All stories by Alan Smason on BroadwayStars

Friday, March 12, 2021

Bad Dates: A dazzling array of shoes, clothes, men, police and the Romanian mafia by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN For great fun, and a breathless romp through one woman’s topsy-turvy life, Bad Dates, George Street Playhouses’ filmed version of Theresa Rebeck’s 2003 zany one-woman p…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 02:54PM
Monday, March 8, 2021

Beck Center streams concert of Broadway alums by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO Beck Center often coordinates with Baldwin Wallace Music Theatre program to produce some of the Cleveland area’s best musical theatre.  Not only does the stage often sparkle…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 07:37PM

Andréa Burns Dons Shoes and Discards ‘Bad Dates’ Delightfully by Alan Smason

Andréa Burns sizzles and sparkles as Haley, a single parent trying to raise a teenage daughter, run a barely legitimate restaurant that only takes cash and still find time to search for lov…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 01:35PM
Saturday, March 6, 2021

JPAS finishing its run of ‘Arsenic & Old Lace’ by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out”) For three and a half years, Joseph Kesselring was the toast of Broadway with his dark comedy Arsenic & Old Lace. The play, w…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 06:19PM
Wednesday, March 3, 2021

American Evangelicals support for Israel showcased in ”Til Kingdom Come’ by Alan Smason

By JACK LYONS How does one cover 2000 years of religious history of the Jewish people and Gentiles in the Common Era (C.E.)?   Perhaps, a good start would be seeing life through the lenses…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:56PM
Friday, February 26, 2021

Andréa Burns stars in ‘Bad Dates’ streaming from George St. Playhouse by Alan Smason

When the worldwide theatre community shut down last March, Andréa Burns was riding high. She was getting ready to fly out to San Diego to be one one a group of actors who would be mounting …

SOURCE: www.crescentcityjewishnews.com at 06:02PM
Saturday, February 13, 2021

The Melancholy Soul of ‘Tchaikovsky’: A Cinematic Journey by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN The first name that comes to mind whenever the name Hershey Felder comes into play is that of actor Sacha Baron Cohen. Not only do both men physically resemble each other, ar…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 09:18AM
Friday, January 29, 2021

Kenyatta’s star rises in Robeson tribute: ‘The World Is My Home’ by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, Special to Theatrecriticism.com For the past two decades, Stogie Kenyatta has researched, performed and perfected his one-man show The World Is My Home – The Life of Paul R…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 03:57AM
Monday, January 4, 2021

‘Casablanca’: How and why it became an iconic Hollywood movie by Alan Smason

By JACK LYONS, Special to Theatrecriticism.com (Desert Local News) – When the movie “Casablanca” merged the powerful elements of love, war, and destiny in 1942, the film and its produc…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 05:10PM
Thursday, December 31, 2020

New ‘Estella Scrooge’ is Dickensian love letter by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) It might be easy to dismiss Estella Scrooge: A Christmas Carol with a Twist as another in a continuing procession of holiday far…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 10:00PM
Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Williamstown Festival’s ‘Animals’ much more than Black-White affair by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) The third entry in the Williamstown Theatre Festival’s season using the Aubible platform was released in late December. This w…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 01:58PM
Saturday, December 26, 2020

Rebecca Luker, angelic soprano, departs for heavenly stage by Alan Smason

Rebecca Luker, a three-time Tony Award nominated actress, whose crystal-clear soprano voice and stunning presence established her as a star in some of Broadway’s more noted musicals of the…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 08:30AM
Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Audra McDonald is heard, but not seen in Williamstown’s ‘Streetcar’ by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON Ever since the words “novel coronavirus” began to make the news circuits and theaters began what was hoped to be a relatively short downtime, the ingenuity of resourceful …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:11PM
Friday, December 4, 2020

Jessica Sherr proves ‘Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies’ by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN Of all the celebs channeled by drag queens and female impersonators, Bette Davis, like flies to honey, has always been at the top of every performers list. Her mannerisms, he…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:26AM
Thursday, November 12, 2020

Taurel reaches emotional peak in ‘The American Soldier’ by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) Due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions limiting crowd sizes at public gatherings, local theatre companies have found themselve…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 02:50AM
Friday, October 2, 2020

