All stories by Robert Israel on BroadwayStars

Monday, November 16, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: Isango Ensemble’s “uCarmen” — A Captivating Version of a Classic by Robert Israel

A bewitching South African version of Bizet's opera -- performed with a distinctive blend of spunk and sass.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 09:56AM
Monday, November 2, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: “Casa Valentina” — Dovetailing Hilarity and Heartbreak by Robert Israel

Casa Valentina's dramatic weight comes from how skillfully the cast explores the tensions that swirl about the subject of who is gay, who is straight, and what is legal.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 09:28AM
Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: “A Measure of Normalcy” — Mauled at the Mall by Robert Israel

A Measure of Normalcy pays more attention to its many themes than its characterizations..

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 09:53AM
Sunday, October 11, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: “An Audience with Meow Meow”—Blinded by Glitter by Robert Israel

Meow Meow milks the audience for applause so often it feels as if we are seated on stools in a dairy barn.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 01:33PM
Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Fuse Visual Arts Interview: Matthew Teitelbaum Takes the Helm at Boston’s MFA by Robert Israel

Matthew Teitelbaum, 59, may be among the most reluctant employees the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has hired.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 07:13PM
Monday, September 21, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: Color Me “Gloucester Blue” — at the GSC by Robert Israel

Gloucester Blue is a lively play whose glow is generated by the spirited, tragicomic performances of a cast that obviously delights in performing it.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 03:09PM
Saturday, September 19, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: “appropriate” — Southern Gothic, Entertainingly Deconstructed by Robert Israel

In appropriate, a talented young playwright turns mischievous literary homage into a work of exhilarating entertainment.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 01:01PM
Monday, August 24, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: “GSC”‘s “The Flick” — Lots of Pauses, Pregnant and Otherwise by Robert Israel

You should see GSC's The Flick, but be warned that the drama works in spurts and starts

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 07:04PM
Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Fuse Poetry Review: James Tate’s Last Poems — Dense, Daffy, and Original by Robert Israel

James Tate remains true to himself. These prose-poems are often stellar, harrowingly distinctive, and worthy of repeat visits.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 12:08PM
Friday, July 31, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: “The New Electric Ballroom” — Life’s Stark But Beautiful Melodies by Robert Israel

Like Sanuel Beckett, Enda Walsh does not ignore the tenderness that flourishes, often under the duress of absurdity.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 09:32AM
Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: Robert Lepage’s “887″ — Speak, Memory by Robert Israel

While 887 explores the political, historical, and cultural ramifications of centuries-old racism, Robert Lepage never pander to victim mentality polemics.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 08:38AM
Saturday, July 4, 2015

Arts Fuse Theater Review: “Out of Sterno” — Absurd to the Point of Distraction by Robert Israel

Out of Sterno punches the same punchline far too often.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 11:52AM
Thursday, June 25, 2015

Fuse Visual Art Feature: Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum — An Experience of Tranquility by Robert Israel

The Aga Khan Museum should also be appreciated as a source of inspiration at a time when the civilization that produced its art has become horrifically vulnerable.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 06:15PM
Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: Gloucester Stage Company’s “Sweet and Sad” — Subtle to a Fault by Robert Israel

Richard Nelson does not compel us to pay attention to his characters' psychological disclosures, and his reluctance to underline is refreshing.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 02:50PM
Saturday, May 16, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: “Mothers & Sons” — Surveying, With Understanding, the Battles Ahead by Robert Israel

Mothers & Sons raises important questions about struggle, acceptance, and love, dramatizing battles that are still being waged.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 02:21PM
Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: Elie Wiesel’s “Choice” — A Tragic Parable About Loss by Robert Israel

Despite the well-intentioned efforts of the cast, Eli Wiesel’s words were lost in space.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 07:54AM
Monday, March 30, 2015

Fuse Interview: Actor Marc Labrèche — On Robert Lepage’s “Needles and Opium” by Robert Israel

“It is just when we delve deeper into the sorrows of our lives, the sorrows we have all endured, that our humor saves us."

