All stories by Alan Smason on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Beloved book, film 'The Garden of the Finzi-Continis' transformed into opera by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN Despite countless closings, postponements, cancellations, empty seats, COVID interventions, and the annoying requirements of having to wear a mask, present proof of a vaccina…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 10:57AM[SHARE]
Sunday, February 13, 2022

F-F-F-F-Formula for fun, frivolity found in 'Frozen' by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") One of the most unanticipated closures on Broadway due to the COVID pandemic was the announcement from the Disney Theatrical Group tha…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 09:02AM[SHARE]
Saturday, February 12, 2022

Spellbinding 'Lizzie: The Musical' rocks at Beck Center by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO Vickie Bussert, the director of Lizzie: The Musical, an exploration of the Lizzie Borden story, now on stage as a joint production between Baldwin Wallace's nationally respected…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 12:50PM[SHARE]
Saturday, February 5, 2022

World premiere of 'Gardens of the Finzi-Continis' continues in New York by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") Times have been very busy both together and separately for the composing team of composer Ricky Ian Gordon and librettist Michael Kori…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 02:09PM[SHARE]
Friday, January 28, 2022

'Mean Girls' tour raises high school angst to a new level by Alan Smason

By ANNE SIEGEL MILWAUKEE, WI " Life hasn't been all unicorns and rainbows for the national tour of Mean Girls, which is playing in Milwaukee January 25-30. Some of its performances in other …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 07:06AM[SHARE]

Riveting TV series from Austria finds a niche mystery audience on PBS by Alan Smason

By JACK LYONS, Desert Local News Agatha Christie was the queen of the murder mystery genre hands down. The transfer of her novels to the stage and for viewers of the film medium only incr…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 06:02AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Rivertown's 'Cabaret' fires on most of its cylinders by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") With its current production of Cabaret finally on the boards, the Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts has achieved some major f…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 06:21PM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 8, 2022

Hope, beauty arise in Speilberg's dynamic new 'West Side Story' film by Alan Smason

By JACK LYONS It is said that with age comes wisdom. It is also said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The eyes of today's beholders are currently in love with "West Side Story", ma…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 08:17AM[SHARE]
Friday, January 7, 2022

'Kimberly Akimbo': A Young Soul in an Old Body by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN Kimberly Akimbo, the newly penned musical with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Shrek the Musical) and music by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Caroline, or Ch…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 08:18PM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 30, 2021

Joyous national tour of 'Hadestown' opens appropriately at Saenger Theater by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") If ever there was a city with which a spiritual kinship could be forged with the national tour of Hadestown, there is little doubt it …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 08:14AM[SHARE]
Friday, December 24, 2021

Feldshuh scores in live production of 'Becoming Dr. Ruth' by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Crittic ("Steppin' Out") Tovah Feldshuh had described herself as a "transformational" actor. Among her previous outings in one-woman shows were Israeli Prime …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 01:57PM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 18, 2021

Poignant drama explores gay women's sexual mores of the past 75 years by Alan Smason

By JACK LYONS, Desert Local News The Desert Ensemble Theatre Company (DETC) of Palm Springs launched its 2021-2022 season in its new home at Theatre # 3, inside the Palm Springs Cultural Cen…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 10:48AM[SHARE]

Classic endearing musical returns to the stage of Palm Canyon Theatre by Alan Smason

By JACK LYONS, Desert Local News Live theaters all over the country are mounting their various holiday versions of Christmas-themed plays and musicals.  The Palm Canyon Theatre, the city'…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 04:24AM[SHARE]
Friday, December 17, 2021

'Caroline, or Change': Now More Than Ever by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") Coming just a year after the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and last summer's massive Black Lives Mat…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 12:42PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 14, 2021

'Flying Over Sunset' is an ethereal, experiential journey of sight and sound by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") Any child of the Sixties or worthy Deadhead would probably bet their monthly Social Security check that Harvard professor Timothy Lear…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 06:28PM[SHARE]
Friday, December 10, 2021

Insightful comedy 'Bakersfield Mist' intrigues at CV REP by Alan Smason

By JACK LYONS, The world of theatre can become a transformative experience for many in the audience as each person views the production through different lenses at the same time.   …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 10:11AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Manhattan Theatre Club's production of 'Morning Sun' a must-see by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN Manhattan Theatre Club's production of British playwright Simon Stephen's three-generation memory play Morning Sun runs through Sunday, December 19th at New York City Center.…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 07:06PM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 20, 2021

Laughter, Tears and Gossip in a Beauty Salon by Alan Smason

By ANNE SIEGEL MILWAUKEE, WI " It may seem unusual for the state's largest performing arts organization to open its doors after the pandemic with a comedy from the genteel South. Yet, a clos…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 07:43PM[SHARE]
Friday, November 12, 2021

Improbable 'Tootsie' opens Saenger Theatre back on national tour circuit by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") There is an obvious conversation addressed early in Tootsie, the David Yazbek musical that won Santino Fontana a Leading Actor in a Mu…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:14AM[SHARE]
Friday, November 5, 2021

'The Prom': Old fashioned musical with contemporary moral by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO In 2010 a gay Mississippi high school student was banned from coming to her senior prom by the school's Board of Education because she wanted to bring her girlfriend as her date…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:35AM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 4, 2021

Too many cooks in the kitchen wreak family havoc in 'Stew' by Alan Smason

By ANNE SIEGEL The opening of Zora Howard's Stew marks a return to the stage for one of Milwaukee's longstanding companies, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. For the past 20 months, one of the love…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 12:02AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 31, 2021

Where Did We Sit on the Bus? is a trip centering on Latinx-American culture by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO For the last several years more and more attention has been placed on The Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements, woke language, microaggressions, radical feminism, transgender…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 10:51AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 27, 2021

JPAS' 'The Addams Family' is a spooky good show by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") With the opening of The Addams Family musical last week, director Leslie Castay added a new company, the Jefferson Performing Arts Soc…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:02PM[SHARE]
Thursday, October 14, 2021

Bryan Batt's 'Dear Mr. Williams' a funny, poignant discovery of freedom by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") When Bryan Batt steps on the stage of Le Petit Theatre du Carré as the star of the one-man play Dear Mr. Williams, he is literally li…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 12:29PM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 9, 2021

Eye-opening 'The Exonerated contains important message at Beck, but is not compelling theatre by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO The death penalty carries the inherent risk of executing an innocent person. Since 1973, more than 186 people who had been sentenced to death have been exonerated. Research b…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 05:38PM[SHARE]
Friday, October 8, 2021

Hello, Ricky! Wish this 'Dolly' would never go away! by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") When it was announced that Ricky Graham would be in the director's chair for   Hello, Dolly! at Rivertown Theaters for the Perfo…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 02:14PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Choosing whether or not to worship Yasmina Reza's 'God of Carnage' in Westwego by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") With its most recent production of God of Carnage, the Jefferson Performing Arts Society has taken the wraps off Yasmina Reza's contro…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 09:15AM[SHARE]
Monday, October 4, 2021

Updated version of 'Scenes from a Marriage' draws mixed reviews by Alan Smason

By JACK LYONS When it comes to original stories made into movies and TV films about the subject of love and marriage, one would be hard pressed to ignore the angst-filled dramas of the great…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 08:05AM[SHARE]
Thursday, September 30, 2021

Cutting Edge Theater's 'Cabaret' establishes new musical star by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") There are times when a single performance rises above all others within a given production. While these times are rare, when they occu…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 05:47AM[SHARE]
Saturday, September 18, 2021

A Tense Family Journey at Oregon Shakespeare Festival by Alan Smason

By ANNE SIEGEL (Dashland, OREGON) " Water by the Spoonful is perhaps even more relevant today than when it was staged at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2014. The play initially appeared …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 09:04PM[SHARE]
Saturday, September 11, 2021

A Gripping Tale at American Players Theatre by Alan Smason

By ANNE SIEGEL SPRING GREEN, WI. " This summer, while audiences were flocking to the large, outdoor theater to view Shakespeare under the stars, another small miracle was taking place inside…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 06:33AM[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