All stories by Elisabeth Vincentelli on BroadwayStars

Monday, May 25, 2015

This sentimental journey is a real trip by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Nothing is too outré for the theater these days. Wall-to- wall profanity? Strictly for amateurs. Onstage vomiting? So yesterday. Lucy Thurber isn't afraid to up the ante: In her plays, peo…

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NY kicks it! by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

B'Way bound Some prime old-school thespians are hitting Broadway for fireworks of acting this fall. Cherry Jones sexes up as an entrepreneurial madam in G.B. Shaw's “Mrs. Warren's Prof…

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Few acting Sparks, but musical still hits high notes by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

What's less surprising: that Lin-Manuel Miranda's “In the Heights” is proving remarkably resilient — or that “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks can't act? Ove…

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No good night in overstuffed 'bed' by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

WHATTHEHELLWASTHAT?!?Forget that stretches of Florencia Lozano's "underneathmybed" are in Spanish. While those who don't speak that language are at a slight disadvantage, it's relatively ea…

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Art-world satire dead on arrival by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Sheila Callaghan's lat est play, "Roadkill Confidential," starts off with a strong David Lynch vibe. An FBI man in an eye patch (Danny Mastrogiorgio) spouts terse, cryptic lines. Blondie pl…

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'Foxes' is hot to trot by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Lillian Hellman's 1939 melodrama "The Little Foxes" centers on the greedy machi nations of an Ala bama family at the turn of the last century. The thrilling, eye-opening production that ope…

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In 'Divine' comedy, this mother's superior by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Despite successful trips to the mainstream -- his play "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife" scored a Tony nomination and "Die, Mommie, Die!" was turned into a movie -- Charles Busch is best e…

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Look who's talking by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

In skinny black pants, tai lored white shirt and a black tie, Laurie Anderson looks like a cross between a Catholic schoolboy and a member of the Knack in her new show, "Delusion." But ther…

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Middling Woolf in gender-bending clothing by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Virginia Woolf's 1928 novel "Orlando" poses daunting challenges to stage adapters. The title character starts off as a boy, then becomes a woman. And not only does Orlando live through the …

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Rollicking journey to doomed love by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

The brilliant production of "Brief Encounter" that opened on Broadway last night should make all but the sourest puss believe in romance again. It's a spirited charm offensive that's just i…

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Looking our differences in the face by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

'Freckleface Strawberry" may be based on the kids book by the ac tress Julianne Moore, but it feels more like a version of "Free To Be . . . You and Me." Like that 1972 album and subsequent…

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Doesn't actually work by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

The last time Cherry Jones teamed with director Doug Hughes on Broadway was for "Doubt," in 2005. The result was Tonys for both, boffo box office, a national tour and a movie (starring Mery…

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Ambitious 'Gatz' great, but it also grates by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

At times, "Gatz" casts such a strong spell that it feels as if the world outside the Public Theater has ceased to exist.And then there are the deadly boring stretches. Very long ones, consi…

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'House' full of confusion by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

The last time Belgium's Jan Lauwers and his Needcompany were in town, it was six years ago with the remarkable "Isabella's Room." This visually beautiful, deeply moving evocation of grief an…

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Kinder and gentler -- but not any better by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Someone's slipped Sarah Goodwin a chill pill . . . or 10. When we first met the prickly photojournalist heroine of Donald Margulies' "Time Stands Still" -- during the play's first run, in J…

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Hilarious sister act by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

When characters be come popular on a sitcom, they're sometimes spun off into their own series.That's what should happen to Sherry and Grace, the mismatched sisters in Kim Rosenstock's new o…

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'Life' worth reliving in humorous revival by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Hardships, petty humiliations, financial strain, crushed hopes: That's what you can expect as an actor. At least that's how it is in David Mamet's "A Life in the Theatre" -- and it's a come…

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Bloody brighter by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

While many downtown shows lose their edge when they move to Broadway, the new musical "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" has actually gained both scope and focus in the transfer.At the Public Th…

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Beastly fun, from mad to verse by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

High- and low-brow collide in "La Bete," an American play about art vs. commerce that's set in 1654 France. It's entirely in rhyming couplets, but it also gets laughs from farting and burpi…

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'Language' doesn't translate by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

A linguist speaks several languages, including Esperanto -- but he can't communicate with his estranged wife. Oh, the irony! Said wife leaves her marriage and becomes a baker -- after a kin…

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'Driving' force of nature by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Over the years, "Driving Miss Daisy" has gained a reputation as an expansive period weepie that shamelessly goes for the tear ducts. Except this applies more to the movie: Alfred Uhry's sem…

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Nice Stiles, little substance by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

The story of Persephone, ab ducted queen of the under world, is one of the most potent in Greek mythology -- so much so that it's inspired a steady stream of writers and artists over the ce…

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Trouble made plane by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

'Spirit Control" gets off to a nail- biting start. Air-traffic controller Adam Wyatt (Jeremy Sisto) is helping a passenger land a small plane after the pilot passes out. Problem is, the pan…

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Complex characters help 'Angels' take wing by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Nearly two decades after it opened on Broadway -- and seven years after the HBO miniseries with Al Pacino and Meryl Streep -- Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" is considered a modern Ameri…

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Great 'Scott'! A classic by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

John Kander and Fred Ebb have given American musical theater a pair of un disputable, stone- cold classics, "Cabaret" and "Chicago." Now they've added a third one to the list: "The Scottsbo…

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Bush-era tale tells too much by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

You can't accuse Lisa Kron's new play at the Public Theater, "In the Wake," of lacking ambition. Set mostly during George W. Bush's first term, it touches on conservative and liberal politi…

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Stuck in the 'Middletown' by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

In his new play, "Middletown," Will Eno looks at a small Ameri can city whose most distinctive quality is that it has no distinctive qualities."There's a meadow you could walk to," a guide …

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Politics minus passion by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Richard Nelson's new play, "That Hopey Changey Thing," couldn't be more topical. It's set from 7 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 2, 2010, and within the first two minutes, we get jokes about Cuomo, Gilli…

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'Women' under ditsy, musical influence by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

There's a giant pileup at the Belasco Theatre, where "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" opened last night. The show is flashy, breathless, busy. It's a mess, but it's a big, fun Te…

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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
Nov 17, 2024: Elf - Marquis 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