Reviews Archives

  • From Camelot to California – The Worlds of Lerner and Loewe

    Bryce Pinkham, Lauren Worsham, Chuck Cooper, Lilli Cooper, Ryan Silverman.  Photo credit Richard Termine     by Deirdre Donovan Wouldn’t it be loverly if the best songs of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe could be resurrected in a live stage performance for New Yorkers?  Well, that recently happened at the 92nd Street Y when…

  • Julius Caesar

    Gregg Henry, center, and the company                   (Credit: Joan Marcus)                                   By Arney Rosenblat The current retelling of the life and death of Julius Caesar, the 400 year old historic tale by William Shakespeare, has become a battle field, with friends of the present political administration whipping up the crowds to anger and retaliation just…

  • Rioult Dance New York

                                         By R. Pikser   The high point of the Rioult Dance is the dancers.  They move beautifully and they find a way to make each and every transition necessary and clean.  Rioult’s lifts, which often stop halfway through their trajectory, are performed effortlessly, the dancers seemingly perched on air.  Their energy is filled…

  • Bella An American Tall Tale

    Ashley D. Kelley (as Bella)               photos by Joan Marcus                            by Julia Polinsky It’s so tempting to like Bella: an American Tall Tale a lot. There’s so much to like! The cast for one thing; the talented and charming Ashley D. Kelley, as Bella, leads a group of ridiculously good actors. Special kudos…

  • The Government Inspector

    Mary Testa, Michael McGrath, Michael Urie, and Talene Monahon    photos Carol Rosegg                                                            By Ron Cohen Believe it or not, some two hours of Russian-themed political corruption can provide you with a rollicking good time. You just have to forget our current imbroglios in Washington, DC, and turn yourself over to Red Bull Theater’s…

  • The Deborah Zall Project – In the Company of Women

                                                       By R. Pikser     The Martha Graham Company has an enormous studio space on the 11th floor of WestBeth, the artists’ housing and studio space complex in Greenwich Village.  On this weekend, Deborah Zall, a former Graham dancer,  presented her homage to three of her teachers, also former Graham dancers, by staging…

  • Gently Down the Stream

                             by Deirdre Donovan The real reason to see Martin Sherman’s new play Gently Down the Stream, directed by Sean Mathias, is to see the one-and-only Harvey Fierstein back on a New York stage.  The Tony Award winning actor-playwright teams up with another Tony Award winner, Gabriel Ebert (Matilda), and Christopher Sears…

  • Antigone

                                                               Juliette Binoche, photo credit: Stephanie Berger                                              by Deirdre Donovan Sophokles’ Antigone might be old as the hills but with Belgian director Ivo van Hove and French actress Juliette Binoche teaming up in a new modern-dress version, the play gains cache and interest at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s 2015 Next Wave Festival. This touring production is a very…

  • The Golden Apple

    Lindsay Mendez (Helen) and Barton Cowperthwaite (Paris)                     phtos by Joan Marcus                                by Deirdre Donovan The only conclusion to come to after seeing The Golden Apple at New York City Center is that the dedicated folks at Encores! leave no stone unturned when they search for obscure musical treasures that once graced a New…

  • Venus

    By Ron Cohen There ae no burning crosses or lynchings, but the racism depicted in Suzan-Lori Parks’ Venus is virulent. This 1966 drama is being given a colorful and bruising Signature Theatre revival. Directed by Lear Debessonet and featuring a vibrant performance by Zainab Jah in the central role, the production renders full value to…