All stories by A.j. Goldmann on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

From Salzburg to Paris, Dancing Bach’s St. John Passion by A.J. Goldmann

From Salzburg to Dijon to Paris, a German choreographer adds striking dance to the sacred oratorio.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:40AM
Monday, October 7, 2024

Review: Robert Lepage’s Latest Is as Unstable as a Deck of Cards by A.J. Goldmann

Robert Lepage’s latest play, “Faith, Money, War and Love,” runs for five hours, and aims to depict Germany since the end of World War II.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:12PM
Monday, August 19, 2024

At the Ruhrtriennale, Searching for the Sublime Among the Ruins by A.J. Goldmann

In the abandoned industrial sites that serve as the festival’s venues, our critic witnessed beauty struggling to be born: fitfully, clumsily and sometimes stunningly.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:12PM
Wednesday, July 31, 2024

A Salzburg Festival Tradition Deserves a Wider Audience by A.J. Goldmann

Robert Carsen’s take on “Jedermann,” a play staged at the festival every year, stands head and shoulders above other recent stagings of the work.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:32AM
Monday, May 20, 2024

Choreographer’s ‘Dog Poop Attack’ on a Critic Inspired This New Play by A.J. Goldmann

At this year’s Theatertreffen drama festival, one production explores an incident that shocked the German theater world last year.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:32PM
Friday, May 10, 2024

At Theatertreffen, the Hobbits Are Yodeling by A.J. Goldmann

A quirky and joyful play based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s books joined weightier works at this year’s Theatertreffen drama festival.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:06PM
Monday, April 29, 2024

‘Ash’ Review: Elfriede Jelinek Confronts Environmental Collapse by A.J. Goldmann

Elfriede Jelinek’s latest play deals with collective calamity and individual grief, but is let down by a chaotic production.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:48PM
Thursday, February 29, 2024

René Pollesch, Provocative Force in German Theater, Dies at 61 by A.J. Goldmann

His avant-garde work, short on character and plot but long on verbal high jinks, could be irreverent, even goofy, but it was always intellectually serious.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:48AM
Friday, December 8, 2023

’Linie 1’ Captures the Soul of Berlin by A.J. Goldmann

“Linie 1” has been running since 1986 and just celebrated its 2,000th performance. Its cast of kooky dreamers and misfits still capture something special about Berlin.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:42PM
Monday, October 30, 2023

Review: ‘Chicago,’ With Nary a Finger Snap by A.J. Goldmann

Barrie Kosky’s Berlin production of the 1975 musical adds a touch of burlesque and a dash of Bertolt Brecht.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:07PM
Thursday, October 12, 2023

In Germany, ‘Hamilton’ Hangs Up Its Musket by A.J. Goldmann

After a year of less-than-stellar ticket sales, the German-language translation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s stage hit is closing. But it has helped diversify German musicals.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:33PM
Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Well-Made, and Massively Weird: A New Theater Season in Berlin by A.J. Goldmann

Recent premieres in the city ranged from a spare take on the recent Broadway hit “Prima Facie” to a dose of sheer artistic lunacy.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:55AM
Monday, August 21, 2023

At the Ruhrtrienniale, Industrial Ruins Become Stages by A.J. Goldmann

The best productions at the Ruhrtrienniale festival created a sense of unity with their unique, often vast, settings.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:49AM
Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Review: In ‘Amour,’ Putting a Palme d’Or Winner Onstage by A.J. Goldmann

An adaptation of Michael Haneke’s 2012 movie at the Salzburg Festival eschews cinematic realism, instead taking a highly stylized approach.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:37AM
Thursday, May 25, 2023

‘The Inheritance’ Arrives at a Festival of German Drama by A.J. Goldmann

A new production of Matthew Lopez’s seven-hour play was among 10 shows chosen for Theatertreffen, a celebration of the best theater from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:18AM
Friday, April 28, 2023

At a Berlin Festival, Avant-Garde Theater from Europe and New York by A.J. Goldmann

Companies bring body horror and political statements to Berlin’s FIND festival of new international drama, where the Wooster Group is the “artist in focus.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:54PM
Monday, April 24, 2023

