All in Review
“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.
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.
This mostly-forgotten play from 1938 receives a well-appointed revival by the Roundabout Theatre Company, disarming in its simplicity but haunting in its juxtaposition of the imagined future with its disappointing reality. But, ultimately, “Time and the Conways” operates better in idea than reality.
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.
“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".
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.
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.
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.
Justin Sayre’s cabaret act at Joe's Pub is a tribute to sex workers and a secret love letter to the City of New York, showcasing his remarkable talent for extracting poignancy and humanity amid laughter. Miss his return to New York at your own peril.
“The Rite of Spring” (1975) and “Café Müller” (1978), legendary choreographer Pina Bausch's two most iconic works, are the sold-out centerpiece of BAM’s Next Wave Festival; Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch carries on following sudden Bausch's death in 2009, delivering a performance as fresh, profound, and exhilarating as ever.
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.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore’s mostly-one man show “Michael Moore: The Terms of My Surrender” opened on August 10th to middling, mildly-hostile reviews. Since Mr. Moore’s show was announced, I had wondered to myself: “what is this?” Last Tuesday, I found out.
