All stories by David Rooney on BroadwayStars

Monday, May 25, 2015

Qualities of Mercy and Strength by DAVID ROONEY

“THE only thing that matters is the theater!” That passionate declaration was made not by Katharine Cornell, Ethel Barrymore or some other grande dame of the stage. It was spit o…

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Qualities of Mercy and Strength by DAVID ROONEY

Lily Rabe has come into her own playing Portia in “The Merchant of Venice” at an emotionally turbulent time: her mother, Jill Clayburgh, died last month.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Theater Review | 'Jackie Five-Oh!': Nursing Grudges With Acid by DAVID ROONEY

Jackie Hoffman caustically comments on her life so far (up to 50) and her theater career in “Jackie Five-Oh!,” at Joe’s Pub.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Theater Review | 'Baby Universe: A Puppet Odyssey': Nurture, After Nature Turns Ugly by DAVID ROONEY

“Baby Universe: A Puppet Odyssey” is a funny and poignant eco-fable.

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Theater Review | 'Baby Universe: A Puppet Odyssey': Nurture, After Nature Turns Ugly by DAVID ROONEY

“Baby Universe: A Puppet Odyssey” is a funny and poignant eco-fable.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Theater Review | 'Jackie Five-Oh!': Nursing Grudges With Acid by DAVID ROONEY

Jackie Hoffman caustically comments on her life so far (up to 50) and her theater career in “Jackie Five-Oh!,” at Joe’s Pub.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Haunted -- Theater Review by David Rooney

Edna O'Brien's play intrigues and frustrates in equal measure but ultimately falls short on emotional rewards.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Theater Review | 'Dollface': Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One ...Oh, You Have? by DAVID ROONEY

“Dollface,” a new musical set in the 1950s, brings humor straight from the Borscht Belt to the Lower East Side.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM[SHARE]

ArtsBeat: Theater Talkback: Confessions of a Critic With No Fringe on Top by DAVID ROONEY

I have been showered with unexpected attention during more than one show because of the gleaming beacon of my fur-free head.

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'American Idiot' Theater Review by David Rooney

Billie Joe Armstrong Electrifies an Already Exhilarating Musical

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Theater Review | 'The Annihilation Point': The End Is Near; Let’s All Exit Laughing by David Rooney

In “The Annihilation Point,” audience members are tagged with a Reproduction Candidate number and led into a time-travel transit station.

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Blood From a Stone review by David Rooney

Family is a life sentence in Tommy Nohilly's caustic study, shot through with darkly funny observations and exposed nerves, authenticated in the New Group's production by a tremendous cast w…

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Broadway's 'Memphis' Headed to Movie Theaters by David Rooney

"Memphis" will be the first ongoing Broadway show to beam a live performance into movie theaters nationwide, taking a cue from New York's Metropolitan Opera and London's National Theatr…

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Other Desert Cities by David Rooney

Off Broadway review

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John Gabriel Borkman by David Rooney

Off Broadway review

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Sunday Routine | Christine Baranski: A Leisurely Day to Learn Her Lines by DAVID ROONEY

For the Tony Award-winning actress, Sunday is a day to sleep in, read scripts and enjoy the pace of a slowed-down city.

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Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard and Josh Hamilton Offer Moving Performances in 'Three Sisters' by David Rooney

Penetrating characterizations and a seamlessly knit ensemble breathe rich emotional life into Chekhov’s play

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 05:58PM[SHARE]

'Spider-Man' Review: 'Chaotic, Dull and a Little Silly' by David Rooney

The big shock when sitting down finally to assess this $65 million web-slinging folly, is what a monumental anti-climax it turns out to be.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Theater Review | 'My Scandalous Life': Putting Oscar Wilde on the Back Seat by David Rooney

In “My Scandalous Life,” Lord Alfred Douglas, Oscar Wilde’s lover, takes center stage.

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Theater Review | 'Apple Cove': In-Laws Are Core Issue for This Adam and Eve by David Rooney

Lynn Rosen’s comedy “Apple Cove” is many things, just not as funny or clever as it should be.

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'Diary of a Madman' Is a Near-Perfect Display of Oscar Nom Geoffrey Rush's Talents by David Rooney

When the buffoonery and pretentious airs are erased by the cruel reality of his character's schizophrenia, the "King's Speech" actor's powers are fully unleashed.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 05:58PM[SHARE]

The Diary of a Madman -- Theater Review by David Rooney

Anyone unconvinced as to the manifold skills at Geoffrey Rush's disposal might want to consider the purposeful intensity of his Oscar-nominated performance in "The King's Speech" alongside t…

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Theater Review | 'Thinner Than Water': A Frayed Family’s Tenuous Bonds by David Rooney

Melissa Ross’s “Thinner Than Water” is an engaging play about the corrosive bond of family.

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Small Craft Warnings/Theater Review by David Rooney

If a case were to be made for reassessment of this 1972 barroom dirge set on the Southern California coast, it won't be in this apathetic staging.

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A Perfect Future/Theater Review by David Rooney

To invest in characters partly defined by their political persuasions, it's necessary to buy them on some level.

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Making the Boys -- Film Review by David Rooney

In his absorbing documentary about "The Boys in the Band," director Crayton Robey digs into the divisiveness of a work held up as a pioneering breakthrough, but just as often dismissed as a …

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 05:58PM[SHARE]

‘Good People’ by David Rooney

As tough as it is tender and shot through with aching authenticity, Good People is that rare play that is timeless and keyed into a specific moment of American life, without the need to gras…

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 05:58PM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off