Review: Byronic Heroism in ‘Sardanapal’ at the Berlin Volksbühne by A.J. Goldmann

The director and star of the Volksbühne’s new show, based on a play by Lord Byron, picked up another role when one of the lead actors was missing in action.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:36PM
Monday, March 27, 2023

‘James Brown Wore Curlers’ Review: A Superfan Becomes Celine Dion by A.J. Goldmann

In “James Brown Wore Curlers,” the French playwright tries out a more far-fetched premise than in her previous hits, and produces less satisfying satire.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:32PM
Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Review: A Star Director Takes a Back Seat in ‘The Seagull’ by A.J. Goldmann

Thomas Ostermeier’s surprisingly traditional production of the Chekhov classic came to life via the cast’s performances, and without radical interventions by the director.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:00PM
Monday, February 20, 2023

Review: ‘Die Monosau’ Revives Chaotic Energy in Berlin by A.J. Goldmann

Chaos also plays a role in a new play at the Volksbühne theater that delivers on its pledge of a director-free evening.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:27AM
Sunday, February 12, 2023

Jürgen Flimm, Director of Festivals and Opera Houses, Dies at 81 by A.J. Goldmann

He left his mark in Hamburg, Berlin, Strasburg and elsewhere. He also directed a memorable “Ring” cycle in Bayreuth.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:47AM
Friday, January 20, 2023

Review: ‘Drama,’ at the Volksbühne, Contains Many Things. But Drama Isn’t One. by A.J. Goldmann

The choreographer Constanza Macras’s new work at the Volksbühne is a chaotic revue featuring dance, slapstick, spoken dialogue, pop music and heavy-handed monologues.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:59AM
Thursday, December 15, 2022

The Best (and Worst) Theater in Europe in 2022 by Matt Wolf, Laura Cappelle and A.j. Goldmann

The Times’s three European theater critics pick their favorite productions of the year — plus a turkey apiece for the festive season.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:18AM
Wednesday, December 14, 2022

With ‘Company,’ Antonio Banderas Brings Sondheim to Spain by A.J. Goldmann

Many Broadway blockbusters make their way to Madrid, but Banderas wants to push the envelope with serious, complex musicals that are little-known in Spain.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:42AM
Thursday, December 8, 2022

Drama, in German, in the Shadow of ‘Leopoldtstadt’ by A.J. Goldmann

New stagings in Germany and Austria, including Tom Stoppard’s latest play, explore the themes of social integration and tolerance that animated the “Jewish question.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:54AM
Thursday, November 17, 2022

On German Stages, Women Take Control by A.J. Goldmann

Female-led productions in Hamburg and Munich — including an Annie Ernaux adaptation and a reworking of Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” — pack both a theatrical and a moral punch.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:32AM
Thursday, October 27, 2022

Avant-Garde Theater, or a Musical: Who Says You Need to Choose? by A.J. Goldmann

In Germany, a sonically daring Chekhov adaptation and a post-apocalyptic western “opera” are breaking down barriers between genres.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:55AM
Friday, October 7, 2022

Review: ‘Hamilton’ in German? It’s a Thrill. by A.J. Goldmann

The hit musical arrived in Hamburg with its verve, ingenuity and idealism intact. And it gains unexpected depth from being staged in Germany.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:49PM
Thursday, October 6, 2022

A Splashy, Messy All-Naked Revue by A.J. Goldmann

Florentina Holzinger’s striking, bewildering and stomach-churning new piece, “Ophelia’s Got Talent,” opened the season at the Volksbühne theater in Berlin.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:33AM
Thursday, September 15, 2022

Plays of Helplessness, and Hope, as the Planet Burns by A.J. Goldmann

New works by major German-language dramatists at the Kunstfest Weimar festival tackle ethical questions at a moment of ecological anxiety.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:19AM
Thursday, August 25, 2022

At Salzburg Festival, Directing Slow and Fast by A.J. Goldmann

Thorsten Lensing takes years between shows; Ewelina Marciniak puts on several each season. Both theater makers are presenting new work in Austria.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:54AM

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