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 09:11AM
Monday, March 16, 2015

Fuse Theater Review: Culture Clash at 30 — Still Making Ballsy Political Theater by Robert Israel

Culture Clash's view of America will discomfort, which is all the more reason that I urge you -- strongly -- to attend.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 09:46AM
Sunday, March 1, 2015

Fuse Commentary: Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum Envisions the Future — Now by Robert Israel

To call the American Visionary Art Museum quirky would be an understatement: therein lies its charm as well as one of the reason for its success, even in economic hard times.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 11:41AM
Friday, December 12, 2014

Fuse Theater Review: “Necessary Monsters” — A Confusing Walk on the Wild Side by Robert Israel

Attempting to dig underneath our protective psychic skins to get at the festering Ids within, John Kuntz would like Necessary Monsters to mesh laughter and fright, comedy and horror.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 01:11PM
Saturday, November 1, 2014

Fuse Remembrance: Galway Kinnell — “The Cadence of Vanishing” by Robert Israel

Galway Kinnell served as the Poet Laureate of Vermont and penned a number of poems, which often took the form of pastoral ramblings, that celebrated his appreciation of the rural life.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 09:23AM
Friday, October 31, 2014

Fuse Theater Review: “Bad Jews” — Lots of Sound and Fury by Robert Israel

Joshua Harmon steers his play to the middle ground where his two lead characters – representing polar opposites, cultural versus religious Judaism – ultimately exhaust one another, and u…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 08:36AM
Friday, October 17, 2014

Fuse Film Review: “Pride” — A Feel-Good Film About the Union Ties That Bind by Robert Israel

Pride is poignant celebration of the power of the human element, a carefully layered tale of solidarity.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 06:20PM
Saturday, October 4, 2014

Fuse Theater Review: “Traces” — Dazzling On-Stage Mayhem by Robert Israel

The more-than-satisfactory appeal of Traces is to see these gifted athletes perform time-honored circus skills - the attempt to make the performers look like televised rock stars falls flat.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 09:10AM
Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Fuse Theater Review: A Superbly Gritty Staging of August Wilson’s “Fences” by Robert Israel

Director Eric C. Engel and the Gloucester Stage Company cast gives Fences an insightful and nuanced production.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 08:53AM
Monday, August 4, 2014

Fuse Theater Review: “4000 Miles” — A Journey Worth Taking at the Gloucester Stage Company by Robert Israel

4000 Miles is a showcase for dramatist Amy Herzog’s quirky sensibilities and canny insights into family dynamics.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 04:00PM
Friday, June 13, 2014

Fuse Theater News: Director Darko Tresnjak and Hartford Stage Get a Tony Nod by Robert Israel

The Tony accolades bestowed upon A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, will no doubt assure Darko Tresnjak’s future on Broadway.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 09:04AM
Saturday, May 31, 2014

Fuse Theater Review: Cirque du Soleil’s “Amaluna” — Spectacle and Sound Swamp Feminism by Robert Israel

Women are the dominant force in "Amaluna." They command the evening's whirligig of a stage as aerialists, clowns, musicians, dancers, and contortionists.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 10:34AM
Friday, May 23, 2014

Fuse Stage Review: Hershey Felder’s “Abe Lincoln’s Piano” — Hits Some Wrong Notes by Robert Israel

"Abe Lincoln's Piano" does not evoke in us the same sense of astonishment that Hershey Felder feels toward his antiquarian discoveries; his personal serendipities remain dramatically elusive.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 11:02AM
Saturday, May 17, 2014

Fuse News: Hershey Felder — Back in Boston, This Time in “Abe Lincoln’s Piano” by Robert Israel

Pianist, actor, director and consummate storyteller Hershey Felder returns to Boston in a one-man show entitled Abe Lincoln’s Piano.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 12:35PM
Friday, May 2, 2014

Fuse News: In Memoriam — Former HTC Artistic Director Nicholas Martin by Robert Israel

The late Nicholas Martin -- an ebullient, mirthful spirit.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 03:26PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards