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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Alistair Brammer as Chris and Eva Noblezada as Kim in Miss Saigon. Miss Saigon by Deirdre Donovan The chopper is back on Broadway! Cameron Mackintosh’s anticipated new production of Boublil and Schönberg’s legendary musical Miss Saigon opened on Broadway at The Broadway Theatre on March 23rd as fresh as an orange blossom. …
Ari Brand and Robert David Grant Photos by Richard Termin The Lucky One By Ron Cohen Can a person be too charming? That’s the dilemma facing Gerald Farringdon, the central character in A. A. Milne’s comedy drama The Lucky One, first produced in 1922 and now getting a sturdy revival…
Jennifer Swiderski, (as Rosie) Michelle Dawson as Donna Sheridan) and Elise Kinnon (as Tanya) By Ed Lieberman After a string of smaller productions (The Bikinis; Christmas Inn; Million Dollar Quartet; Always, Patsy Cline), WBT restarts its 2017 season with its 200th production: Mamma Mia!, a musical based on the songs of ABBA, who have…
By Ron Cohen Since 1879, Nora Helmer, the heroine of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, has been repeatedly slamming the door on her stultifying marriage, leaving behind household, husband and children. Now, in a sequel boldly written by Lucas Hnath and forthrightly entitled A Doll’s House, Part 2, it’s 15 years later, and…
Bette Midler Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes By Eugene Paul Well, she’s back where she belongs, that sassy, brassy, inimitable force of good natured Dolly Levi and I hope she never goes away again, only this time she’s Bette Midler who used to be known as the Divine Miss M but now bids fair…