All stories by Alan Smason on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

‘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: TheatreCriticsm.com at 06:28PM
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 Re…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 11:23AM
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, …

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 07:17AM
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-…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 05:42AM
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 Louis…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 11:44AM
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 Entertain…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 11:21AM
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 prod…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 03:30AM
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 A…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 07:42AM
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 …

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 05:13PM
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 styl…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 05:22PM
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 c…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 11:51PM
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 pl…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 11:55AM
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 …

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 11:56AM
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 Mene…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 12:24PM
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: TheatreCriticsm.com at 11:15AM
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…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 05:56AM
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 …

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 09:55AM
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…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 06:05PM
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 …

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 10:26AM
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 …

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 10:32AM
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 …

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 09:43AM
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 in it…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 02:46PM
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 Broadw…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 02:59PM
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 Nig…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 02:02PM
Saturday, May 20, 2023

NOLA Project repeats ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at NOMA Sculpture Garden by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) There is an adage well known to pharmacists and those familiar with shampoo. The directions “repeat when necessary” come to …

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 01:14PM
Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Rivertown rises as it descends to the depths with ‘SpongeBob Musical’ by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) Despite its having won a Tony Award for scenic design, The SpongeBob Musical appeared to be a lightweight entry on the season f…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 09:11AM
Monday, May 15, 2023

Intimate Hanna Theatre a perfect venue for swingin’ ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO The setting in which a musical production takes place, often affects the pleasure one gets from the experience.  A perfect case in point is Ain’t Misbehavin’ presently bein…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 09:36AM
Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Tony Nominations for 2023 listed by Alan Smason

(NEW YORK) – Tony Awards nominations were announced this morning by Lea Michele and 2022 Tony Award winner Myles Frost. The full list of nominations follows. A total of 38 shows were elig…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 05:44PM
Saturday, April 29, 2023

Lance Nichols revives the spirit of August Wilson in ‘How I Learned What I Learned’ by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) Lance E. Nichols has played many roles in his stellar movie and TV career, but the opportunity to emulate playwright August Wils…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 10:46AM
Tuesday, April 25, 2023

‘What We Look Like’ is fun, but inconsistent; needs focus, cutting by Alan Smason

By ROY BERKO It’s always exciting and challenging to see a “new” play script come alive in a staged production, especially by a creditable performance company.  What We Look Like, no…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 09:32AM
Thursday, April 20, 2023

M. D. Schaffer’s ‘Drapetomania: A Negro Carol’ is a wild ride through history by Alan Smason

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out”) In 1851 in an article written for DeBow’s Review that was published in New Orleans, Dr. Samuel Cartwright, a physician, create…

SOURCE: TheatreCriticsm.com at 02:29PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards