Attention Gilbert & Sullivan purists: though you may be passionate about the original, you won’t be able to resist the current giddy reinvention of The Pirates of Penzance, their immortal operetta that premiered in New York in 1879 to protect its copyright from piracy (forgive me), a fate that had befallen their earlier HMS Pinafore….
Kimberly Belflower’s John Proctor Is The Villain draws an exhilarating, troubling portrait of teenage girls as they once were, are now, and may forever be. Set in 2018, and dealing with the mass of new, increasing, and disturbing #MeToo accusations at all levels of society, the play is, in some ways, a period piece. In…
First things first: you do not need to be at all familiar with the Netflix series to enjoy Stranger Things: The First Shadow, now on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre. You know zip, zero, nothing? That’s fine, because the Broadway show stands on its own. It may not be an origin story to you, just…
George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s new play, Good Night, and Good Luck, an adaptation of their 2005 film, arrives on Broadway with plenty of buzz. Directed by David Cromer, this production doesn’t disappoint, largely due to Clooney’s charisma and his affecting portrayal of the revered broadcast journalist, Edward R. Murrow. Describing Good Night, and Good…
First, this Smash is a departure from the NBC series. The theatrical focus is on the making of Bombshell: The Marilyn Monroe Musical, not the who-will-play-Marilyn frenzy that accompanied the maligned TV show or what New York termed “appointment hate-watch.” That’s a plus — as this Smash is a musical comedy, a tart valentine to…
Betty Boop was a Jazz Age creation, known for her sexy body, high-pitched voice and flirty charm. Inspired, in part, by two 1920s jazz singers, Helen Kane and Baby Esther, she made her debut in 1930 in the Fleischer Studios’ Talkartoons. And such is her appeal, she’s remained a public figure for almost 100 years….
Ever heard of “cinetheatre”? You’d better get used to the term describing this groundbreaking new theatrical form. It’s making a dramatic impact on the Broadway stage this season, and it’s a harbinger of a whole new technological trend to come. You have to see it to believe it. It’s too complicated to describe. But bear…
Andrew Scott takes on the Herculean task of performing a one-man production of Anton Chekhov’s 1898 tragicomedy and succeeds in turning it into a mesmerizing virtuoso performance. Directed by Sam Yates, and created by Scott, along with Yates, Simon Stephens, and Rosanna Vize, Stephen’s adaptation in modern vernacular with anglicized names retains all of the…
Are there two Kieran Culkins? The one who shows up in the first act of the uneven revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross is, let’s say it, something of a disaster. He’s slower and softer than everyone who has preceded him, throwing Mamet’s galloping but precise rhythms totally off. Intermission passes, and the Culkin…
The best anti-depressant in the world is playing now at the Schoenfeld on 45th Street. Forget your Prozac, your Xanax, your anti-anxiety meds. Run, don’t walk, to see Buena Vista Social Club and let its magic blend of song, story, music, and dance wash the world out of your hair for two delightful hours. This…