Off-Broadway Archives

Sanjit De Silva, Claire Danes, and John Krasinski           photos by Carol Rosegg   Dry Powder                                                  By Ron Cohen “People don’t relate to me,” says Jenny, the delightfully monstrous financial executive portrayed with laser-like acuity by Claire Danes in Dry Powder, an exceptional new comedy by Sarah Burgess. The reverse, of course, is equally…

Ray (Alex Breaux) swims a lap in the pool that scenic designer Riccardo Hernandez (© Joan Marcus)                                       By Rachel Goddard The play begins with Ray, played by Alex Breaux (The Real Thing) swimming the length of a plexiglass-walled pool which covers the entire front portion of the stage, the creative innovation of set-designer,…

(L-R) Susannah Flood, George Demas, Kati Brazda and Carter Hudson in ‘The Effect’ Courtesy of Matthew Murphy                                        by Deirdre Donovan Lucy Prebble’s provocative new play The Effect, is a brain-teaser with a heart.  Superbly directed by David Cromer, and under the aegis of The National Theatre of Great Britain’s North American wing, it’s…

                        by Deirdre Donovan The Actors Theatre Company (TACT) and the Gingold Theatrical Group (GTG) join hands and mount George Bernard Shaw first play Widowers’ Houses.   Under the direction of the GTG’s Artistic Director David Staller, this is a rare opportunity to see Shaw’s maiden play staged with meticulous care. The program’s cover neatly…

                           By Ron Cohen The Royale is a taut, sometimes harrowing depiction of racism in America circa 1900, which unfortunately still resonates powerfully today. It’s also inventive drama, directed with élan and acted with incandescent fury. As a program note tells us, Marco Ramirez’s play is based on the life of Jack Johnson,…

Patrick Noonan, Jordan Ahnquist                    photos by Carol Rosegg                                    by Judd Hollander Genre-bending hilarity is assured at Shear Madness at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages. Based on the 1963 German play Scherenschnitt by Paul Pörtner, the show is making its very long-awaited New York debut. The play  opened in Boston in 1980 – where it continues…

                                    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…