't make a good case for it. My review's here.

Mothers and Sons

I didn't care much for Terrence McNally's latest, Mothers and Sons. And that's an understatement. Thataway to my pan.

Les Misérables

You can't keep those French urchins away! I for one won't complain at having to see Les Misérables one time more -- I love me some bombast. Click here for my review of the latest version to hit Broadway.

Aladdin

Disney is often accused of making soulless corportate entertainment, which is a simply ridiculous accusation. Well, except in the case of its latest musical, Aladdin, which does feel designed by committee. My review's here.

Tales from Red Vienna

I think David Grimm's latest is going to be the subject of much derision — unfairly so. It's a failure, yes, but an interesting, ambitious one. And I suspect a lot of the mocking will be similar to the mocking of 1940s women's pictures, when Bette Davis or Joan Crawford sailed into the sunset alone but stronger. My review's here.

Preview of the xx at the Armory

Back to my first love with a music preview! Click here to read about the xx's forthcoming shows at the Park Avenue Armory.

Appropriate

What Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' Appropriate lacks in originality, it makes up for in sheer entertainment. Because really, who doesn't want to watch a family go up in flames at the theater? Click here for my review.

Rocky

Word to the wise: My review of the new Rocky musical is a lot more ambivalent than the headline suggests. Read for yourself here.

Hand to God

I'd missed Hand to God on its first two go-rounds at EST but hey, better late than never. My review of this formidably demented show is here.

Character Man

Jim Brochu's new "musical memoir" pays tribute to the character men (aka character actors) of yore. Thataway for my review.

All the Way

"All the Way with LBJ!" That was LBJ's campaign slogan in 1964, but it also applies to Bryan Cranston in his Broadway debut: The guy is fully committed. My review's here.

The Open House

The first of the two Will Eno plays of the spring is The Open House, at Signature. OMG, I kinda liked it! My review's here.

Sweeney Todd

The New York Philharmonic tackles Sweeney Todd again, this time with Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson. My review's here.