All stories by BEN BRANTLEY on BroadwayStars

Thursday, May 9, 2013

‘Matilda the Musical’ Offers Good Advice by Ben Brantley

“Matilda the Musical” offers children and adults hope in a reminder that everyone can rewrite their stories.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:29AM
Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Theater Review: Richard Foreman’s ‘Old-Fashioned Prostitutes’ by Ben Brantley

In “Old-Fashioned Prostitutes (A True Romance),” a mind-bending play by Richard Foreman at the Public Theater, an aging man sifts through past encounters.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Monday, May 6, 2013

Theater Review: ‘Nikolai and the Others,’ by Richard Nelson, at the Newhouse by Ben Brantley

“Nikolai and the Others,” by Richard Nelson, brings Balanchine, the Stravinskys and other creative émigrés together for the weekend.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Thursday, May 2, 2013

Theater Review: Mike Bartlett’s ‘Bull,’ at 59E59 Theaters by Ben Brantley

Mike Bartlett’s “Bull,” directed by Clare Lizzimore at 59E59 Theaters, depicts desperate rivalry in an office where jobs are imperiled.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Thursday, April 25, 2013

Theater Review: ‘Pippin,’ Directed by Diane Paulus, at the Music Box Theater by Ben Brantley

Diane Paulus’s Broadway revival of “Pippin” has a big-top concept that features awe-inspiring gymnastics.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:01PM
Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Theater Review: ‘The Trip to Bountiful,’ at the Stephen Sondheim Theater by Ben Brantley

Bountiful is a code name for the Fountain of Youth in Michael Wilson’s revival of Horton Foote’s “Trip to Bountiful,” at the Stephen Sondheim Theater.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM

Theater Review: David Byrne’s ‘Here Lies Love,’ at the Public Theater by Ben Brantley

“Here Lies Love,” the exciting new poperetta conceived by the musician (and former Talking Head) David Byrne, sets a new standard for audience participation.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Monday, April 22, 2013

Theater Review: ‘The Testament of Mary,’ at the Walter Kerr Theater by Ben Brantley

A great actress and a fine, trenchant script are struggling to assert themselves at the Walter Kerr Theater, where Colm Toibin’s “Testament of Mary” opened on Monday night.  …

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Thursday, April 18, 2013

Theater Review: ‘Orphans,’ With Alec Baldwin, at the Schoenfeld Theater by Ben Brantley

Despite its violence, “Orphans,” a revival of Lyle Kessler’s 1985 play starring Alec Baldwin, Tom Sturridge and Ben Foster, has a soft touch.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Theater Review: ‘The Assembled Parties,’ at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater by Ben Brantley

“The Assembled Parties” is an elegy to a breed of woman, a style of living and a genre of theater of which only vestiges remain in New York.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Monday, April 15, 2013

Theater Review: ‘The Nance,’ Starring Nathan Lane, at Lyceum Theater by Ben Brantley

Nathan Lane in “The Nance,” by Douglas Carter Beane, plays a character who shines for the camera and wilts offstage.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Sunday, April 14, 2013

Theater Review: ‘Julius Caesar’ at the Harvey Theater by Ben Brantley

The blood runs warm in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s vibrant production of “Julius Caesar,” now at the Harvey Theater of the Brooklyn Academy of Music.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:55PM
Thursday, April 11, 2013

Theater Review: ‘Matilda the Musical’ at Shubert Theater by Ben Brantley

“Matilda the Musical,” a British import adapted from Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel, is a tale of empowerment told from the perspective of the most powerless group — little children. &…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Thursday, April 4, 2013

Theater Review: ‘Kinky Boots,’ the Harvey Fierstein-Cyndi Lauper Musical by Ben Brantley

A factory owner and a drag performer combine efforts in “Kinky Boots,” the new Broadway musical from Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Theater Review: ‘Good With People’ at 59E59 Theaters by Ben Brantley

David Harrower’s “Good With People” is running at 59E59 Theaters as part of the Brits Off Broadway series.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Monday, April 1, 2013

Theater Review: Tom Hanks in ‘Lucky Guy,’ at the Broadhurst Theater by Ben Brantley

