“The Last Match”, a new play set during a tennis match at the U.S. Open, is an exhilarating and smart exploration of the athlete’s psyche.
All in Off-Broadway
REVIEW: “The Portuguese Kid”—John Patrick Shanley’s Neil Simon
“The Portuguese Kid”, written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, is a fun and funny relationship comedy that borrows an old formula, and yet flashes an au courant bend. Not everything needs to be Greek tragedy. This is one play you can sit back and enjoy.
REVIEW: A grim, subterranean future in “After the Blast”
“After the Blast” by Zoe Kazan at Lincoln Center's Claire Tow Theatre provides a well-acted story that imagines a grim, post-apocalyptic future underground where our characters grapple with depression and search for life’s meaning and purpose. Oh, and there’s a robot in the cast.
REVIEW: After 35 years, “Torch Song” revival is well worth the wait
After a 35-year absence in New York, Second Stage Theater’s revival of Harvey Fierstein’s landmark gay play “Torch Song” is well worth the wait; this hilarious and touching production is anchored by the virtuosic Michael Urie in a star turn you won’t want to miss. Get tickets now. You won’t regret it.
REVIEW: A Gorgeous Adaptation of “Tiny Beautiful Things”
Cheryl Strayed’s “Tiny Beautiful Things” is a powerful and moving testament to the strength and resilience of the soul. This gorgeous play has just extended to December 10th; get a ticket if you can.
REVIEW: "Too Heavy for Your Pocket" - exploring those "small places, close to home"
“Too Heavy for Your Pocket” is a stunning, powerful, and moving portrait of two ordinary couples living at the crossroads of an extraordinary time - Nashville, Tennessee in the summer of 1961. It is a beautiful, joyous, and heart-wrenching story that examines life on both the margins and at the epicenter of historic change, challenging us to think about our role in making progress, from the moral imperative at hand to the risk, cost, and danger involved. This play is a "must see".
REVIEW: “A Clockwork Orange” onstage – why?
The stage adaptation of the celebrated book and film is an entertaining production, but ultimately doesn’t add anything new to the material. Read the book or watch the Kubrick masterpiece instead.
REVIEW: Everybody needs “Charm”
Everybody needs charm, as Mama Darleena says. And everybody needs “Charm”—this heartwarming comedy about finding love and respect within the trans and queer community. The play isn’t perfect, but it is important.
REVIEW: “As You Like It” in Identity Crisis
Lovers of Shakespeare looking for a droll if-uninspired jaunt might enjoy this production of "As You Like It", otherwise skip this ill-conceived and ill-executed adaption, and wait for a better production by director John Doyle.
REVIEW: Growing Up and Growing Old in “For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday”
Sarah Ruhl’s latest play, “For Peter Pan on her 70th” Birthday”, which opened at Playwrights Horizons on Wednesday night, poses some good questions but falls short of being the play it could and ambitiously set out to be.
It’s Labor Day. Somehow summer’s over. And now it’s time to get serious about the fall season! Read my overview of what's coming to Broadway and what to watch for Off-Broadway, in dance, music, and the cabaret scene.
REVIEW: “Woody Sez” – a Hootenanny that Packs a Political Punch
“Woody Sez” is a sumptuous slice of Americana, a down-home celebration of a founding father of our nation’s folk music, and a starkly relevant piece of political theatre; lovers of folk music should run to catch it before it closes on September 10th.