Laurie Metcalf, John Lithgow Photos: Julieta Cervantes Hillary and Clinton By Fern Siegel Hindsight is always 20-20. That’s especially true as history unfolds — and we see the consequences of presidential elections. But before the insidious manipulation of social media or the Mueller Report, the presidential election of 2008 proved a…
Captions: (left to right) Ephraim Sykes, Jeremy Pope, Jawan M. Jackson, James Harkness, and Derrick Baskin in Ain’t Too Proud (photo by Matthew Murphy) Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations by Deirdre Donovan The good news from Broadway is that Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of…
Rebecca Naomi Jones and Damon Daunno photos by Teddy Wolff by Julia Polinsky Director Daniel Fish’s integrated, intimate, immersive staging of one of the landmark pieces of American musical theater transforms Rodgers and Hammerstein’s sunbeams-and-cornpone vision of America into art as dark as the oil-soaked soil of the state itself. Though not…
Kiss Me, Kate by Deirdre Donovan If you think that Cole Porter’s 1948 musical comedy Kiss Me, Kate is an entertainment for yesteryear, then hie you to Studio 54 where Scott Ellis’ crackling revival of the classic will make you change your mind in a New York minute. Starring Kelli O’Hara, Will Chase,…
Ethan Hawke, Paul Dano Photo: Joan Marcus by Fern Siegel Before we knew the term “toxic masculinity,” Sam Shepard’s 1980 play True West, now in revival at the American Airlines Theatre, reveled in it. The story of two mismatched brothers is a study in menace, sibling rivalry and family despair. It’s like…
Jeff Daniels photos by Julieta Cervantes To Kill a Mockingbird By Ron Cohen Aaron Sorkin has done a monumental job in transplanting Harper Lee’s revered novel To Kill a Mockingbird into dramatic form. And it’s being performed in an emotion-grabbing production that helps elevate an extraordinary Broadway season for straight plays to even…
Nicholas J. Ashe, J. Quinton Johnson, Jeremy Pope, Caleb Eberhardt ,John Clay III Photos by Matthew Murphy , By Ron Cohen In 1968, the writings of Lorraine Hansberry were adapted into a posthumous play entitled To Be Young, Gifted and Black. The title, later shaped into a song by Nina Simone, became…
Stephanie J Block in The Cher Show. Photograph: Joan Marcus By Eugene Paul Three Chers for the Cher Show, Hip, Hip Hooray, Hip, Hip Hooray, Hip Hip Hooray! Because that’s how many Chers it takes to play the phenomenon, scculpted, molded, and twenty-five years younger than the seventy-two she is inhabiting. She…
Elaine May photos by Brigitte Lacombe by Deirdre Donovan Kenneth Lonergan’s 1999 play, The Waverly Gallery, is in revival at the John Golden Theatre with a top-notch cast. Starring the legendary Elaine May, and directed by Lila Neugebauer (making her Broadway debut), it is a poignant portrait of an octogenarian suffering from Alzheimer’s disease…
Bryan Cranston. Photo: Jan Versweyveld By Fern Siegel Sometimes, the past is prologue. That’s especially true when it comes to the power of media and technology. It can be a force for good or evil, as Howard Beale, the United Broadcasting System’s TV anchor, makes clear in the riveting drama…