All stories by Dan Rubins on BroadwayStars

Thursday, March 14, 2024

The Notebook Review: On Stage, a Nicholas Sparks Adaptation Held Captive by Its Clichés by Dan Rubins

This show never transcends the clichés that it conflictingly both seeks to challenge and embrace. The post <em>The Notebook</em> Review: On Stage, a Nicholas Sparks Adaptation H…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 09:00PM
Thursday, March 7, 2024

Illinoise Review: Sufjan Stevens’s Illinois Comes Movingly Alive in Josh Peck’s Adaptation by Dan Rubins

Illinoise functions like a particularly classy jukebox musical. The post <em>Illinoise</em> Review: Sufjan Stevens’s <em>Illinois</em> Comes Movingly Alive in Josh …

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 08:00PM
Monday, February 26, 2024

Pericles Review: The Bawdy and the Beautiful by Dan Rubins

Fiasco Theater’s production of Pericles is an electrifying act of double-resurrection itself. The post <em>Pericles</em> Review: The Bawdy and the Beautiful appeared first on S…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 09:00PM
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

The Connector Review: Truth or Consequences by Dan Rubins

The Connector’s characters reach beyond their time and place to point, Cassandra-like, toward the litany of offenses against the truth that would stack up over 25 years. The post <em>…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 07:00PM
Saturday, January 20, 2024

Under the Radar 2024 by Dan Rubins

In its new iteration, Under the Radar, which runs through January 21, hasn’t missed a step. The post Under the Radar 2024 appeared first on Slant Magazine.

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 12:09PM
Friday, December 22, 2023

The Best Theater of 2023 by Dan Rubins

In 2023, there was a happy diversity in the tapestry of the theater that resonated most deeply. The post The Best Theater of 2023 appeared first on Slant Magazine.

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 09:02AM
Sunday, November 19, 2023

Hell’s Kitchen Review: Fallin’ In and Out of Love with Alicia Keys’s Jukebox Musical by Dan Rubins

There are few dramatic moments that justify the music that stems from the songs. The post <em>Hell’s Kitchen</em> Review: Fallin’ In and Out of Love with Alicia Keys’s Juke…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 09:30PM
Thursday, November 16, 2023

Spamalot Review: A Musical Revival That Pitches Itself to the TikTok Generation by Dan Rubins

It’s surprising how much of Spamalot’s humor now feels rooted in an earlier time. The post <em>Spamalot</em> Review: A Musical Revival That Pitches Itself to the TikTok Gener…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 08:00PM
Thursday, November 2, 2023

I Need That Review: Buried by His Past by Dan Rubins

I Need That is a vehicle built for two that mostly just spins its wheels. The post <em>I Need That</em> Review: Buried by His Past appeared first on Slant Magazine.

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 09:00PM
Monday, October 23, 2023

Here We Are Review: Stephen Sondheim’s Final Master Class Is Small and Funny and Fine by Dan Rubins

Here We Are is one last invitation to let Sondheim’s music guide us through the woods. The post <em>Here We Are</em> Review: Stephen Sondheim’s Final Master Class Is Small an…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 12:00AM
Thursday, October 12, 2023

DruidO’Casey Review: Sean O’Casey’s Trilogy Is a Tragic Vision of Working-Class Dublin Life by Dan Rubins

O’Casey’s depiction of the incursion of war on the lives of the innocent shudders with timeliness. The post <em>DruidO’Casey</em> Review: Sean O’Casey’s Trilogy Is a Tr…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 12:35PM
Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Purlie Victorious Review: Ossie Davis’s Outsized Jim Crow Satire Returns to Broadway by Dan Rubins

Across this revival of Purlie Victorious, it’s rare that the silliness and sobriety intermix. The post <em>Purlie Victorious</em> Review: Ossie Davis’s Outsized Jim Crow Sati…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 10:00PM
Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Infinite Life Review: What We Talk About When We Talk About Pain by Dan Rubins

There are pauses, yes, in Infinite Life, but they’re far from mere stylistic flourishes. The post <em>Infinite Life</em> Review: What We Talk About When We Talk About Pain appe…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 09:30PM
Friday, August 4, 2023

Back to the Future: The Musical Review: A Myopic, Too-Faithful Broadway Adaptation by Dan Rubins

Few shows have mastered the varied arts of cinematic recreation quite like this one. The post <em>Back to the Future: The Musical</em> Review: A Myopic, Too-Faithful Broadway Ada…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 01:12PM
Friday, June 23, 2023

Once Upon a One More Time Review: Jukebox Musical Celebrates Britney Spears the Feminist by Dan Rubins

Once Upon a One More Time is a frivolously delightful entry into the jukebox genre. The post <em>Once Upon a One More Time</em> Review: Jukebox Musical Celebrates Britney Spears …

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 06:38PM
Saturday, May 6, 2023

Oliver! Review: Benjamin Pajak Leaves Audiences Wanting More in Lumpy Revival by Dan Rubins

Never before has a boy triumphed more. The post <em>Oliver!</em> Review: Benjamin Pajak Leaves Audiences Wanting More in Lumpy Revival appeared first on Slant Magazine.

