All stories by Toby Zinman on BroadwayStars

Friday, May 17, 2024

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE (Miller Theater): A sting in the tale by Toby Zinman

This is a show—not a play, not musical theater—about bodies and the astonishing things this company of 23 dancers can do The post MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE (Miller Theater): A sting in the ta…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 01:22PM
Sunday, May 5, 2024

CHILDREN OF THE SUN (PAC): A knockout contemporary production of a rarely seen classic by Toby Zinman

Now this is what a collective can do: a huge cast all so attuned to each others’ idiosyncrasies that they might as well be the household they are portraying. The post CHILDREN OF THE SUN (…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 05:57PM
Friday, May 3, 2024

KILL MOVE PARADISE (South Camden Theatre): 60-second review by Toby Zinman

South Camden Theatre Company's latest production of James Ijames’s wildly moving play, Kill Move Paradise, is terrific The post KILL MOVE PARADISE (South Camden Theatre): 60-second review…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 05:57PM
Thursday, May 2, 2024

TORCH SONG (1812 Productions): Songs from another time by Toby Zinman

Although the defense of gay life and  the LGBTQ+  community is in a different place now, I imagine for many in the audience, Torch Song still sings. The post TORCH SONG (1812 Productions):…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 09:52AM
Tuesday, April 30, 2024

MADAME BUTTERFLY (Opera Philly): A dilettante at large review by Toby Zinman

with so many opportunities to put a political foot wrong, MADAME BUTTERFLY is a minefield. Opera Philadelphia has sidestepped the obvious dangers. The post MADAME BUTTERFLY (Opera Philly): …

SOURCE: phindie.com at 03:48PM
Thursday, April 11, 2024

HADESTOWN (National Tour): To hell and back by Toby Zinman

What with the solar eclipse and an earthquake, we—sophisticated, scientific, blasé—are in a perfect position to imagine what ancient, primitive people must have thought and felt when th…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 10:10AM
Sunday, March 3, 2024

OVERWINTER (Azuka): A laboratory for important ideas by Toby Zinman

Azuka Theatre presents Overwinter, an interesting new play by local playwright Mackenzie Raine Kirkman; it’s about important ideas, making it a welcome change from the… The post OVERWIN…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 10:29AM
Saturday, March 2, 2024

2024 PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW: A dilettante at large review by Toby Zinman

You don’t have to tend your own plot to enjoy the gorgeous colors and scents at the 2024 Flower Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The post 2024 PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW: A dilett…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 10:06AM
Friday, February 23, 2024

THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA (Academy of Vocal Arts): A dilettante at large review by Toby Zinman

DAL continues her musical education with this stunning chamber opera at the Academy of Vocal Arts. The post THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA (Academy of Vocal Arts): A dilettante at large review appeare…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 10:59AM
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

LUNAR NEW YEAR AT PMA: A dilettante at large review by Toby Zinman

The Philadelphia Museum of Art celebrated the Chinese new year with some fascinating special events on Sunday The post LUNAR NEW YEAR AT PMA: A dilettante at large review appeared first on p…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 09:19PM
Sunday, February 11, 2024

COST OF LIVING (PTC): A compelling new play, diminished by Toby Zinman

Diminished or not, it’s worth seeing for the understanding of people living with disabilities and the people who care for them. The post COST OF LIVING (PTC): A compelling new play, dimini…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 09:00PM
Monday, February 5, 2024

THE FLATLANDERS (1812 Productions): Couples theater can be couples therapy by Toby Zinman

Real-life married couple Scott Greer and Jennifer Childs play a fictitious couple in Bruce Graham’s newest play.  The post THE FLATLANDERS (1812 Productions): Couples theater can be coupl…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 08:27PM
Saturday, January 6, 2024

AIN’T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS (National Tour): Songs, fun, and nostalgia by Toby Zinman

This is Motown, and this cast is up to the task: good voices, great moves. The post AIN’T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS (National Tour): Songs, fun, and nostalgia appear…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 05:34PM
Sunday, December 3, 2023

COMPANY (Forrest Theater): Gorgeously musical if lacking in Sondheim’s subtlety by Toby Zinman

Sondheim’s genius makes ambivalence gorgeously musical, but his ironic, subtle sophistication is in short supply in this production The post COMPANY (Forrest Theater): Gorgeously musical i…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 03:15PM
Sunday, November 12, 2023

MADAME OVARY (Inis Nua): Theater or therapy? by Toby Zinman

Madame Ovary is a staged memoir about a young woman who survived cancer; it is the fourth female solo show opening just this week: The post MADAME OVARY (Inis Nua): Theater or therapy? appea…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 04:52PM
Friday, November 10, 2023

[NYC] TRANSLATIONS (Irish Rep): Searching for clues by Toby Zinman

The danger with a Brian Friel play is charm. No stage Irishmen here at Irish Rep’s production, no comical drunkenness. Another danger, especially in a… The post [NYC] TRANSLATIONS (Iris…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 04:22PM
Monday, November 6, 2023