In the Nora Ephron play “Lucky Guy,” at the Broadhurst Theater, Tom Hanks makes his Broadway debut playing the newspaper columnist Mike McAlary.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Thursday, March 28, 2013

ArtsBeat: Theater Talkback: Quick-Change Artistry by Ben Brantley

Ben Brantley on the basic moments of metamorphosis on stage that remind us of the magic of theater.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:27PM
Thursday, March 21, 2013

Theater Review: ‘It’s a Bird ... It’s a Plane ... It’s Superman’ at City Center by Ben Brantley

The Encores! concert production of “It’s a Bird ... It’s a Plane ...It’s Superman” is given a pitch-perfect staging by John Rando at City Center.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:58PM
Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Theater Review: ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s,’ Starring Emilia Clarke by Ben Brantley

The new “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” on Broadway at the Cort Theater, is more faithful to Truman Capote’s novella than the 1961 film was, yet far more melancholy.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM
Monday, March 18, 2013

Theater Review: ‘The Bodyguard,’ With Heather Headley, in London by Ben Brantley

Playing a pop goddess in “The Bodyguard,” the new musical based on the 1992 movie that starred Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, Heather Headley gives great diva.

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Friday, March 15, 2013

ArtsBeat: London Journal: From the Engine Room to the Dacha by Ben Brantley

James Graham’s “This House” finds suspense in the wheelings and dealings of Parliament; Heather Headley shines as a pop goddess in “The Bodyguard”; and William Boyd tries his hand …

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:00PM
Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Theater Review: ‘Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ in London by Ben Brantley

“The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time,” a play adapted from the novel about a boy who appears to have Asperger’s syndrome, has opened at the Apollo Theater in London.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:15PM

ArtsBeat: London Theater Journal: Alan Bennett, a Cozy Everywhere Man by Ben Brantley

You can find Alan Bennett two ways on London stages: He’s a character in a double bill starring Alex Jennings (“Hymn” and “Cocktail Sticks”) and the author of “People,” starrin…

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Tuesday, March 12, 2013

ArtsBeat: London Theater Journal: 'Trelawny of the Wells' and 'Dear World' by Ben Brantley

“Trelawny of the Wells” is a portrait of the Victorian era in theater; Betty Buckley brings her distinctive gifts to “Dear World,” a revival of a notorious ’60s flop.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:32PM
Monday, March 11, 2013

ArtsBeat: London Theater Journal: 'Judas Kiss' and 'Quartermaine’s Terms' by Ben Brantley

Rupert Everett stars as Oscar Wilde in “Judas Kiss” and Rowan Atkinson plays a teacher of English in “Quartermaine’s Terms.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:02PM
Friday, March 8, 2013

ArtsBeat: London Theater Journal: The Young and the Restless by Ben Brantley

In tour-de-force performances, James McAvoy is a war-traumatized Macbeth and Kate O’Flynn is a girl aching to flee her bleak home town in “Port.”

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Thursday, March 7, 2013

ArtsBeat: Your London Theater Questions Answered by Ben Brantley

The Times’s chief theater critic recommends what to see and how to spend less to see it.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Theater Review | 'The Audience': ‘The Audience,’ in London, Stars Helen Mirren by Ben Brantley

“The Audience” is a sort of starched-bosomed nanny of a play, offering the artistic equivalent of nursery food and equally digestible history lessons.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:36AM

ArtsBeat: London Theater Journal: Follow the Money by Ben Brantley

Ben Brantley on “Money the Game Show” and a revival of “Privates on Parade,” starring Simon Russell Beale.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:00AM
Tuesday, March 5, 2013

ArtsBeat: London Theater Journal: Memory Plays by Ben Brantley

Ben Brantley on Harold Pinter’s “Old Times” and an intimate revival of “Merrily We Roll Along.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:28AM
Sunday, March 3, 2013

Theater Review: ‘Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella’ at Broadway Theater by Ben Brantley

“Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” wants to be reassuringly old-fashioned and refreshingly irreverent, sentimental and snarky, sincere and ironic, all at once.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM