All stories by Dan Bacalzo on BroadwayStars

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Little Miss Sunshine by Dan Bacalzo

Dark humor pervades the ironically titled Little Miss Sunshine, a new musical by composer/lyricist William Finn and book writer/director James Lapine. Based upon the 2006 film of the same na…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 02:13AM
Sunday, November 10, 2013

La Soiree by Dan Bacalzo

Bare torso glistening and jeans dripping with water, Stephen Williams slowly lifts himself out of a bathtub and into the air. He throws a sly smile to the audience as he maneuvers his body i…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 10:27PM
Monday, November 4, 2013

Disaster! by Dan Bacalzo

A campy homage is paid to such films as The Poseidon Adventure, Jaws, and The Swarm in Disaster! A 70s Disaster Movie Musical, now at St. Luke's Theater. It's a fun show, even if it goes on …

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 11:35PM
Thursday, October 24, 2013

Fun Home by Dan Bacalzo

One of the first songs in the excellent new musical Fun Home, adapted from Alison Bechdel’s autobiographical graphic novel of the same name, features members of the Bechdel family preparin…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 12:19PM
Sunday, October 20, 2013

God Hates This Show by Dan Bacalzo

Shirley Phelps-Roper of the Westboro Baptist Church is burning in Hell. That’s the premise for God Hates This Show, a satirical musical cabaret written and directed by John J. Caswell, Jr.…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 06:45PM
Saturday, October 12, 2013

A Night with Janis Joplin by Dan Bacalzo

No one sings like Janis Joplin, but Mary Bridget Davies comes close. The performer – who plays the title role in the Broadway premiere of A Night With Janis Joplin – rips into electrifyi…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 05:38AM
Sunday, October 6, 2013

Big Fish by Dan Bacalzo

It’s easy to see why Big Fish – the novel by Daniel Wallace as well as the 2003 Columbia Pictures film – has the kind of appeal that makes it fit for a big Broadway musical adaptation.…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 11:56PM
Sunday, September 29, 2013

Dina Martina: A Dour Palette by Dan Bacalzo

Dina Martina is a shock to the senses. Her bright red lipstick covers the lower half of her face in clown-like fashion, she wears a succession of gaudily ill-fitting outfits, and she sings s…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 06:25PM
Wednesday, September 18, 2013

The Old Friends by Dan Bacalzo

Betty Buckley delivers a tour de force performance in the world premiere of the late Horton Foote's The Old Friends, at the Pershing Square Signature Center. The Tony Award winner portrays G…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 06:31AM

Sutton Foster at the Café Carlyle by Dan Bacalzo

Two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster is currently back in New York and at the Café Carlyle for a three-week engagement. Joined by her musical director and frequent collaborator Michael …

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 06:29AM
Friday, September 13, 2013

Duncan Sheik at 54 Below by Dan Bacalzo

Duncan Sheik tilts his head back and closes his eyes as he sings. The sounds he makes are sensual, passionate, and often tinged with a sly humor. In his weeklong cabaret engagement at 54 Bel…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 04:17AM
Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Vaudevillians by Dan Bacalzo

Jinkx Monsoon, winner of Season Five of RuPaul's Drag Race, is a marvelous stage entertainer. Making her New York theatrical debut in the musical cabaret The Vaudevillians, Monsoon combines …

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 10:27PM
Sunday, August 18, 2013

Fringe Festival Roundup 3 by Dan Bacalzo

Bruce Vilanch is buried up to his neck in a mound of debris. No, he's not starring in a revival of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days, although it's quite clear that playwright Mike Reiss is paying…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 09:04PM

Fringe Festival Round-Up # 2 by Dan Bacalzo

Interpreting Gertrude Stein has always been a challenge. The early 20th-century writer broke from conventional usage of grammar and employed repetition and wordplay in a poetically inventive…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 09:03PM

Fringe Festival Round-Up # 1 by Dan Bacalzo

Cowboys Dont_Sing. It’s not a spoiler to note that Cowboys Don’t Sing: A Western Musical fails to adhere to the strict meaning of its title. The publicity materials for this delightfully…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 09:00PM
Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Hot! Festival's Lea DeLaria/Maggie Cassella show reviewed by Dan Bacalzo

Lea DeLaria and Maggie Cassella – two bold, brash and very funny women – team up for The Loudest Show on Earth, the centerpiece of Dixon Place’s HOT! Festival, a celebration of queer c…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 06:39PM
Monday, June 24, 2013

