All stories by Aileen Jacobson on BroadwayStars

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Jules Feiffer and a 'Hamilton' Producer Color Outside the Lines for a New Musical by Aileen Jacobson

The cartoonist has written the book, while the producer Jeffrey Seller is directing the show's premiere.

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Sunday, August 21, 2016

Theater | Long Island: Review: Dancing in the Aisles to 'Mamma Mia!' in Northport by Aileen Jacobson

This upbeat, fluffy production of the jukebox musical is playing at the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:55PM[SHARE]
Sunday, August 14, 2016

Theater | Long Island: Review: A London Linguist Makes a Bet on 'My Fair Lady' at Sag Harbor by Aileen Jacobson

The director Michael Arden tries new takes on the musical by imagining the characters as participants in a scientific experiment.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:07PM[SHARE]
Sunday, July 31, 2016

Theater | Long Island: Review: Accessorized in the Outback in 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' on Long Island by Aileen Jacobson

Despite the over-the-top costumes, the musical at the Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts has a dark underside.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:22PM[SHARE]
Sunday, July 17, 2016

Arts | Long Island: Review: 'The Last Night of Ballyhoo' at Bay Street Theater by Aileen Jacobson

A serious comedy set in Atlanta examines the lives of a group of Jews and how they relate to their own religion and to each other.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:34PM[SHARE]
Friday, June 17, 2016

Arts | Long Island: Review: Billowy Bloomers Made Her the Talk of Düsseldorf by Aileen Jacobson

"The Underpants," the comedian's adaptation of a German farce, shows a sweet young housewife struggling with lust in 1910.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:19PM[SHARE]
Friday, June 10, 2016

Arts | Long Island: Review: 'The Forgotten Woman' in Sag Harbor Is an Ode to Opera by Aileen Jacobson

Jonathan Tolins's comedy, having its world premiere at the Bay Street Theater, explores a range of loaded dichotomies through spirited dialogue.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:33PM[SHARE]
Saturday, June 4, 2016

Arts | Long Island: Review: 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' in Northport Tap-Dances Around Dated Mores by Aileen Jacobson

The show at the John W. Engeman Theater reinforces a sense of nostalgia for the 1920s, when a smart girl's "modern" goal was to marry for money.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:02PM[SHARE]
Friday, May 27, 2016

Arts | Long Island: Review: Joyous Energy Fills 'Anything Goes,' at Gateway Playhouse by Aileen Jacobson

In this production, Andrea McArdle and Sally Struthers are surrounded by an outstanding cast, a sparkling nautical set and fine musical accompaniment.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:09PM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 15, 2016

Arts | Long Island: Close-Up View of 'The Night Alive' by Aileen Jacobson

The audience sits with the cast at an intimate production at Guild Hall of Conor McPherson's play, with wry humor, bloody fights and philosophical musings.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:25PM[SHARE]
Saturday, April 2, 2016

Arts | Long Island: Review: Race and Rock 'n' Roll in 'Memphis' by Aileen Jacobson

The Tony-winning musical, now at the Engeman Theater at Northport, explores racial tensions in the 1950s music industry in the South.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:13AM[SHARE]
Sunday, January 31, 2016

Arts | Long Island: Review: 'God of Carnage' Puts Parents in a Metaphoric Bull Ring by Aileen Jacobson

In Yasmina Reza's comedy, what seems like social banter takes a combative turn as two sets of Brooklyn parents discuss a violent episode involving their sons.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:44PM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 29, 2015

Theater | Long Island: A Review of 'Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical' by Aileen Jacobson

A musical version of a classic Christmas movie brings the search for the truth about Santa Claus from the screen to the the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:14PM[SHARE]
Friday, September 25, 2015

Theater | Northport: Review: 'West Side Story' at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport by Aileen Jacobson

From the first finger snaps, the production at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport, tailored to a non-Broadway stage, retains the show's emotional urgency.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:56PM[SHARE]
Thursday, September 3, 2015

Theater | Bellport: Review: 'Saturday Night Fever: The Musical' at Gateway Is Old but New by Aileen Jacobson