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 11:32AM
Sunday, April 23, 2023

Prima Facie Review: Jodie Comer Is Blistering in Suzie Miller’s Indictment of the Legal System by Dan Rubins

Comer’s Tessa wins the case for Suzie Miller’s play as urgent, necessary theater. The post <em>Prima Facie</em> Review: Jodie Comer Is Blistering in Suzie Miller’s Indictme…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 10:00PM
Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Fat Ham Review: James Ijames’s Gay Black Hamlet Speaks to Many on Broadway by Dan Rubins

Ijames celebrates his characters in all their hammy, juicy humanity. The post <em>Fat Ham</em> Review: James Ijames’s Gay Black <em>Hamlet</em> Speaks to Many on Br…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 09:00PM
Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Review: The Grassroots Musical Shucked Charms On Broadway, One Corny Pun at a Time by Dan Rubins

Shucked should probably invest in some “Keep the punchlines” pins. The post Review: The Grassroots Musical <em>Shucked</em> Charms On Broadway, One Corny Pun at a Time appear…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 09:00PM
Sunday, March 26, 2023

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Review: A Fine Showcase for a Killer Score by Dan Rubins

Sweeney Todd can still shock, even if this production seldom goes for the jugular. The post <em>Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street</em> Review: A Fine Showcase for a …

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 09:00PM
Wednesday, March 15, 2023

The Harder They Come Review: Suzan-Lori Parks’s Jukebox Adaptation Falls Hard by Dan Rubins

The Harder They Come deserves a weirder, more surprising stage adaptation. The post <em>The Harder They Come</em> Review: Suzan-Lori Parks’s Jukebox Adaptation Falls Hard appea…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 10:00PM
Thursday, February 9, 2023

Pictures from Home Review: A Blaringly Unsubtle Family Portrait by Dan Rubins

Pictures from Home is a frantically verbal adaptation that’s not given to subtlety. The post <em>Pictures from Home</em> Review: A Blaringly Unsubtle Family Portrait appeared f…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 10:00PM
Sunday, January 22, 2023

The Best of the 2023 Under the Radar Festival by Dan Rubins

A united community is a powerful force that can be used for healing or destruction. The post The Best of the 2023 Under the Radar Festival appeared first on Slant Magazine.

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 10:17AM
Tuesday, December 20, 2022

The Best Theater of 2022 by Dan Rubins

These shows range from revitalizing revivals to redemptive restagings of undervalued gems. The post The Best Theater of 2022 appeared first on Slant Magazine.

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 03:46PM
Sunday, December 11, 2022

Some Like It Hot Review: Billy Wilder’s Classic Gets a Contemporary Makeover on Broadway by Dan Rubins

The show’s pizzazz may be enough to help it survive in a turbulent Broadway landscape. The post <em>Some Like It Hot</em> Review: Billy Wilder’s Classic Gets a Contemporary M…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 10:20PM
Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Hamlet Review: As Madness Would Have It by Dan Rubins

Thomas Ostermeier's production reclaims Hamlet, fleetingly but full-heartedly, for all of us. The post <em>Hamlet</em> Review: As Madness Would Have It appeared first on Slant Ma…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 11:29AM
Saturday, October 22, 2022

Red-Hot Savagery: Ivo van Hove’s A Little Life at BAM’s Next Wave Festival by Dan Rubins

Watching the play is squirmingly uncomfortable in a way that reading Hanya Yanagihara’s book never is. The post Red-Hot Savagery: Ivo van Hove’s <em>A Little Life</em> at BAM…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 02:44PM
Thursday, September 29, 2022

american (tele)visions Review: Too-Muchness Everywhere All at Once by Dan Rubins

At its most arresting, american (tele)visions stirs its characters’ guiding emotions into a frenzied mixture that matches and mirrors the overwhelming intensity of the on-stage screens. Th…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 07:00PM
Monday, July 11, 2022

Summer of Discontent: Shakespeare in the Park’s Richard III and the Armory’s Hamlet by Dan Rubins

If this Richard III has a guiding concept, it’s in the dismantling and displacement of Shakespeare’s treatment of disability. The post Summer of Discontent: Shakespeare in the Park’s &…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 03:17PM
Thursday, June 9, 2022

2022 Tony Awards: Predicting the Likely Winners, from A Strange Loop to Six by Dan Rubins

Let’s hope Broadway’s most racially diverse season will be capped by a ceremony that fully celebrates that sea change. The post 2022 Tony Awards: Predicting the Likely Winners, from <…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 01:28PM
Friday, May 6, 2022

Review: All Wishes Granted at New York City Center’s Revival of Into the Woods by Dan Rubins

Everything about this production is handled with a light, inviting touch. The post Review: All Wishes Granted at New York City Center’s Revival of <em>Into the Woods</em> appea…

SOURCE: Slant Magazine at 02:18PM

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