Tales From the Jazz Age: An F. Scott Fitzgerald Songbook by Dan Bacalzo

There are no songs from Jay-Z presented in Tales From the Jazz Age: An F. Scott Fitzgerald Songbook, the new late-night revue at the Café Carlyle. However, Emily Bergl does make a brief ref…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 01:10PM
Sunday, April 7, 2013

Kinky Boots Has Legs by Dan Bacalzo

Pop icon Cyndi Lauper and Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein have teamed up for the fabulously entertaining new Broadway musical Kinky Boots, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Based on the 2005 …

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 04:44AM
Friday, March 22, 2013

Hands on a Hardbody by Dan Bacalzo

Everybody loves to win free stuff. And when the reward is something that a lot of people value highly, competition can get quite fierce. That's certainly the case in Hands on a Hardbody, t…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 02:19AM
Thursday, March 7, 2013

Classical Julie (Halston) by Dan Bacalzo

Halston is best known for her outrageously comic performances in plays by Charles Busch and in Broadway musicals such as Hairspray, Anything Goes and Gypsy. She was particularly memorable in…

SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 07:48PM
Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Review: The Butt-Cracker Suite by Dan Bacalzo

Project Runway season four finalist Chris March, best known for his over-the-top constructions and use of unique accents, like human hair, brings his own brand of camp humor to the The Nutcr…

SOURCE: TheaterMania at 04:58PM
Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Reviews: The Outgoing Tide by Dan Bacalzo

It's autumn at a summer cottage on Chesapeake Bay, and winter is getting ready to settle. This is the point at which we enter Bruce Graham's intermittently engaging play, The Outgoing Tide, …

SOURCE: TheaterMania at 10:00PM
Monday, November 19, 2012

Reviews: The Piano Lesson by Dan Bacalzo

The men of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, now receiving a superlative revival under Ruben Santiago-Hudson's direction at the Pershing Square Signature Center, can surely sing the blues!T…

SOURCE: TheaterMania at 03:52PM

Reviews: The Twenty-Seventh Man by Dan Bacalzo

Exemplary source material does not always make for a great play, as evidenced by The Twenty-Seventh Man, receiving its world premiere at The Public Theater under Barry Edelstein's direction.…

SOURCE: TheaterMania at 12:10PM
Thursday, November 15, 2012

Reviews: We Are Proud to Present a Presentation... by Dan Bacalzo

A potent mix of laughter and discomfort can be found in Jackie Sibblies Drury's thought-provoking play, We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as …

SOURCE: TheaterMania at 10:00PM

Reviews: The Good Mother by Dan Bacalzo

A single mother accuses her child's babysitter of possibly inappropriate conduct in Francine Volpe's quietly intriguing The Good Mother, being given its world premiere by The New Group at Th…

SOURCE: TheaterMania at 10:00PM
Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Reviews: The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Dan Bacalzo

America's national elections may have come and gone, but the cast members of the Roundabout Theatre Company's pleasant revival of Rupert Holmes' 1986 Tony Award-winning musical The Mystery o…

SOURCE: TheaterMania at 10:14PM
Monday, November 12, 2012

Reviews: Emotional Creature by Dan Bacalzo

A vibrant cast of energetic young women are currently making a bold "girl power" grab at the Pershing Square Signature Center, where Emotional Creature: the secret life of girls around the w…

SOURCE: TheaterMania at 10:00PM
Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Reviews: A Twist of Water by Dan Bacalzo

Melancholy hangs in the air throughout Caitlin Parrish's affecting drama, A Twist of Water, at 59E59 Theaters. It permeates the lives of the play's characters, creating rifts while simultane…

SOURCE: TheaterMania at 10:00PM
Thursday, November 1, 2012

Theater News: Disgraced, Starring Aasif Mandvi, Extends to December 23 by Dan Bacalzo

The LCT3 production of Disgraced, which opened last night to glowing reviews at the brand new Claire Tow Theater, has extended its run through December 23.Ayad Akhtar's play centers on Pakis…

SOURCE: TheaterMania at 01:14PM
Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Theater News: Have a Theatrical Halloween! by Dan Bacalzo

Looking for a good thrill on Halloween night?Due to Hurricane Sandy, a number of events in and around New York City have been canceled or postponed - including the Village Halloween Parade a…

SOURCE: TheaterMania at 06:55AM

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