Reviews Archives

  • The Bikinis

    l to r: Joanna Young, Karyn Quakenbush, Katy Blake, Anne Fraser Thomas The Bikinis                                                              By Ed Lieberman With almost perfect timing, the Westchester Broadway Theatre has mounted a production tailor made to counteract our (finally) winter weather. The Bikinis is a jukebox musical about a fictional 1960’s girls group, consisting of two sisters, a…

  • JONAH AND OTTO

    L to R: RUPERT SIMONIAN as Jonah and SEAN GORMLEY as Otto in by Robert Holman at The Lion Theatre at Theatre Row Photos: Davidawa Photography Jonah and Otto                                                           by Eugene Paul Designer Ann Beyersdorf’s captivatingly beautiful setting, a ruined, walled, English garden, is the secret haunt of silver haired Otto (splendid Sean…

  • The Object Lesson

    Geoff Sobelle in NYTW’s THE OBJECT LESSON, Photoa… Joan Marcus.jpg The Object Lesson                                                   By Ron Cohen Piles of props and a nimble raconteur make for a telling journey through the debris of living. “What the hell is going on here?” creator and performer Geoff Sobelle asks early on in his solo show The…

  • John

    Kevin Meehan (left) and Jing Xu (right)                             Photo by Mark Garvin.                                                             by David Schultz The Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia has mounted a rapturous production of Annie Baker’s mysterious work. The entire cast is in perfect sync with this investigation into the magical universe that Ms. Baker has created. Theatergoers are enveloped in a…

  • Yours Unfaithfully

    Max von Essen and Mikaela Izquierdo                                By David Schultz Hard to fathom that this mildly diverting play penned in 1933 has never seen the light of day…until now that is. The highly regarded Mint Theater has dusted off this faded jewel and spiffed it up for a new century. On paper at least,…

  • The Beauty Queen of Leenane

    Marie Mullen as Mag Folan and Aisling O’Sullivan as Maureen Folan Photo Credit:Richard Termine                                             by Deirdre Donovan A bit of Grand Guignol to start off the New Year? Admirers of Martin McDonagh now have a chance to see a revival of The Beauty Queen of Leenane at The Brooklyn Academy of…

  • Jitney

    Joan Marcus From left, John Douglas Thompson, Michael Potts, Anthony Chisholm and Brandon J. Dirden                                                                By Ron Cohen One of the first things that may strike you in watching Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s lovingly directed production of Jitney is the joy his company of nine actors seems to bring on stage in performing August Wilson’s…

  • The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart

    Melody Grove                                                                   (Photos by Jenny Anderson)                                                   By Ron Cohen Is Hell really next door to a Costco parking lot? Whether true or not, that intriguing factoid is put forth with a completely straight face in The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart. It’s one of the many elements, both large and small, that make…

  • Savion Glover at the Blue Note

                                          by Deirdre Donovan Savion Glover needs no introduction.  On a 5-foot by 8-foot stage at the Blue Note Jazz Club, Glover furiously tapped and tore up the boards with his famous “hitting” technique for an hour plus change.  No rangy movements were possible on the tiny raised wooden platform.  But the legendary…

  • The Present

    Cate Blanchett and Richard Roxburgh  (JOAN MARCUS/©2016 JOAN MARCUS)                                By Ron Cohen Libidos run amok, fueled by a flood tide of wine and vodka, in Sydney Theatre Company’s luminous production of The Present. But before all that sexuality breaks loose, there’s plenty of talk…talk that often grabs the intellect and plucks at the…