All in Review

REVIEW: A smashing, feminist “My Fair Lady” starring Lauren Ambrose

Lincoln Center Theater delivers a grand, first rate, feminist revival of Lerner and Loewe’s classic musical, “My Fair Lady”.  Perfectly keyed to this moment while honoring the greatness of its text and score, director Bartlett Sher hits another home run, and Lauren Ambrose and Harry Hadden-Paton give smashing, revolutionary performances as Eliza Doolittle and Professor Higgins.  A great revival of a great musical to end the season on a high note.

REVIEW: “Rocktopia”

“Rocktopia” is a one-trick rock concert in which snippets of top-shelf, survey deep classical compositions are mashed-up with and swallowed whole by beloved rock songs from the 1970s and 1980s.  Garishly self-indulgent, sublimely absurd, bland, and loud, you can skip this well-intentioned musical experiment gone awry.

REVIEW: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel”

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” is back on Broadway in a big, bold, and beautiful new production that is both soaringly operatic and heart-wrenchingly intimate, thanks to a quintet of smashing principal performances, stunning choreography, enchanting sets, and a generously sized orchestra.  Great musicals of the golden age deserve to be seen; pay a visit to this glorious “Carousel”.

REVIEW: “Children of a Lesser God”

“Children of a Lesser God” is one play whose sell-by date has definitely passed; even given embers of a still burning debate about deaf culture and identity, this plodding and clinical revival is dull, stale, unremarkable, and problematic in its treatment of a relationship between a deaf student and her teacher.  Despite strong performances by TV’s Joshua Jackson and deaf actor Lauren Ridloff, skip this one.

REVIEW: “This Flat Earth”

“This Flat Earth”, by Lindsey Ferrentino, unintentionally taps into the headlines to explore what happens when a school shooting shatters the world of a 13 year old survivor; while good ideas and questions abound, the play is unfocused and unrealistic, too lightly sketching its characters and lacking a central, cohesive, and convincing point of view.

REVIEW: “Mean Girls” is fetch!

Tina Fey’s “Mean Girls” the musical is a triumphant burst of high-energy fun, artfully written and brilliantly executed.  This stage adaption is every bit as funny as the now-iconic 2004 film, and even more effective at delivering its message of self-confidence and kindness, thanks to good writing, great design, a boffo cast, and the guiding hand of director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw.  In a season of too few musicals, “Mean Girls” is a standout. 

REVIEW: “Goldstein”

“Goldstein” is an intimate, delightful, and tender new musical about familial bonds amid changing times; excellent performances and a classic 1960s musical theatre score make up for a lackluster book and underwhelming production values.  Still, it is sweet, heartwarming, and relatable.