All stories by Alan Smason on BroadwayStars

Sunday, November 5, 2023

National tour of 'Company' at Cadillac Palace Theater in Chicago by Alan Smason

By ANNE SIEGEL The American musical theater has been graced with another revival of Company, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's 1970 musical about our basic human need for togetherness. In …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 03:41AM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 2, 2023

JPAS reanimates 'Young Frankenstein' at JPAC by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") Following the record setting production of The Producers, Mel Brooks set his sight on bringing another of his film classics from the s…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 10:18AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Stirring, historically important 'The Island' being shown at Ensemble Theatre by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO Former South Euclid resident and Brush High School graduate, Dr. Alan Wieder, is on a quest "to stem the time of forgetfulness." An oral historian, Wieder has been on the facult…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 05:21AM[SHARE]
Friday, October 27, 2023

Rivertown scores major hit with 'Assassins' by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") When most people consider the macabre work of Stephen Sondheim and his delicious sense of dark humor, they typically point to Sweeney …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 09:44PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Milwaukee Rep releases 'Run Bambi Run' for hometown crowd by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") One of the most eagerly awaited new musicals in the country bowed recently in Milwaukee, not a typical launching place for such produc…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 01:36PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Le Petit Theatre presents vampire love story 'Let the Right One In' by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") Following his success with both Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at Le Petit Theatre last s…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 05:37AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Jazzy Louis Armstrong musical 'A Wonderful World' heads to Chicago, Broadway by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") (NEW ORLEANS) " A Wonderful World, sub-titled "A New Musical About the life and Loves of Louis Armstrong," made its bow in New Orleans…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 06:29PM[SHARE]

'Ease on Down the Road' to the gospel/rock/finger-snapping 'The Wiz' at the Connor Palace by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO The reconfigured The Wiz, as one of its major song's states, is easing down the road on its way to Broadway. Previews for that show begin on March 29, 2024, with the Big Appl…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 06:28PM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 8, 2023

Milwaukee Rep's New Play Should Be Called 'Audience Advisory' by Alan Smason

By ANNE SIEGEL (Editor's note: This review appeared briefly on the website of Milwaukee's Shepherd Express, the city's alternative newspaper. However, due to pressure from Milwaukee Repertor…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:23AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 3, 2023

'Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812' mesmerizes at GLT by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO When I saw the show in its Broadway run, I wrote in my review: "The total effect of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 is breathtaking. The traditional music, dress, st…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 07:17AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 1, 2023

CPH's 'Thurgood' is a marvelous theatrical experience by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO Thurgood Marshall, the subject of Thurgood, on stage at Cleveland Play House's Allen Theatre, was the grandson of slaves. He was born in segregated Baltimore and attended all-Bl…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 05:42AM[SHARE]
Friday, September 29, 2023

JPAS presents fine staging of Robert Harling's 'Steel Magnolias' by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") The Jefferson Performing Arts Society (JPAS) has returned to that old chestnut Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling, a fellow Louisianian…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:44AM[SHARE]
Saturday, September 23, 2023

Rivertown's 'Singin' in the Rain' has talent to boot, but no rain by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") When MGM was giving itself a hearty pat on the back back in 1974 with the release of  their tribute movie "That's Entertainment," t…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:21AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, September 19, 2023

TWTC's 'Spring Storm' is a dark, but satisfying work by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") With seven seasons under its belt, the Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans, superintended by the diligence of producing …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 03:30AM[SHARE]
Saturday, September 16, 2023

Stratford Festival continues impressive work by Alan Smason

By LOU HARRY A theater festival, a good one, is greater than the sum of its parts " even when its parts are very strong to begin with. Such is the case with the Stratford Festival, North Ame…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 07:42AM[SHARE]
Friday, August 18, 2023

Helen Mirren tenders unforgettably stoic, somber portrait in 'Golda' by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") Director Guy Nattiv uses the symbolism of birds throughout the movie "Golda." Birds show up at the very beginning, when the modern Sta…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 05:13PM[SHARE]
Monday, August 14, 2023

Powerful 'Fun Home' gets compelling must-see production at Cain Park by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO Alison Bechdel is a cartoonist who came to national attention via her long-running comic strip "Dykes to Watch Out For." She combined her life story and her comic strip style in…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 05:22PM[SHARE]
Friday, August 11, 2023

Humor filled 'Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End' runs at Cleveland Play House by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO "Guilt, the gift that keeps giving." "Marriage has no guarantees. If that's what you're looking for, go live with a car battery." "Encourage independence in your children by reg…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:51PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, August 9, 2023

TWTC's 'Sweet Bird of Youth' soars at Marigny Opera House by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") With its undercurrent of racism, statutory rape and threatened castration, Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth is not a play for t…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:55AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, August 2, 2023

'The Rock & Roll Man' on Broadway: Dancing in the Aisles at the New World Stages by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN OK, so they weren't exactly dancing in the aisles at the New World Stages the night that I attended The Rock & Roll Man. Forget that I said that. What the audience was do…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:56AM[SHARE]
Friday, July 7, 2023

Asner's final film is breakthrough vehicle for Margot Josefsohn by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON Polish filmmaker Rafal Zielinski is finally seeing his independent film "Tiger Within" released in theaters today, Friday, July 7. The motion picture released through Menemsha…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 12:24PM[SHARE]
Saturday, July 1, 2023

'Bad Cinderella' On Broadway (With A Latina Cinderella, Her Crazy-Ass Stepmother, And Two Black Princes) by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN Little did Andrew Lloyd Webber know when he saddled his most recent musical with the ill-chosen name Bad Cinderella that he was handing theater critics here in New York a cud…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:15AM[SHARE]
Monday, June 26, 2023

'Miss Rose': Life Is a Cabaret for Tom by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") Many fans of Tennessee Williams know of the feelings of anguish he experienced when dealing with his sister Rose Isabel Williams. Rose…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 05:56AM[SHARE]
Saturday, June 24, 2023

Crescent City Stage closes out its season with superb 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a very funny work. That much has been clearly established in the decade…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 09:55AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 21, 2023

SLT's 'Music Man' is proper vehicle to showcase Rachel Looney's mellifluous voice by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") Meredith Wilson composed what may have been the most iconic of American musicals with his The Music Man that took home five Tony Award…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 06:05PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 20, 2023

N.O. Shakespeare Festival's 'Twelfth Night' is a lustrous delight by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") In a town famous for launching its most famous celebration on Twelfth Night, one might think the  connection to the self-named Shak…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 10:26AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Richard Thomas rises as Atticus in Sorkin adaptation of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") Aaron Sorkin and Bartlett Sher have made an impressive team. In fact, their partnership has resulted in the greatest box office for a …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 10:32AM[SHARE]
Monday, June 12, 2023

2023 Tony Award winners listed by Alan Smason

(NEW YORK) " The United Palace, the opulent and spectacular movie theater that was once home to minister Reverend Ike, served as the glamorous backdrop for Broadway's night to honor its own,…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 09:43AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 11, 2023

'Doubt': Superlative script, expert directing and compelling acting make for spellbinding Beck production by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO Doubt: A Parable, which is now on stage at Beck Center for the Arts, won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.  It ran for 525 performances i…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 02:46PM[SHARE]
Friday, June 2, 2023

Broadway's 'Parade': Wrapped in the Folds of Civic Pageantry by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN Alfred Uhry's musical Parade, co-conceived by Hal Prince with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, is now playing to sell-out crowds and rave reviews, and back on Broadway…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 02:59PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Brilliant production of 'Curious Incident' bows at Le Petit Theatre by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") Author Mark Haddon created a best selling novel 20 years ago in Great Britain with "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 02:02PM[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