All stories by Ben Brantley on BroadwayStars

Monday, May 25, 2015

Theater Talkback: Speaking the Same Language by BEN BRANTLEY

Why good productions of Shakespeare and Pinter require actors to speak the same language.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

ArtsBeat: Theater Talkback: Speaking the Same Language by BEN BRANTLEY

Why good productions of Shakespeare and Pinter require actors to speak the same language.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | 'The Great Game: Afghanistan' : The Curtain Rises: Enter, Reality by BEN BRANTLEY

A cycle of a dozen plays follows foreign involvement in Afghanistan, its results and the lack thereof.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | 'Pass the Blutwurst, Bitte': Egon Schiele Seen From Many Angles by BEN BRANTLEY

The performance artist John Kelly channels Egon Schiele in his reprise of “Pass the Blutwurst, Bitte,” at La MaMa.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

ArtsBeat: Theater Talkback: When Familiar Words Are Heard Anew by BEN BRANTLEY

Sometimes a familiar line or phrase can be heard in new ways thanks to an actor’s unexpected interpretation.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Hath Not a Year Highlights? Even This One? by BEN BRANTLEY

In a year that recapped some of New York theater’s least appealing aspects, a few productions made us remember the singular power of theater to astonish.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Hath Not a Year Highlights? Even This One? by BEN BRANTLEY

In a year that recapped some of New York theater’s least appealing aspects, a few productions made us remember the singular power of theater to astonish.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

The Importance of Being Astonished by BEN BRANTLEY

Brian Bedford, who seems to pick up a Tony nomination whenever he steps foot on a Broadway stage, has returned to portray Lady Bracknell in "The Importance of Being Earnest."

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | 'The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church': Prolific Communication From an Isolated Man by Ben Brantley

The British monologist Daniel Kitson comes to know a dead man through his correspondence.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

ArtsBeat: Theater Talkback: When Political Theater Feels Truly Dangerous by Ben Brantley

The idea of theater as an act (and an instrument) of political defiance is a strange one these days to most Americans.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Under The Radar Review: 'Diciembre' by Ben Brantley

"Diciembre," at Under the Radar Festival, is a witty, sharply focused vision of a time well past celebration.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Critic’s Notebook: Rocking a Cradle of Experimental Theater by Ben Brantley

La MaMa, the East Village theater Ellen Stewart created and led, is not a 1960s relic; it continues to produce unexpected and even prophetic art.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | 'Other Desert Cities': Drowning in Domestic Denial in the Sands of Palm Springs by Ben Brantley

Audiences will surely find something wonderful in each of the five performances at the center of Jon Robin Baitz’s new play, “Other Desert Cities,” at Lincoln Center.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | 'John Gabriel Borkman': Ibsen’s Big Chill, With Soul Mates Frozen in Time by Ben Brantley

Ibsen’s “John Gabriel Borkman,” from the Abbey Theater of Ireland, is in production at the Harvey Theater in Brooklyn.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | 'Cymbeline': Simply Shakespeare, No Tangled Web by Ben Brantley

A plucky little troupe is breezily overcoming many of the problems that appear to be plaguing “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” which is next door.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

ArtsBeat: Surface Thrills: Remembering the Costumes of Theoni V. Aldredge by Ben Brantley

More than perhaps any other Broadway costume designer of the past half century, she understood that for a certain kind of show, nothing less than all-out dazzle would do.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

ArtsBeat: Theater Talkback: A Master Class With Christine Ebersole, a Singer of Many Voices by Ben Brantley

Ms. Ebersole, I was reminded with renewed force, is a rarity among musical comedy stars.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | 'The New York Idea': Love in City of Intemperate Mores by Ben Brantley

David Auburn’s version of “The New York Idea” updates a 1906 comedy of mores.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | 'Gruesome Playground Injuries': Love Hurts, and for Some Couples, That’s the Point by Ben Brantley

“Gruesome Playground Injuries” is a blood-spattered twig of a play from the up-and-coming dramatist Rajiv Joseph.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | 'Three Sisters': Russian Ennui, American Idiom by Ben Brantley

A fresh and affecting Classic Stage Company production of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” features Jessica Hecht, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review: ‘The Witch of Edmonton’: Black-Magic Woman by Ben Brantley

This seldom-seen Jacobean drama, based on an actual incident in 17th-century England, has been given an insightful production by the Red Bull Theater company at Theater at St. Clement’…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark': Good vs. Evil, Hanging by a Thread by Ben Brantley

This show is not only the most expensive musical ever to hit Broadway, but it may also rank among the worst.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

ArtsBeat: Theater Talkback: Good Glitch, Bad Glitch by Ben Brantley

When something goes wrong during a show, the illusion of reality that has been created on stage can fall apart before your eyes.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | 'Compulsion': The Young Girl Pulls the Strings in This Relationship by Ben Brantley

In “Compulsion,” a dynamic Mandy Patinkin meets his match in a puppet version of Anne Frank.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | 'Diary of a Madman': Send in the Russian Clown and His Pain and Alienation, Too by Ben Brantley

Geoffrey Rush, who plays the title character in Gogol’s “Diary of a Madman” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, reminds us that it’s a fine, fine line that divides …

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Revivals Are Nice, but Revel in the New by BEN BRANTLEY

Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia” returns, the “South Park” team tries Broadway, and Chris Rock turns up in a play.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

All Over London, Love Hurts by BEN BRANTLEY

Keira Knightley, Elisabeth Moss and Rebecca Hall have taken to the London stage and audiences are lining up.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | ‘Frankenstein’: It’s (Gasp!) Alive, Not to Mention Peeved by Ben Brantley

Mary Shelley’s monster is birthed onstage in London by the Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, who has a keen sense of the trappings of life in this world.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

ArtsBeat: Theater Talkback: When Shakespeare's Comedies Draw Tears by Ben Brantley

Sometimes it’s hard not to tear up during Shakespeare’s comedies.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Talkback: When Shakespeare's Comedies Draw Tears by Ben Brantley

Commentary on suddenly tearing up during scenes in Shakespeare's comedies

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Theater Review | ‘Frankenstein’: It’s (Gasp!) Alive, Not to Mention Peeved by Ben Brantley

Mary Shelley’s monster is birthed onstage in London by the Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, who has a keen sense of the trappings of life in this world.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

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
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic