All stories by Joe Dziemianowicz on BroadwayStars

Thursday, July 21, 2011

'Death Takes a Holiday' review: Songs are DOA by Joe Dziemianowicz

The Darkest of Souls is the brightest beacon of delight in the well-performed but disappointing new musical "Death Takes a Holiday."

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 11:48PM
Friday, July 15, 2011

'The Yellow Brick Road' riffs off 'The Wizard of Oz' by Joe Dziemianowicz

Emerald City, as we know, is the spot for finding a brain, a heart, courage and a sense of home. And story ideas. The new salsa-flavored kids musical "The Yellow Brick Road," launching on Tu…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 12:03AM
Wednesday, July 13, 2011

'Hair' review: Broadway comeback kid plays it fun by Joe Dziemianowicz

Call it a comeback. Or a regrowth. Either way, the Tony-winning revival of "Hair" is back on Broadway. As someone who doesn't tire of hearing its great songs, including the joyful "Aquarius,…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 10:51PM
Tuesday, July 12, 2011

'Romeo and Juliet': Modern take on classic story goes overboard by Joe Dziemianowicz

In the Royal Shakespeare Company's blazing but somewhat bloated "Romeo and Juliet," the amorous adolescents aren't just star-crossed. They're also wardrobe-impaired.

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 07:03PM
Friday, July 8, 2011

Broadway baby Patti Mariano cast in THE MUSIC MAN a second time reflects on past performances by Joe Dziemianowicz

Patti Mariano, a showbiz lifer, made her Broadway debut at age 12 in the original 1957 production of THE MUSIC MAN with Robert Preston and Barbara Cook..

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 07:46AM
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

'Zarkana' features circus spectacle, but no 'wow' factor by Joe Dziemianowicz

Cirque du Soleil's new show "Zarkana" promises a musical and acrobatic spectacle. It makes good on that vow: Now in residence at Radio City through early October, the production boasts brill…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 06:37PM
Monday, June 20, 2011

'4,000 Miles' follows self-proclaimed hippie who learns from grandma by Joe Dziemianowicz

Points on a map provide "4,000 Miles" with a title, but this thoughtful small-scale play by Amy Herzog is really chasing after things that are unchartable.

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 09:43PM
Friday, June 17, 2011

'Silence! The Musical' adds to growing list of potty mouth productions by Joe Dziemianowicz

Feature on the upcoming SILENCE! THE MUSICAL starring Brent Barrett.

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 03:43PM
Friday, June 10, 2011

'One Arm': boxer turns to sex for money by Joe Dziemianowicz

The image of a doomed figure dependent on the kindness of strangers looms large in the work of Tennessee Williams. Turns out Ollie Olsen could give Blanche DuBois a run for her money.

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 12:40AM
Tuesday, June 7, 2011

'The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World': Creativity makes for weird '60s musical by Joe Dziemianowicz

Proof that reality is weirder than fiction? See Exhibit A: Off-Broadway's "The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World." Drawn with poetic license from true events of the '60s, it's one of the most …

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 06:00PM
Monday, June 6, 2011

'Through a Glass Darkly': Carey Mulligan explores schizophrenia by Joe Dziemianowicz

Solid acting goes so far in shoring up watery material. Case in point: Carey Mulligan's mesmerizing work in Ingmar Bergman's "Through a Glass Darkly," adapted from his 1961 Oscar-winning fil…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 06:31PM
Wednesday, May 25, 2011

'Cradle and All' proves you can't live with babies or without them by Joe Dziemianowicz

Babies you can't live with them and you can't live without them. There, in a nutshell, is Daniel Goldfarb's likable new comedy "Cradle and All," which follows two Brooklyn Heights couples f…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 09:06PM
Monday, May 9, 2011

'Vera Stark' gives comedic schtick to racial typecasting by Joe Dziemianowicz

Lynn Nottage won a Pulitzer Prize two years ago for "Ruined," an intense drama set against the brutal war in the Congo.

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 07:11PM
Wednesday, April 27, 2011

There's something extraordinary about 'The Normal Heart' by Joe Dziemianowicz

Larry Kramer's drama "The Normal Heart" was presented last year in New York and Los Angeles as one-off staged readings timed to its 25th anniversary.