UNO unpacks ‘Single Black Female’ by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON With the current COVID-19 pandemic creating new and interesting virtual meeting places, university campuses have been marked by responsiveness and ingenuity. Last spring’s v…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:46AM
Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Tony Awards Committee determines eligibility of shows by Alan Smason

The Tony Awards Administration Committee met on August 27, 2020 to confirm the eligibility status of three Broadway productions for the 2020 Tony Awards®. This was the final time the Tony A…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 03:10AM
Friday, July 10, 2020

‘Hamilton’ on Disney Plus is sure cure to lose pandemic blues by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON As the seconds ticked by to display a 2:00 a.m. CDT time on the computer, it was easy for me to imagine the sounds of a million click booms on TV remotes across the nation. Th…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 08:07AM
Thursday, June 18, 2020

2020 Drama Desk Awards announced by Alan Smason

The 65th annual Drama Desk Awards, which had been postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then rescheduled for Sunday, May 31, only to be postponed again due to the emerging protests and…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 12:34AM
Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Why review theatre? by Alan Smason

By HARRY DUKE, originally published in NORTH BAY BOHEMIAN What is the point of reviewing theatre? If you had asked me that question 90 days ago, my answer would be to provide potential audie…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 03:58AM
Saturday, March 14, 2020

‘Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice’ adaptation closes by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN Surprise of all surprises, the 1969 movie “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,” thanks to The New Group and Pershing Square Signature Center, is back in the news again…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:46AM
Saturday, March 7, 2020

Busch gilds the ‘Confession of Lily Dare’ by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN In or out of drag, whether on stage or page, the 65-year-old actor playwright Charles Busch, with some 40 years of show business under his belt, is a force to be reckoned wit…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 06:54PM
Friday, February 21, 2020

Coyote Stageworks debut’s a terrific ‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’ at P/S Cultural Center by Alan Smason

By JACK LYONS, Special from Desert Local News.com (PALM SPRINGS, CA.) – Coyote StageWorks, of Palm Springs, presents playwright Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2 as the debut produc…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 05:58PM
Saturday, February 1, 2020

‘My Name Is Lucy Barton’ lost in translation by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN My Name Is Lucy Barton written by Elizabeth Stout and published to a chorus of Hosannas in 2016, is now a one-woman, two-character play – running through Saturday, February…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 06:07PM
Tuesday, January 28, 2020

‘Is This A Room’: A Whistleblower’s Nightmare by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN I cannot remember any play that unnerved me to such a degree as the Vineyard Theatre’s production of Tina Satter’s brilliantly conceived Is This A Room. Not only did this…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 01:15PM
Monday, January 20, 2020

Le Petit has a smash hit with ‘Something Rotten’ by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) With its current production of Something Rotten!, Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré has set the bar so incredibly high that even …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 06:16PM
Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Money, matrimony & madness in ‘London Assurance’ by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN First things first. Before I delve into the Irish Repertory Theater’s marvelous production of London Assurance by Dublin-born playwright Dion Boucicault (1820-1890) – ext…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:50AM
Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The talented, talkative critic: Herbert Simpson (1934-2019) by Alan Smason

By BILL HIRSCHMAN For even those who only knew Herbert Simpson in passing, likely what they remember was his voice – usually deep and sonorous, a bit scratchy, but brimming with passion. T…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:31AM
Thursday, November 7, 2019

‘Heroes of the Fourth Turning’: A conservative fugue by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN Will Arbery’s latest play, Heroes of the Fourth Turning, having been extended two times by popular demand, is now running Off-Broadway through Sunday, November 17, 2019 at …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:05AM
Thursday, October 31, 2019

Milwaukee’s Marcus Center serves as the room where ‘Hamilton’ happens by Alan Smason

By ANNE SIEGEL It has been a long wait, but the people of southeast Wisconsin finally get to be in the room where it happens. Hamilton has arrived. And what a reception it’s getting. The m…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 04:00PM
Friday, October 11, 2019

Pinter’s ‘Betrayal’ on Broadway: from the end to the beginning by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN I have often been asked how my plays come about. I cannot say. Nor can I ever sum up my plays, except to say that this is what happened. That is what they said. That is what …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 07:32AM

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
Nov 17, 2024: Elf - Marquis Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime