All stories by Alan Smason on BroadwayStars

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
Saturday, October 5, 2019

Karamu Theatre stages Morisseau’s ‘Blue Paradise’ by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO Suzan-Lori Parks, Lynn Nottage and Tonya Barfield are noted as emerging African-American playwrights. Another member of that sorority is the award-winning Dominique Morisseau, t…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:24AM
Saturday, September 14, 2019

Bard bared: ‘Shakespeare’s R&J’ at convergence-continuum by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO In its off-Broadway production, Shakespeare R&J (which is now on stage at convergence continuum) ran for a year, making it the longest running version of “Romeo and Juliet…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 10:28AM
Sunday, September 1, 2019

San Diego’s Old Globe delivers winning comic romp by Alan Smason

By JACK LYONS, Desert Local News “Silly is as silly does,” could easily be the subtitle following the name of the current comedy/farce romp The Underpants, now on stage at the Old Globe�…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 08:39AM

World’s greatest love story: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at Old Globe in San Diego by Alan Smason

By JACK LYONS, Desert Local News There have been many love stories written about the redemptive power of love in all its art forms: poems, songs, odes, sonnets, essays, novels, movies, and …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 07:06AM
Saturday, August 24, 2019

‘Lobby Hero’ at Blank Canvas asks: What is the moral thing to do? by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO Kenneth Lonergan is noted for writing about decent people who are unexpectedly challenged by issues of ethics. In his Lobby Hero, now on stage at Blank Canvas, the 2016 Oscar wi…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 01:37PM
Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Elegance of Yesteryear: ‘Love, Noël’ by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN There are probably greater painters than Noël. Greater novelists than Noël, greater librettists, greater composers of music, greater singers, greater dancers, greater comed…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 01:19AM
Saturday, August 10, 2019

Deadly plight of gays in Uganda seen in ‘The Rolling Stone’ by Alan Smason

By EDWARD RUBIN While New York City recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising with much hoopla and an enormous traffic-stopping Gay Pride parade that went on well in…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 10:00AM
Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Cleavant Derricks stars in Geva world premiere of ‘Revival: The Resurrection of Son House’ by Alan Smason

By HERBERT W. SIMPSON It seems that Geva Theater Center’s long devotion to creating a worthy theater piece devoted to the history of Son House has reached a temporarily completed form in t…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 02:01AM
Monday, April 29, 2019

Geva Center Theater’s ‘The Royale’ simple, yet stunning by Alan Smason

By HERBERT W. SIMPSON Virtually all of our leading contemporary repertory theaters now include non-traditional experimental techniques in staging not only original new work but also – even…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 02:49PM
Sunday, February 24, 2019

Cast remains buoyant in Williams’ ‘Small Craft Warnings’ by Alan Smason

By ANNE SIEGEL MILWAUKEE, WI. – A small but energetic theater company, Off the Wall Theatre, has produced a memorable production of one of Tennessee Williams’ later works, Small Craft Wa…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 07:49PM
Monday, December 10, 2018

Choreography the highlight of less-than-well-conceived ‘Shrek’ at Beck by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO Jeanine Tesori (music) and David Lindsay-Abaire (books and lyrics) developed the creative Shrek: The Musical from DreamWorks Animation’s film and William Steig’s book of the…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 10:45AM
Saturday, November 17, 2018

Bay Area Musicals’ ‘Crazy for You’ puts Gershwins on tap by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON SAN FRANCISCO — Anyone who has ever seen a Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney film knows that the ills of the world can be transformed by putting on a show, raising needed reven…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 07:18AM
Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Geva Theatre presents case of ‘Thurgood’ through Nov. 16 by Alan Smason

By HERBERT SIMPSON Despite already having knocked people out in splendidly acted versions, this important and enormously appealing play seems to be moving to “National Treasure” status i…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 01:25AM
Monday, October 1, 2018

Cleveland Play House’s ‘Woman in Black’ less than it could be by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO Susan Hill, author of the book “The Woman in Black,” the source of the play of the same name now being staged at the Cleveland Play House (CPH), relates: “The Suffolk coas…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 03:43PM

God admits he’s imperfect in hysterically funny ‘An Act of God’ at Beck  by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO God, or a facsimile thereof, in the form of Mike Polk Jr., who in his other life is a local comedian and Fox 8 personality, is appearing on the Beck Center for the Arts stage, i…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 11:48AM
Friday, September 21, 2018

Geva Theatre revives ‘Hair’ in Rochester by Alan Smason

By HERBERT SIMPSON  I wondered how the old love-rock musical would play these days for an audience of younger folk unfamiliar with Hippie rebellion, flower children, 60s rock music, and a m…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 09:08AM
Monday, September 10, 2018

Power’s ‘Seize the King’ is an ambitious reinterpretation of ‘Richard III’ by Alan Smason

By JACK LYONS Ambition supposedly killed Caesar, according to Brutus. However, it also became a two-edged sword that cut both ways. Literature is bursting with characters who are infected wi…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 02:54AM
Saturday, February 17, 2018

Epic Antarctic-set drama gives Portland, Oregon a theatrical adventure by Alan Smason

By LOU HARRY A tip of the (ice) cap to Portland, Oregon’s Artists Repertory Theatre, which has given E.M Lewis’ epic play “Magellanica” a worthy production, even if its cracks show. …

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 02:22AM
Friday, July 28, 2017

Sonoma Arts Live finishing fine ‘Gypsy’ by Alan Smason

By HARRY DUKE Musicals are the bread and butter of community theatre. They’re usually crowd pleasers and, with their large casts, can bank on a crowd of family and friends to fill a good p…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 09:38AM
Friday, May 19, 2017

Gratuitous gore in ‘Guards at the Taj’ by Alan Smason

By HARRY DUKE It’s 1648 and the splendiferous Taj Mahal awaits its opening. Humayun and Babur, the two lowliest members of Emperor Shah Jahan’s royal guards, are assigned the lowliest du…

SOURCE: Theatre Criticsm at 09:31AM

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