All stories by David Roberts on BroadwayStars

Monday, May 14, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: Clare Barron’s “Dance Nation” Explores the Angst of Adolescence with Cathartic Wit at Playwrights Horizons’ Peter Jay Sha by David Roberts

In an explosive unison Greek-Chorus, the girls share their wish that society would urge the importance of their personal individuality as much as their sexually stereotyped identities. It is…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 02:51PM
Monday, May 7, 2018

Broadway Review: Valor Rules Supreme in "Three Tall Women" at the John Golden Theatre by David Roberts

Miriam Buether’s inventive set and Paul Gallo’s surreal lighting allow the audience to be reflected in the set’s transparent wall. The audience not only “listens in” to the convers…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 10:30AM
Friday, May 4, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: Sensibility Reigns in "Summer and Smoke" at Classic Stage Company by David Roberts

Under Jack Cummings III’s careful direction, the cast captures the essence of Tennessee Williams’ seminal work in the Classic Stage/Transport production. Each member of the ensemble cast…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 10:48AM
Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Outer Critics Circle Anniounces Its 68th Annual Awards Nominees for the 2017-2018 Season by David Roberts

Outer Critics Circle, the organization of writers and commentators covering New York theater for out-of-town newspapers, national publications and other media beyond Broadway, announced toda…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 01:12PM
Friday, April 20, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "Mlima's Tale" at the Public's Martinson Hall by David Roberts

Under Jo Bonney’s fluid direction, the scenes move seamlessly from one to the other. A sliding panel (sometimes more than one) signals the scene changes allowing the action to proceed with…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 05:31PM
Thursday, April 19, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "Miss You Like Hell" Redefines Redemption at the Public's Newman Theater by David Roberts

This story of a mother and daughter – both who have lost their ways and their centers – find their ways to break down all the walls that have separated them in the past and start over as…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 04:00PM
Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "Admissions" Dissects Belief Systems at Lincoln Center's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater by David Roberts

Under Daniel Aukin’s captivating direction, the engaging cast reveals the depth of meaning and the layers of rhetorical argument in Joshua Harmon’s explosively honest and intriguing scri…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 12:38PM
Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Broadway Review: "Lobby Hero" Crackles the Conscience at Second Stage's Hayes Theatre by David Roberts

Under Trip Cullman’s discerning and originative direction, the action moves carefully from scene to scene with the tension created by the unfolding conflicts of the characters driving an e…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 12:02PM
Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "The Low Road" at the Public's Anspacher Theater by David Roberts

Under Michael Greif’s exacting and precise direction, the action moves forward smoothly with clarity and determination. The cast of eighteen, many of whom play multiple roles, are uniforml…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 12:37PM
Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "Jerry Springer - The Opera" at The Pershing Square Signature Center's Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre by David Roberts

Despite the “language” and a few questionable “choices,” what could be wrong with a musical that ultimately encourages the audience members to “Take care of yourselves and each oth…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 12:17PM
Friday, March 23, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "At Home at the Zoo" at the Pershing Square Signature Center's The Irene Diamond Stage by David Roberts

Under Lila Neugebauer’s capable direction, the three actors distill Edward Albee’s characters with authenticity and believability. No captives are taken here in this brilliant battle for…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 05:47PM
Sunday, March 18, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "Hal & Bee" at 59E59 Theaters by David Roberts

This animus is the combative “stuff” of Max Baker’s “Hal & Bee,” currently being presented by Stable Cable Lab Company and The New Light Theater Project at 59E59 Theaters. In this …

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 05:26PM
Monday, March 12, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "Kings" at the Public Theater's LuEsther Hall by David Roberts

Occasionally, Eisa Davis’s Millsap and Zach Grenier’s McDowell ratchet up that rhetoric with compelling performances that briefly enliven the otherwise bland action. Whether those moment…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 04:47PM
Friday, March 9, 2018

Broadway Review: "Farinelli and the King" at the Belasco Theatre by David Roberts

Amidst palace intrigue and political shenanigans, the relationship between Farinelli and the King blossoms as Philippe identifies deeply with the famous maestro, comparing their “regal” …

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 03:39PM
Thursday, March 8, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "Hangmen" at Atlantic Theater Company by David Roberts

Under Matthew Dunster’s keen direction, the members of the cast uniformly deliver stunningly authentic performances that honor Martin McDonagh’s rich, dark approach to disturbingly signi…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 11:24AM
Sunday, March 4, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "The Amateurs" at Vineyard Theatre by David Roberts

