Lips Together, Teeth Apart

Not a season goes by without at least one, often two, sometimes three pieces by Terrence McNally. Hot on the heels of It's Only a Play comes the Second Stage revival of Lips Together, Teeth Apart. Which I mostly like despite problems having to do with the casting. My review's here.

Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

Suzan-Lori Parks' latest is just the beginning of her nine-part Father Comes Home from the Wars epic. It sure made me want to see more. My review's here.

The Last Ship

Can't say I loved Sting's Broadway debut as a composer, The Last Ship, but I found enough to enjoy — especially the love story. My review's here.

Disgraced redux

It's not until I saw Hari Dhillon in Disgraced that I fully realized just how good Aasif Mandvi had been in the same role. The new production's a bummer. And not in a good way. My review's here.

Deliverance

James Dickey's Deliverance doesn't look like it could be turned into a play, but the ingenious production now playing 59E59 proves otherwise. My review.

The Fortress of Solitude

The new musical based on Jonathan Lethem's The Fortress of Solitude is a valiant effort, but some key structural problems get in the way. My review's here.

Billy & Ray

Billy & Ray, about Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler's collaboration on the screenplay for Double Indemnity, pretty much gets everything wrong. Click here for my review.

4:48 Psychosis

One must tread with caution when dealing with Sarah Kane's 4:48 Psychosis -- a play about a suicidal woman written shortly before Kane killed herself. My review of the Polish production at St. Ann's Warehouse is here.

This week's Good Wife posts

First, I chatted with costume designer Dan Lawson about Alicia's evolution from politician's wife to politician. Then I welcomed the return of FBI Agent Lana Delaney (Jill Flint) back to The Good Wife.

The Belle of Amherst

I was pleasantly surprised by The Belle of Amherst, a well-made bioplay starring Joely Richardson. And give me a break about Julie Harris owning the role: I didn't see her, and it was 30 years ago. My review's here.

On the Town

Best thing about the new revival of On the Town: Megan Fairchild as Ivy Smith -- a role that, for some reason, is usually boring. (Second best thing: no Lea DeLaria.) My review's here.

Found

Another satisfying off-Broadway musical! Found is completely different from Ghost Quartet yet it also satisfies -- this is a show that does what it sets out to do really well. My review's here.

Ghost Quartet

Dave Malloy's new song cycle, Ghost Quartet, doesn't have the satisfying narrative drive of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, but it's still a wondrous night at the theater. My review's here. At this point, just go see whatever this guy's doing on trust.

Generations

First stumble in years for Soho Rep, one of my favorite companies. Ah well, the law of averages... Click here for my review of Generations.

More Good Wife articles

I talked to costume designer Dan Lawson about how he makes Lemond Bishop look so darn good on The Good Wife. And for good measure I chatted with Mike Colter, who plays said sexy kingpin.

While I Yet Live

Billy Porter's play-as-therapy-as-play effort is well-meaning but a bit of a mess. My review's here.

It's Only a Play

After I genuflect to Nathan Lane, let me correct the title to Terrence McNally's comedy: It's Barely a Play. Details in my review, which is here.

The Walking Dead

My review of The Walking Dead's season 5 premiere is here. Some people think there are spoilers; I don't. In any case, you've been warned.

Shakespeare's Sonnets

I started by adoring Robert Wilson. Then he bored me to death in the 1990s and '00s (those Lou Reed and Tom Waits shows? Yikes!) Now I've come full circle and love him again. My review of Shakespeare's Sonnets at BAM is here.

Interview with Rob Halford

Ah, Rob Halford, Metal God™ and consummate gentleman. Click here for my interview with Judas Priest's frontman.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Almost predictably, I quite loved The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time on Broadway. Formally inventive, smart, heartfelt. Now my question is: Why do American productions have such a hard time pulling off this mix? My review's here.

The Country House

Mild entertainment — very, very mild — at Donald Margulies' latest, The Country House. A textbook example of an MTC production at the Friedman, I'm afraid. Click here for my review.

Cinderella redux

I revisited Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella on Wednesday, now with Keke Palmer and Sherri Shepherd. Those expecting a Rosie-type crash will be disappointed. My re-review is here.

Tail! Spin!

Mario Correa's bright idea: to use only the public record for his play about political sex scandals, Tail! Spin! We went through it all before -- Anthony Weiner, Larry Craig, etc. -- but hearing those words resonate is just mind-blowing. My review's here.

A Walk in the Woods

Kathleen Chalfant is predictably good in gender-bending revival of A Walk in the Woods, but that play doesn't really go anywhere now does it? Click here for my review.

Indian Ink

My issue with Tom Stoppard's Indian Ink is the same I have with most of his plays: very smart but paper-thin characterization. In this case it's especially frustrating because the cast includes the awesome Rosemary Harris and Romola Garai. My review's here.

You Can't Take It With You

Kaufman and Hart's 1936 chestnut gets an appropriately funny revival on Broadway. I feel lucky to have been able to see comic snipers Kristine Nielsen, Julie Halson, Annaleigh Ashford, Crystal Dickinson and Rose Byrne on one stage. My review's here.

Interview with Kate Walsh

Kate Walsh is one of the spunkiest (including in the Australian sense of the word — look it up) actors around, and it was a lot of fun talking to her about her new series, Bad Judge. My feature's here.

Scenes from a Marriage

As much as I value the work of directors, especially Ivo van Hove's, I think his concept for the new Scenes from a Marriage at NYTW kind of stifles the show. My review's here.

The Money Shot

Neil LaBute's new play is a bit of a red herring: While set in Hollywood, it's not about Hollywood. Rather, it skewers today's moral and intellectual relativism. My review's here.

The Valley of Astonishment

Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne's The Valley of Astonishment is beautiful, sensitive, well-crafted … and it leaves you wondering "So what?" My review's here.

Love Letters

A. R. Gurney's Love Letters returns to Broadway with a cavalcade of stars. First off the gates were Brian Dennehy and Mia Farrow, so that's who I reviewed.

Rock Bottom

I've seen Bridget Everett many. many times at this point, but she still surprises me. Her new show, Rock Bottom, is more of the same yet different. Oh heck, just go see it. But first, read my review.

The Fatal Weakness

The Mint revives George Kelly's dramedy The Fatal Weakness. (Feels weird to use a word like "dramedy" for a 1947 play but there you go...) My review's here.

Mighty Real

Mighty Real is the kind of show that's not great but super-fun -- and as you may gather from the title, it is about Sylvester. Wall-to-wall live disco? I never say no. My review's here.

Dry Land

Totally bought Ruby Rae Spiegel's first full-length play, Dry Land, brought to us by the equally vital company Colt Coeur. Seating's limited so act fast! My review's here.

This Is Our Youth

What a beautiful production Kenneth Lonergan's play is gettin at the Cort! My review's here.

Bootycandy

Robert O'Hara's Bootycandy is candid and funny and sexy and mean and all kinds of fun. Also too long but hey, that's what happens when playwrights direct themselves. My review's here.

Bauer

Never heard of painter Rudolf Bauer? New drama Bauer tries to fix that. My review's here.

Looking back at Ruthless!

Once upon a time, in a faraway galaxy -- ie 1992 New York -- Natalie Portman and Britney Spears were in the same show. As that show, Ruthless!, is being revived, I looked back at its inception. Come and board the hot-tub time machine!

Boys and Girls

Four Irish youths search for love or sex or a combination of the above in the charming but slight Boys and Girls. My review's here.

The Wayside Motor Inn

Signature brings back A. R. Gurney's 1977 piece The Wayside Motor Inn, which is based on an Alan Ayckbourn-type conceptual gambit. My review's here.

Red Eye of Love

You know a show's in trouble when it can't tell the difference between charming and creepy in its leading man. And that's only the beginning of the problems here... My review of this new musical is here.

Trade Practices

Reaching Trade Practices is a bit of an adventure -- it's on Governors Island -- and the show itself keeps the audience on its toes. Balancing didacticism and satire is tough, tough. My review's here.

And I and Silence

Naomi Wallace's new play at Signature, And I and Silence, left me a little cold, which is weird considering how emotionally heated it's trying to be. My review's here.

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.