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM (Azuka): Impassioned and interesting sidestepping by Toby Zinman

In a world full of rooms which are full of elephants, a lot of sidestepping is required of us all.  The post THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM (Azuka): Impassioned and interesting sidestepping appea…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 12:31PM
Friday, November 3, 2023

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME (Arden): A witch’s cauldron of sometimes magic by Toby Zinman

Even the most hallowed document is no match for a teenage girl, as Heidi Schreck reveals in her play, What the Constitutions Means to Me.… The post WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME (Arde…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 11:12PM
Sunday, October 15, 2023

[NYC] MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (Hudson Theater) by Toby Zinman

This is vintage Sondheim, the unimaginable flop now on Broadway again, restored to its dazzling, heart-wrenching brilliance. Merrily We Roll Along has been called his most personal,… Th…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 03:16PM
Monday, October 2, 2023

[NYC] PURLIE VICTORIOUS (Music Box Theatre): A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch by Toby Zinman

Ossie Davis’s brilliant and hilarious play is part vaudeville, part sermon. And if preaching is theater, theater is preaching. And the lesson is that “faith… The post [NYC] PURLIE VIC…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 08:46AM
Saturday, June 10, 2023

TWELFTH NIGHT (Wilma): Foolery shines everywhere by Toby Zinman

“Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun; it shines every where.” Leaving Copernicus aside, the Fool’s wry remark is an apt description… The post TWELFTH NIGHT (Wilma): F…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 01:13PM
Monday, May 29, 2023

TWELFTH NIGHT (Lantern): Shall we set about some revels? by Toby Zinman

“Shall we set about some revels?” Yes!  The battle begins: Lantern Theater Company opened its excellent and enjoyable production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night; soon to… The post T…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 11:57AM
Saturday, May 20, 2023

OF GOD AND COUNTRY (PMA): A dilettante at large review by Toby Zinman

The DAL is having quite a week! First the Orchestra and then the Museum: Philadelphia’s finest institutions providing much enjoyment. Philadelphia Museum of Art has… The post OF GOD AND…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 07:11PM
Thursday, May 18, 2023

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA’S GREAT STAGES GALA: A Dilettante at Large review by Toby Zinman

DAL is pleased to report that this gala was more fun than glam. Oh, there was the occasional gown and a sprinkling of black ties,… The post THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA’S GREAT STAGES GAL…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 03:05PM
Monday, May 8, 2023

FAT HAM + ABANDON: Considering James Ijames’s new and newer work by Toby Zinman

James Ijames won the Pulitzer Prize for Fat Ham, which is now running on Broadway; his even newer play, Abandon, has just opened at Theatre Exile.  The post FAT HAM + ABANDON: Considering J…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 11:32AM
Sunday, May 7, 2023

GALILEE (Azuka): A tale from down under by Toby Zinman

A small town’s main business—tourism— dries up and bit by bit small businesses follow.  The post GALILEE (Azuka): A tale from down under appeared first on phindie.

SOURCE: phindie.com at 01:11PM
Saturday, May 6, 2023

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG (1812): Fall-off-your-chair hilarity by Toby Zinman

This is not the admiring smirk or a contemptuous Ha-ha!, but fall-off-your-chair, eye-mopping hilarity. The post THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG (1812): Fall-off-your-chair hilarity appeared first …

SOURCE: phindie.com at 12:47PM
Monday, May 1, 2023

DON GIOVANNI (AVA): A dilettante at large review by Toby Zinman

Mozart’s Don Giovanni is the greatest opera ever written. Don’t take my word for it—what do I know, I’m a dilettante—but that was the opinion… The post DON GIOVANNI (AVA): A dil…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 08:07AM
Wednesday, April 26, 2023

[NYC] PRIMA FACIE (John Golden Theater): Ordeal by theater by Toby Zinman

Take the trigger warnings seriously: This is ordeal by theater. The post [NYC] PRIMA FACIE (John Golden Theater): Ordeal by theater appeared first on phindie.

SOURCE: phindie.com at 06:56PM
Sunday, April 23, 2023

PLUM BUN (EgoPo): Passing on history by Toby Zinman

This remarkable adaptation of a century-old novel concludes EgoPo’s Harlem Renaissance season The post PLUM BUN (EgoPo): Passing on history appeared first on phindie.

SOURCE: phindie.com at 10:45AM
Tuesday, April 18, 2023

[NYC] CAMELOT (Lincoln Center): Back to the round table by Toby Zinman

Sometimes cynical, ultra-cool  critical disdain—much in evidence these days— just won’t do. I loved this show; it’s filled with wonderful songs and wonderful singers, an… The pos…

SOURCE: phindie.com at 10:35AM

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
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime