Reviews Archives

  • The Tempest

    Francesca Carpanini as Miranda and Sam Waterston as Prospero in a scene from “The Tempest” at the Delacorte Theater (Photo credit: Joan Marcus)                                               by Michall Jeffers It was only fitting that the sky was threatening; it had been raining hard all day, and everyone wondered if the show would go on. It did, of course;…

  • The Qualms

                            by Eugene Paul Well, it’s like this: those qualms playwright Bruce Norris is suggesting are not just yours after seeing the Playbill cover but the quaking anxieties that palpitate through Chris (absolutely wonderful Jeremy Shamos) in an award worthy performance as he and his new bride Kristy (stunning Sarah Goldberg) begin their leery explorations with…

  • The Mar Vista

    Yehuda Hyman (featured male),  Amanda Schussel                     Photos by Napoleon Gladney                                             By R. Pikser The Mar Vista is the neighborhood of Los Angeles where Yehuda Hyman, the creator of this piece, grew up.  The Mar Vista is a tale of Hyman’s parents, primarily his beautiful mother and how, after her travels from Eastern Europe, through Turkey, and after many love…

  • Ever After

    Ever After at Paper Mill Playhouse; Photo by Jerry Dalia; Margo Seibert (Danielle) and James Snyder (Henry).                   by David Schultz Paper Mill Playhouse is currently presenting the world premiere of a new musical based on the 1989 film. Fairy tale musicals have been around a very long time, and this new riff on the fairy…

  • Prosperous Fools

    Taylor Mac (Photo: Hollis King) Prosperous Fools By Deirdre Donovan In Prosperous Fools, playwright-provocateur Taylor Mac lobs a glitter bomb straight at the glitterati, skewering the pomp, pretension, and performative philanthropy of the nonprofit gala circuit. Loosely riffing on Molière’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme and staged with gleeful excess by director Darko Tresnjak, this biting new…

  • Soho Rep’s 10 out of 12

                                 By Glenn Giron  From go it’s realized that this will not be your ordinary play. You’re handed a headset and taught how to use it and funny, unorthodox, pre show announcements are expressed to you through your new little toy.    You sit there excited like a kid waiting for a 4D show at an amusement park…

  • Time Stands Still

    Tom Coppola as James and Amber Mason as Sarah                                            by Ed Lieberman  The Armonk Players are staging a timely story at Whippoorwill Hall: Time Stands Still, a Tony Award nominated play by Donald Margulies that tells what is now a familiar tale of the ravages of war, but from a slightly different perspective, and addresses some…

  • Mamma Mia

                                           By Michall Jeffers Suggestion: if you have out-of-town visitors this summer, take them to see Mama Mia. At the performance I attended, the audience was filled with foreign tourists, many of them Asian, and they were having a ball. Let’s face it, the plot is simple, and the language is easy to understand for anyone with…

  • The Way We Get By

    Thomas Sadoski and Amanda Seyfried              (Photo credit: Joan Marcus)              By David Schultz The initial moments of this new play holds some promise. A man stumbles out of a   bedroom and fumbles around in the dim light, searching for a drink. He is awkward, out of his element, not in his own apartment, and clearly embarrassed by what…

  • Stars In The Alley

    Hosted by  HEDWIG’s Darren Chris “So good to be back on Broadway again (How To Succeed, 2012)                                                                        By Jeanne Lieberman It was SRO in the crowded Shubert Alley as lucky fans had a chance to see Broadway stars representing 26 musicals and plays showing off just what makes New York Theater great!  A versatile…