by Eugene Paul Actor Clifford Odets was in his twenties when Harold Clurman asked the young member of their Group Theatre to try writing a play for the Group. The result was the ground breaking Awake and Sing! which tore through the American theatrical scene putting central on the stage a family of desperate Jewish immigrants living in…
Pictured (L-R): Jennifer Mudge, Heather Lind, Alicia Silverstone photos by © Joan Marcus 2015 by Eugene Paul Lynne Meadow has been the artistic director of the Manhattan Theatre Club for forty-three years, during which time MTC has grown into one of New York City’s premier ornaments, presenting splendidly produced efforts no matter the material and…
–L to R: TORI MURRAY as Tina Denmark and KIM MARESCA as her mother photos Carol Rosegg by Glenn Giron Ruthless! spends 90 minutes poking fun at the structure and ideals of American musical comedies and movie musicals. Writer and director Joel Paley, who helmed the original 92′ Off-Broadway production, hasn’t written a single…
Lindsay Mendez and Gideon Glick photos by Joan Marcus By David Schultz Jordan Berman (Gideon Glick) is stuck in a rut. In his late 20’s, this gay gent is filled with inherent emotional longings, almost operatic in their intensity. He wants a true romance, a boy friend, not just a hook-up. His complete and utter failure…
By Julia Polinsky Beverly Coyle’s theater project, In Our Own Voice,” is subtitled “Women Veterans Tell Their Story.” Even though the program notes state that each cast member portrays numerous military women, we get one multi-faceted story, told in fragments, in words used by military women who were interviewed for this project. While researching this work,…
by Deirdre Donovan Theater impresario Scott Siegel wrapped up his signature concert series, Broadway By The Year(BBTY), with a cadre of top-notch talent at Town Hall on June 22nd. This one-night-only event focused on the last two decades of Broadway musicals, stretching from 1991 to the present day. Siegel, who created, wrote, and hosted the event, presented the…
Jonathan Groff & Aaron Lazar photos by Joan Marcus by Julia Polonsky Bravo to all the artists involved in re-imagining and updating William Finn’s A New Brain for Encores! Off-Center. The endlessly talented James Lapine not only co-authored A New Brain, but directs this production, with gusto and brio and smashing style. Encores! Off Center productions, which are effectively staged…
by R. Pikser Sean Roschman often shares his programs with other choreographers, a wise move for someone starting out. For this season his program partner was Omar Román De Jesus, whose new piece,Saakasu (circus) occupied the middle of the hour-long program, while Mr. Roschman’s pieces opened and closed the program. Photos courtesy of sean@roschmandance.com In his opening piece, Learning to…
Jesse Eisenberg, Kunal Nayyar, Annapurna Sriram, Erin Darke and Michael Zegen Photo credit: Monique Carboni By David Schultz Actor Jesse Eisenberg makes it easy to detest his character onstage in his latest play at The New Group. This talented, intense actor seems to be drawn to essay unsavory people that in real life you would…
Chris Noth and Zach Grenier in DOCTOR FAUSTUS. … Joan Marcus by Deirdre Donovan Christopher Marlowe’s warhorse Doctor Faustus gets new legs at the Classical Stage Company this season. As adapted by David Bridel and Andrei Belgrader, who also directs, it may lose some of its grandeur but gains a lot of levity and comic bite with its…