Under Oliver Butler’s direction, the actors wrestle with the plays disparate themes (perhaps too many unresolved conflicts?) with honesty. Happy Endings, guilt, fear, catharsis – all get…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 02:41PM
Friday, March 2, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "An Ordinary Muslim" at New York Theatre Workshop by David Roberts

As the distance between Azeem and Saima widens and Azeem’s reluctance to compromise his values strengthens, his life begins to spin out of control. What happens to Azeem, how he reconciles…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 03:34PM
Monday, February 26, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "Disco Pigs" at Irish Repertory Theatre by David Roberts

Evanna Lynch finds the core of Runt’s dilemma with a superior acuity. Colin Campbell captures the chilling time when playfulness can become profound commitment. Their characters are authen…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 03:01PM
Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "A Walk with Mr. Heifetz" at Primary Stages at Cherry Lane Theatre by David Roberts

In two thirty-five-minute acts, playwright James Inverne attempts to convince the audience that “music helped Israel find its cultural identity during its formative years.” In the first …

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 03:41PM
Monday, February 19, 2018

Broadway Review: “John Lithgow: Stories by Heart” at Roundabout Theatre Company at American Airlines Theatre by David Roberts

John Lithgow is a joy to watch and a joy to listen to. He remains one of our finest actors on stage and on screen. His performance in his “Stories By Heart” is no exception to those expe…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 04:40PM
Thursday, February 15, 2018

Off-Broadway Review: "Until the Flood" at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater by David Roberts

Evidence of the results of the correlative “Fall” myth motif is the contemporary chorus of continued denials of systemic racism in America – and indeed amidst the resurgence of white s…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 02:21PM
Saturday, January 27, 2018

Broadway Review: "The Children" at Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre by David Roberts

The success of “The Children,” currently playing at Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, is primarily the result of playwright Lucy Kirkwood’s effective and judici…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 03:51PM
Sunday, December 17, 2017

Off-Broadway Review: "Downtown Race Riot" at the Pershing Square Signature Center by David Roberts

Failing to address any meaningful discussion about systemic racism or any significant conversation about the 1970s race riots, “Downtown Race Riot” remains a puzzling foray into the real…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 10:03AM
Friday, December 15, 2017

Broadway Review: "M. Butterfly" at the Cort Theatre by David Roberts

First, what did work for this production is the casting of Jin Ha as Song Liling and Clive Owen as Rene Gallimand. Both actors explored the many levels of their complex characters which resu…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 01:46PM
Thursday, December 7, 2017

Broadway Review: "The Parisian Woman" at the Hudson Theatre by David Roberts

Inspired by Henry François Becque’s 1885 play “La Parisienne,” Mr. Willimon’s “The Parisian Woman,” currently running at the Hudson Theatre, overshadows its important themes of …

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 02:55PM
Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Off-Broadway Review: "Pride and Prejudice" at Primary Stages at Cherry Lane Theatre by David Roberts

Kate Hamill’s retelling also explores the seriousness with which people treat love – romantic and otherwise. Hence, this “Pride and Prejudice” is, in Hamill’s words, “a screwball…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 05:48PM
Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Off-Broadway Review: "Hundred Days" Transforms Love's Limits at New York Theatre Workshop by David Roberts

“Hundred Days” celebrates Saying ‘yes’ to life and all its uncertainties: celebrates facing the fear of loneliness, rejection, and being able to take each other’s troubles “into�…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 10:27AM
Saturday, December 2, 2017

Off-Broadway Review: "Torch Song" Wobbles at Second Stage’s Tony Kiser Theater by David Roberts

The characters and their conflicts are familiar – even more familiar than they were in the 1970s and 1980s. And the plots and subplots driven by their conflicts are even more recognizable.

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 11:42AM
Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Off-Broadway Review: "Harry Clarke" Wrangles with Reality at the Vineyard Theatre by David Roberts

Billy Crudup engages in a dramatic battle with the script and comes up the clear victor, unearthing Mr. Cale’s treasures and bringing Harry Clarke to life with inexorable energy and irrepr…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 09:24AM
Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Off-Broadway Review: "Stuffed" at the Westside Theatre Downstairs by David Roberts

“Stuffed” addresses the gamut of issues surrounding weight and its gain or loss (intentional or otherwise), including: body-image; clothing; shaming; anorexia-bulimia; dieting; therapy; …

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 09:43AM
Sunday, October 29, 2017

Off-Broadway Review: "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train at The Pershing Square Signature Center's Irene Diamond Stage by David Roberts

The play raises rich and enduring questions regarding justice and morality; moral ambiguity; and guilt and innocence. When is it all right to lie to save one’s life? How does systemic raci…

SOURCE: Theatre Reviews Limited at 06:42PM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime