All stories by Tim Dunleavy on BroadwayStars

Monday, July 18, 2016

Review: ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival in Center Valley, PA by Tim Dunleavy

Scholars, theatergoers and activists have been debating The Taming of the Shrew for about four centuries. Just what was Shakespeare, with his tale of the warring lovers Katherina and Petruch…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:12AM
Saturday, July 16, 2016

‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ at Princeton Summer Theater in Princeton, NJ by Tim Dunleavy

Spoiler Alert: The two main characters in this play die. Well, you probably figured that out, given that the play they’re in is called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Or maybe you f…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 01:50AM
Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Review: ‘Roseburg’ at New City Stage in Philadelphia by Tim Dunleavy

Roseburg examines two incidents that took place a few miles, and several decades, apart. Yet they’re connected in a tragic way, through America’s fixation on guns. And while the show is …

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 06:06AM
Sunday, July 10, 2016

‘2016 Summer One-Act Bonanza’ at Old Academy Players in Philadelphia by Tim Dunleavy

If there’s one thing the Old Academy Players are known for, it’s traditions. The venerable troupe was founded in 1923, and has been performing for most of its existence in a building com…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:34AM
Friday, July 1, 2016

Review: ‘God of Carnage’ at Princeton Summer Theater in Princeton, New Jersey by Tim Dunleavy

As Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage opens, two couples meet for a civilized discussion. Their sons have just had a violent playground encounter that cost one of the boys a couple teeth, and t…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:06PM
Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Review: ‘The Jaws Project’ at Plays and Players Theatre in Philadelphia by Tim Dunleavy

A droll and inventive take on moviemaking, The Jaws Project mixes fact, fantasy and some show biz speculation to make a highly enjoyable comedy. Today, most people remember Jaws as one of th…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 10:50AM
Sunday, June 26, 2016

Review: ‘The Bacchae: A Ritual Blood Sacrifice’ at The Phenomenal Animals in Philadelphia by Tim Dunleavy

With its production of Euripides’ The Bacchae: A Ritual Blood Sacrifice, The Phenomenal Animals presents a feminist spin on one of the classic works of Greek theatre. Seven of the cast’s…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 03:50PM

Review: ‘West Side Story’ at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival in Center Valley, PA by Tim Dunleavy

In one of the collections of his theatre lyrics, Stephen Sondheim writes that while most people regard West Side Story as being about “racial prejudice and urban violence,” its actual pu…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 03:19AM
Monday, June 20, 2016

Review: ‘The Servant of Two Masters’ at Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, PA by Tim Dunleavy

It was in the opening moments of The Servant of Two Masters, as one of the performers stood in front of the curtain to introduce the show, that I realized this wasn’t your standard 18th c…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 04:50PM
Sunday, June 19, 2016

Review: ‘Assassins’ at Princeton Summer Theater by Tim Dunleavy

Assassins is about people who lived out their dream – but it’s not the dream we ordinarily think of as “The American Dream.” This audacious musical by Stephen Sondheim (music and lyr…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 04:36PM

Review: The Arden Cabaret Series with Tony Braithwaite at Arden Theatre Company by Tim Dunleavy

At one point on opening night of his latest show, Tony Braithwaite asked if any of his fellow Georgetown University graduates were in the audience. One woman sitting up front announced that …

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 03:55PM
Monday, June 13, 2016

Review: ‘Trouble in Mind’ at The Stagecrafters Theater in Philadelphia by Tim Dunleavy

In many ways, it’s startling to learn that Trouble in Mind was first performed in 1955. Alice Childress’ play was decades ahead of its time: it’s a satire of racial stereotypes in Amer…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 10:10PM

Review: ‘Happy Days’ at Quintessence Theatre in Philadelphia by Tim Dunleavy

All dolled up in her fanciest dress, she’s smiling and chipper. It’s a sunny day, and Winnie is not going to let a little thing like the gigantic mound of dirt she’s buried in up to he…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 09:39PM

Review: ‘Time Is On Our Side’ at Simpatico Theatre Project in Philadelphia by Tim Dunleavy

There’s a song in the Broadway musical Hamilton that asks “Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” That question is at the heart of Time Is On Our Side, R. Eric Thomas’ new play.…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 03:41PM
Sunday, June 5, 2016

Review: ‘36 Views’ at Lantern Theater Company in Philadelphia by Tim Dunleavy

On the surface, Naomi Iizuka’s 36 Views is a straightforward story set against the backdrop of the art world. It’s about an art dealer with a shady reputation, an art scholar who gets dr…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 09:55PM
Saturday, June 4, 2016

‘Straight White Men’ at InterAct Theatre in Philadelphia by Tim Dunleavy

It’s Christmastime at the Norton house. The three Norton boys – well, they’re in their forties, but they sure act like boys most of the time – are spending the holiday with their wid…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 10:46PM
Monday, May 30, 2016

Review: ‘Steel Magnolias’ at Bucks County Playhouse by Tim Dunleavy

Chinquapin, Louisiana, the fictional setting of Steel Magnolias, is one enchanting place. You don’t see much of it in Robert Harling’s play – the whole show takes place in the town bea…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 05:41PM
Saturday, May 28, 2016

Talking with Susan Sullivan About ‘Steel Magnolias’ at the Bucks County Playhouse by Tim Dunleavy

There are few actresses more familiar, or more beloved, than Susan Sullivan. For four decades she’s been a regular, dependable presence on television, most notably in eight seasons as kind…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 03:27PM
Friday, May 27, 2016

Review: ‘Sister Act’ at Walnut Street Theatre by Tim Dunleavy

Even if you haven’t seen the musical version of Sister Act, you might think you know what it’s going to be like. After all, it’s a musical based on a familiar hit movie. It’s about a…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 11:28AM
Sunday, May 22, 2016

Review: ‘Fully Committed’ at Theatre Horizon in Norristown, PA by Tim Dunleavy

Fully Committed, Becky Mode’s frenetic 1999 comedy that spoofs the unpleasant underbelly of the restaurant business, is being given a highly enjoyable production at Theatre Horizon in Norr…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:04PM
Saturday, May 21, 2016

Review: ‘The Invisible Hand’ at Theatre Exile in Philadelphia by Tim Dunleavy

When we meet Nick Bright, his life has never looked bleaker. A midlevel Citibank employee, he’s been kidnapped in Pakistan by a group of Islamic militants, the followers of a local Imam. H…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 09:51PM
Monday, May 16, 2016

Review: ‘The Great American Trailer Park Musical’ at Ritz Theatre Company by Tim Dunleavy

The Great American Trailer Park Musical is a terrific title for a show. When you hear it, you know exactly where it takes place – and you can probably guess what the story and the characte…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 05:00PM
Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Review: ‘White Guy on the Bus’ at Passage Theatre by Tim Dunleavy

Ray is a man living in two worlds. A white, middle-aged financial analyst with a spacious house in an upscale Philadelphia suburb, he spends his free time attending parties, discussing socia…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:09PM
Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Review: ‘All the Days’ at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ by Tim Dunleavy

Ruth Zweigman is not a pleasant person to be around. She’s so negative that when she says “I’m in a bad mood,” her sister responds, “How can you tell?” After making a typically h…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 03:20AM
Wednesday, May 4, 2016

‘The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning’ at Inis Nua Theatre Company in Philadelphia by Tim Dunleavy

Inis Nua Theatre Company has made a specialty of performing plays written in, and set in, the British Isles. So it may seem odd that Inis Nua is doing a play about Bradley Manning, the Ameri…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:15PM
Sunday, May 1, 2016

‘A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur’ at South Camden Theatre Company by Tim Dunleavy

A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur is one of Tennessee Williams’ lesser-known plays. First staged in 1978, a few decades after his biggest successes, Creve Coeur has echoes of Williams’ bes…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 10:45PM
Saturday, April 30, 2016

Review: ‘‘I Will Not Go Gently’ at 1812 Productions in Philadelphia by Tim Dunleavy

Back in the eighties and nineties, there was no rock star edgier or more electrifying than Sierra Mist. (No, she’s no relation to the soda.) But that was a long time ago. Now it’s 2016, …

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 09:48PM
Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Santino Fontana Discusses ‘The 2016 Oscar Hammerstein Festival’ at the Bucks County Playhouse by Tim Dunleavy

The 2016 Oscar Hammerstein Festival, being held this weekend at the Bucks County Playhouse, brings together a wide array of musical theatre artists, scholars, and enthusiasts to explore the…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:58AM
Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Review: ‘Sex with Strangers’ at Philadelphia Theatre Company by Tim Dunleavy

You’d probably expect a play with a title like Sex with Strangers to be provocative, entertaining and, well, sexy. And Laura Eason’s play is all that and then some. It’s not a perfect …

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 02:38AM

Review: ‘1776’ at The Media Theatre in Media, PA by Tim Dunleavy

We all know that the Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents ever written. But have you ever actually tried to read it? Pretty boring, right? Who would expect such…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:48AM
Saturday, April 16, 2016

Review: ‘Twelfth Night’ at The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre by Tim Dunleavy

There are few plays in the Shakespearean canon as beloved as Twelfth Night. It’s a comedy that uses mistaken identities, trickery, and a healthy dose of romance to captivate its audience. …

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 06:40PM

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