Contributing Writer
David Hyde Pierce By Michall Jeffers David Hyde Pierce is lovable. There’s a vulnerability and a wry humor that’s totally endearing; from the moment he steps on stage, the audience is with him. This proves to be almost a liability as the play progresses. The show opens with Pierce, as Nate Martin, delivering a…
Lucian Potts and Tim Kang photos by Joan Marcus by Michall Jeffers Food, family, and frustration are the ties that bind us The aubergine of the title is the shiny purple vegetable we call “eggplant.” It’s a gift to Ray (Tim Kang), a troubled chef who reluctantly agrees to take his father (Stephen Park)…
by Michall Jeffers Sand, soulfulness, and summer love Yes, that’s real sand setting the tone for Indian Summer, the final production of the splendid Playwrights Horizons season. Waves are crashing on the beach as Daniel (Owen Campbell) tries to pass the time. He wears a plaid shirt, khaki shorts, and sneakers, and sports long,…
Jefferson Mays and Bryce Pinkham photos by Joan Marcus A Gentleman’s Guide To Love & Murder By Michall Jeffers The time is ripe for a good laugh, either for the first time, or for a revisit. A Gentleman’s Guide To Love & Murder is arguably the best musical of the season, and very possibly…
Jessica Lange and Gabriel Byrne Photos by Joan Marcus By Michall Jeffers Long Day’s Journey Into Night is aptly named. At nearly four hours long, this glimpse into the life of a highly dysfunctional family can take its toll. The Tyrones are a mess. James, the patriarch (Gabriel Byrne), is a second rate actor…
Frank Langella photos by Joan Marcus By Michall Jeffers If Frank Langella were a British actor, he’d be a Lord by now. There’s no one who’s better, both at comedy and tragedy. In The Father, he gets a chance to nimbly jump from one to the other, and the result is a production that…
Nat DeWolf, Maria Striar, Crystal Finn & April Matthis photos by Joan Marcus by Michall Jeffers Winston Churchill described Russia as “ A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” The same could be said, much less profoundly, of Antlia Pneumatica. Just when you think you’ve gotten a handle on it, the play…
By Michall Jeffers Hey kids, let’s get together and put on a show! This is the spirit of “Disaster!” A large part of the entertainment is that the actors on stage are having so much fun; we get the idea that they’ve known each other and worked together for a long time. Adding to…
Ito Aghayere and Melanie Nicholls-King Photos by Joan Marcus By Michall Jeffers The United States is a nation of immigrants. The tug-of-war between assimilating and keeping tradition alive is indeed Familiar to many Americans. And what better way could this conflict come to a head than planning a wedding. Marvelous Chinyaramwira (Tamara Tunie) and her…
Jeremy Shamos, Kate Jennings Grant, David Furr, Andrea Martin & Campbell Scott By Michall Jeffers Andrea Martin is an actor who can do no wrong. So it comes as no surprise that in Noises Off, she effortlessly leads the company to glorious comic heights, and the audience to a fevered pitch of laugh out…