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 10:46PM

'Baby It's You!' fails to tap into nostalgia by Joe Dziemianowicz

"Baby It's You!" is the Lawrence Welk of jukebox musicals. The show opened Wednesday night at the Broadhurst and boasts nearly three dozen hit songs. Among them, "I Met Him on a Sunday," "He…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 10:23PM
Monday, April 25, 2011

Ben Stiller and Edie Falco play 'House' onstage by Joe Dziemianowicz

Fame is elusive. Chasing it is hard; doubly so if someone is holding you back. That theme rustles through "The House of Blue Leaves," which is back on Broadway in a revival starring Ben Stil…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 08:26PM

A star is 'Born' in new Broadway play by Joe Dziemianowicz

That's what I call a rebirth. A new face has breathed fresh life into "Born Yesterday" at the Cort Theatre.

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 12:08AM
Sunday, April 17, 2011

'Wonderland' never finds its way on Broadway by Joe Dziemianowicz

"Wonderland," which opened Sunday night at the Marquis Theatre, takes a cue from the film version of "The Wiz" and makes Alice (Janet Dacal) an unhappy grownup. There's potential to make the…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 08:16PM
Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Interactive production 'Sleep No More' is eye-opening by Joe Dziemianowicz

Ambition is the fatal flaw in "Macbeth," but it's the key to the success of "Sleep No More," a sensational interactive theater piece inspired by imagery from the Scottish play and Alfred Hit…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 07:16PM
Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Veteran playwright brings modern twist to ancient play by Joe Dziemianowicz

"This is kind of a weird play," announces the actor portraying Bernard, a dramatist, in "Go Back to Where You Are." The term "fantastical" also comes up. No wonder. The 70-minute one-act by …

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 06:52PM
Monday, April 11, 2011

'The Mother f-- with the Hat' includes fast-talking Chris Rock by Joe Dziemianowicz

Wanna spend the evening with some intensely troubled but deeply funny substance abusers? Have I got a play for you "The Motherf- with the Hat," starring Chris Rock and Bobby Cannavale as Ne…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 08:10PM
Sunday, April 10, 2011

'Catch Me If You Can' is all deflated charm by Joe Dziemianowicz

It's true that inside every chunky person is a slim one trying to bust out. Same goes for "Catch Me If You Can," a new Broadway musical that is tasty but buried under empty calories.

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 08:50PM
Tuesday, April 5, 2011

'Marie and Bruce' showcases marital diss by Joe Dziemianowicz

Watching spouses go at each other in public gets grating very quickly. Ditto seeing them do it on stage. Take that as a heads-up about "Marie and Bruce," Wallace Shawn's unpleasant squall of…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 09:25PM
Monday, March 28, 2011

Harvey Fierstein is crazy good in 'La Cage' by Joe Dziemianowicz

Is Broadway big enough for two drag-queen musicals? You bet your sequined set of falsies.

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 03:23PM
Sunday, March 27, 2011

Try as he might, 'Potter' star doesn't quite 'Succeed' by Joe Dziemianowicz

Three years ago, "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe came to Broadway for "Equus" and proved himself a solid dramatic actor. His current transformation into a song-and-dance man isn't quite…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 01:15PM
Thursday, March 24, 2011

PERFECT: 'Book of Mormon' is heavenly by Joe Dziemianowicz

"The Book of Mormon" slipped quietly into town a few weeks ago without much hype or hoopla, just a lot of anticipation thanks to its creative DNA.

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 02:09PM
Sunday, March 20, 2011

Jet propelled: They've got legs, and the 'Catch Me If You Can' showgirls know how to use them by Joe Dziemianowicz

Sexy. Classy. Gorgeous. That's the trio of traits the creators of "Catch Me If You Can" were chasing after as they cast chorus girls for the show. They got what they wanted.

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 10:53AM

Critical mass: Review, redo, revisit - it's all part of the Broadway scene for theater critics by Joe Dziemianowicz

It's a question that's asked constantly: Do Broadway critics matter when chat rooms, blogs and Twitter make everyone a critic? Well, it sure seems like they did when it came to "Spider-Man: …

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 10:53AM
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011