The adaptation of "Saturday Night Fever: The Musical" in Bellport hews to the popular 1977 film but adds three more songs.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:40PM[SHARE]
Sunday, August 9, 2015

Arts | Northport: Review: 'The Cottage' in Northport Is a Saucy Farce by Aileen Jacobson

The play by Sandy Rustin, set in 1923 England and inspired by Noël Coward and perhaps Oscar Wilde, continues through Sept. 6 at the John W. Engeman Theater.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:39PM[SHARE]
Sunday, August 2, 2015

Theater | Patchogue: Review: 'Billy Elliot: The Musical' in Patchogue Has Music by Elton John by Aileen Jacobson

The Gateway production of the show, which won 10 Tony awards, has two actors alternating in the lead role of a boy who loves ballet.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:04PM[SHARE]
Saturday, July 4, 2015

Theater Review | Long Island: Review of 'Five Presidents' at the Bay Street Theater by Aileen Jacobson

An imagined meeting of the five presidents who attended Richard Nixon's funeral, written by Rick Cleveland ("The West Wing" and "House of Cards").

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:06AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 28, 2015

Theater Review | Long Island: Get-Rich Scheme Goes Comically Awry in 'The Producers' by Aileen Jacobson

There is a lot to enjoy in this bubbly, bodacious production of the "The Producers" now at the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:47PM[SHARE]
Saturday, June 6, 2015

Theater Review | Long Island: Review: In 'The New Sincerity,' Worldviews Are Constantly Changing by Aileen Jacobson

Alena Smith's play, directed by Bob Balaban in its world premiere in Sag Harbor, tells of a journalist and her friends coming of age as the Occupy Wall Street movement develops.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:21AM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 31, 2015

Theater Review | Long Island: Review of 'Rock of Ages' at Gateway Playhouse in Bellport by Aileen Jacobson

The high-octane 'Rock of Ages' exploits 1980s excesses with big hair and bigger ballads.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:43PM[SHARE]
Monday, May 25, 2015

Theater Review | Long Island: Playing Dolly Modestly in Patchogue by AILEEN JACOBSON

A musical that’s often a diva vehicle allows other actors to shine.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Disorder in the Court, From the Mind of Mamet by AILEEN JACOBSON

The 80-minute play is the story of squabbles both domestic and foreign.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Eliza and Henry, and an Undercurrent by AILEEN JACOBSON

This production of "My Fair Lady" at the John W. Engeman Theater has the familiar satirical contrast between wealth and poverty, and a few departures.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Split Personalities and a Double Motive by AILEEN JACOBSON

Those involved in a new production at the Maguire Theater at SUNY College at Old Westbury envision returning a theater program to the school.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM[SHARE]

A Tale That Rings With a Familiar Sound by AILEEN JACOBSON

At the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport, a new production of “The Sound of Music” is onstage until Jan. 16.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM[SHARE]

The Airport Playhouse Is Grounded for Good by AILEEN JACOBSON

THE Airport Playhouse in Bohemia was in financial peril when Ed Brennan and his wife, Terry, started running it six years ago, Mr. Brennan said.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM[SHARE]

Raunchy and Vibrant, With Nazis Looming by AILEEN JACOBSON

A production in Northport of the acclaimed musical “Cabaret” is as raw, raunchy and unsanitized as the material demands.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM[SHARE]
Saturday, April 4, 2015

Theater Review | Long Island: 'A Chorus Line' Revival at the John W. Engeman Theater by Aileen Jacobson

"A Chorus Line," the 1975 musical about the trials of auditioning, is being performed with high energy at the John W. Engeman Theater.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:32PM[SHARE]
Saturday, February 21, 2015

Arts | Long Island: A New 'Zima!' Is Coming to the East End by Aileen Jacobson

"Zima!" " an outdoor performance by an East End dance theater company specializes in original site-specific works. In Montauk on Feb. 28, it will start at the gazebo downtown and end at a be…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:47AM[SHARE]
Friday, January 30, 2015

Theater Review | Long Island: A Review of 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' in Northport by Aileen Jacobson

"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" will run at the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport through March 8.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:20PM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off