Thursday, February 2, 2012
This revival of a short-lived 1974 revue derived from the absurdist oeuvre of Eugene Ionesco provides a few giggles but lacks the danger of the author's best works.
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:30AMMonday, January 30, 2012
Erika Sheffer's drama about a Russian-American family contains some snappy dialogue, but the novice playwright gets bogged down by familiar plot twists and structural flaws.
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:00AMThursday, January 26, 2012
Cynthia Nixon successfully challenges the memory of Kathleen Chalfant's original cast performance in a sterling revival of Margaret Edson's unflinching drama about a frosty academic facing…
SOURCE: Backstage at 08:00AMTuesday, January 24, 2012
The production was slated to begin preview performances at the Broadhurst Theatre on March 27 in advance of an April 22 opening.
SOURCE: Backstage at 04:02AMSunday, January 22, 2012
The Pearl Theatre Company delivers a sparkling production of Shaw's rarely performed second play, a witty comedy satirizing then-scandalous views on the battle of the sexes in Victorian En…
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:30AMFriday, January 20, 2012
Two one-acts from Israel explore the Jewish experience from different perspectives and meet with varying success. One is a comic fable, the other a sensuous dance of hunger and attraction.
SOURCE: Backstage at 05:55AMWednesday, January 18, 2012
Kevin Spacey is a fit candidate for the Royal Hospital for Overacting in a way-over-the-top interpretation of Shakespeare's blackest villain. Luckily, Sam Mendes' muscular production compe…
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:30AMTuesday, January 17, 2012
"Chinglish," David Henry Hwang's play about an American businessman coping with translation and romantic problems in China, will close on Jan. 29, the producers announced on Monday.
SOURCE: Backstage at 10:56AMTuesday, January 10, 2012
Zayd Dohrn's new play about an American man falling in love with a Chinese woman explores intriguing themes such as foreignness and isolation, but it ultimately devolves into a soap opera.
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:00AMFriday, January 6, 2012
A cardboard puppet questions his existence in this screamingly funny and achingly sad Beckettian piece from Britain's Blind Summit Theatre that combines whimsy with pathos.
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:17AMIntellectual giant Susan Sontag gets the solo treatment from actor-adapter Moe Angelos and director Marianne Weems. An intense performance and imaginative video design partially rescue a s…
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:06AMThis "live concept album" based on Judith Rossner's bestselling novel has a few effective moments but fails to evoke pathos for its desperate heroine.
SOURCE: Backstage at 06:10AMArt and politics and ancient and contemporary culture collide in this jagged and ultimately moving collage about the shooting of a young boy in Athens.
SOURCE: Backstage at 05:03AMMonday, December 19, 2011
David Hyde Pierce and company try their level best to pull Molly Smith Metzler's unfunny play about a harried book editor up from sitcom level, but they're only human.
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:00AMFriday, December 16, 2011
As the boy who wouldn't grow up, the ageless Cathy Rigby soars into our hearts as easily as she flies over our heads in this warm and cheering yuletide treat.
SOURCE: Backstage at 05:37AMWednesday, December 14, 2011
This nifty little musical update of Aristophanes' classic comedy makes the leap from off Broadway to on without missing a funky step. It's a sassy, sexy, funny treat.
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:00AMTuesday, December 13, 2011
At first Michael Sexton's production of Shakespeare's bloody tragedy seems like a confusing visit to the ancient Roman Home Depot, but just before the end of the first act it takes off lik…
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:30AMWednesday, December 7, 2011
Jordan Harrison delivers a sharp and satirical portrait of a couple dealing with 21st-century angst by escaping into the past. Marin Ireland continues to be one of NYC's hottest stage acto…
SOURCE: Backstage at 08:00AMIn his New York theater debut, John Hurt's slightest twitch or gesture speaks volumes in Samuel Beckett's compact tragedy of regret and self-examination.
SOURCE: Backstage at 06:37AMMonday, December 5, 2011
Ethan Coen offers unrelieved anger and depression in three one-acts. Aside from a funny and fascinatingly bizarre scene in a Japanese restaurant, the playlets go nowhere.
SOURCE: Backstage at 08:00AMSunday, December 4, 2011
Director Andrei Belgrader transforms Chekhov's tender comedy-drama of a displaced Russian family into a manic one-ring circus. Even sterling performances can't save it.
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:00AMPerformance artist John Fleck combines pop culture with autobiography in a bizarre "psychological burlesque" paying tribute to the legendary Judy Garland and his mother.
SOURCE: Backstage at 05:30AMMonday, November 21, 2011
LuPone and Patinkin are two unique talents, and when they combine in this powerhouse concert, it's theatrical magic. Excerpts from two Rodgers and Hammerstein classics are particularly exc…
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:00AMSunday, November 20, 2011
The writer's hand is too obvious in Theresa Rebeck's play about writers, but Alan Rickman's stingingly understated performance almost makes up for the play's shortcomings.
SOURCE: Backstage at 06:29AMFriday, November 18, 2011
The veteran cabaret star celebrates her silver anniversary at the Oak Room with an elegant and naughty hour of familiar travel songs and neglected curios.
SOURCE: Backstage at 05:51AMThursday, November 17, 2011
Actor-playwright Dael Orlandersmith delivers a fascinating word picture of an African-American nanny, but the world of her drug-addicted white boss is two-dimensional.
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:00AMSunday, November 13, 2011
Directors Peter Brook and Marie-Helene Estienne strip down five already-spare Samuel Beckett works for an hour of existentialist angst and tearful comedy.
SOURCE: Backstage at 08:36AMEight playwrights deliver an in-depth examination of gay marriage, providing laughter and tears while handily avoiding propaganda. Richard Thomas and Harriet Harris stand out in a fine ens…
SOURCE: Backstage at 08:07AMTuesday, November 8, 2011
Nina Arianda reignites her blazing performance from the original Off-Broadway production of this kinky two-hander in the new Main Stem version, shooting sparks and burning brightly.
SOURCE: Backstage at 08:00AMThe third King Lear of this year, Sam Waterston comes up short in this muddled production. The large supporting cast of top-ranked performers is a mixed bag.
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:00AMMonday, November 7, 2011
Dramatist Julia Brownell scores a dramatic touchdown by making unexpected plays in this dramedy about a female football player and her conflicted family.
SOURCE: Backstage at 07:01AM 
