All stories by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI on BroadwayStars

Friday, October 12, 2012

It’s not on the nose by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The title character in Edmond Rostand’s swashbuckling romance of a play, “Cyrano de Bergerac,” has a big nose. Make that a huge nose. But don’t mention it to Cyrano, because he’ll …

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Oh, for God’s sake by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It’s not safe to preach Gospel to an anticapitalist. Just ask Chris, the unseen college student who, in A.R. Gurney’s new comedy, “Heresy,” is jailed for arguing that the mere word �…

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Thursday, October 11, 2012

One midlife crisis, many yawns by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Welcome to the most boring midlife crisis of the year. No matter what happens to Harper Regan, the title character of Simon Stephens’ new drama, it’s hard to care. Her supervisor snottil…

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Hardly the best Foote forward by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Playwright Horton Foote made his name with wistful family dramas rooted in home and neighborhood. He left a big void when he died in 2009, and now the shoe is on the other Foote. Not only h…

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Monday, October 8, 2012

Not best or most novel staging by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Rona Jaffe’s 1958 best seller “The Best of Everything” certainly pressed a lot of hot buttons. Think “Sex and the City” set in the world of New York book publishing during the “M…

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Thursday, October 4, 2012

There but for the grace of God (or not) go we by Elisabeth Vincentelli

As the bittersweet new Broadway play “Grace” shows, religion, real estate and love have one thing in common: They require a degree of hopeful, maybe even blind, trust. Steve — Paul Ru…

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Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Obscure revival: wedded bliss by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Stephen Sondheim’s musicals have been called textbook examples of integration — stories told through a seamless fusion of book and songs. And yet many of Sondheim’s tunes easily stand …

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Saturday, September 29, 2012

This post-apocalyptic ‘Hour’ is endless by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Post-apocalyptic plots are hard to screw up. Throw bedraggled survivors into dangerous situations, question civilization’s future, and your audience is hooked.But while all these elements …

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Friday, September 28, 2012

1882 toxic tale more relevant (& punchy) than ever by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Up until intermission, “An Enemy of the People” seems like your run-of-the-mill Roundabout period revival. The casually paced production is dignified, well-acted by likable stars such as…

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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Catch Jenn Harris in 'Silence! The Musical' before it's too late by Elisabeth Vincentelli

You only have until Sunday to catch one of the finest performances in town. For the past two years or so, Jenn Harris has been absolutely fantastic in "Silence! The Musical." Because the sho…

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‘Dog’gone shame by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Off-broadway’s “Red Dog Howls” begins with the line: “There are sins from which we can never be absolved.” So, not a comedy then. And that’s an understatement: Alexander Dinelari…

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Friday, September 21, 2012

Companion piece you otter see by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Paul is so devastated after Jennifer’s unexpected death that he’s wailing in pain. “She brought joy to my life,” he tells Don, his friend and colleague. “She was a f - - king Hall …

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Despite Jake’s stage debut, Brit play is all wet by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Describing an overprepared but underskilled contestant on “The X Factor” recently, Simon Cowell said, “You’re like a mouse trying to be an elephant.” Snap! And double snap for “I…

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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Real-life death-row drama will set you free by Elisabeth Vincentelli

‘the Exonerated” is about a very exclusive club no one would ever want to join: those who made it out of death row alive. Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s play tells the real stories of…

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Broken dreams, dream play by Elisabeth Vincentelli

‘Detroit” is deceptively small in scope. You could say it’s about neighborly relations. But Lisa D’Amour’s dark comedy — which opened last night at Playwrights Horizons, after a…

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Monday, September 17, 2012

‘Einstein’ remains genius by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There’s nothing to understand in “Einstein on the Beach,” nothing to “get.” And as the revival of this 1976 masterpiece shows, that’s OK. As conceived by composer Philip Glass, …

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Drunks & stunts enliven fest by Elisabeth Vincentelli

In just a few years, the French Alliance’s Crossing the Line Festival (fiaf.org/ctl) has become a fall staple. Focusing mostly on French and American artists, this interdisciplinary fest d…

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Thursday, September 13, 2012

‘Moon’ shines by Elisabeth Vincentelli

‘i could be arrested for theft, fraud and murder, and it’s not even 4 o’clock.” This isn’t a hardened criminal talking, but a frazzled mother and home-care attendant named Loretta…

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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Stay tuned by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Anticipation always runs high in September. Yay, a new season! Tons of new shows to look forward to! But while there are promising offerings this year, we may have to dig a little deeper to …

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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

This ‘Broome’ won’t sweep you off your feet by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It’s tough going for a comedy like “Mary Broome,” which revolves around a spectacularly unsympathetic lead character. It’s not Mary herself, by the way — because this 1911 play rea…

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New Chaplin biomusical is unsound by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It’s not a great sign when you leave a musical thinking more about the visuals than the songs — which is exactly what happens at Broadway’s new “Chaplin.” The show about the silent…

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Sunday, September 9, 2012

‘Train Driver’ leaves station OK, but finally derails by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It’s been a good year for the South African playwright Athol Fugard, what with the Broadway revival of “The Road to Mecca” and the Signature company dedicating a whole season to his wo…

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Thursday, September 6, 2012

Latest edition of ‘Forbidden’ not as fruitful by Elisabeth Vincentelli

When Broadway goes wrong — and sometimes when it goes right — it’s a gaudy, tacky, self-important moving target. And for 30 years, Gerard Alessandrini has been taking shots at it in hi…

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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Tension mounts as ‘Blind’ leads the sublime by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Nothing much happens in Horton Foote’s plays, yet you leave feeling satisfyingly full. He may skimp on the whiz-bang action, but Foote manages to say a lot about his characters — and you…

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Sunday, August 12, 2012

Lean, mean killer king by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The Public Theater’s new “Richard III” — Shakespeare’s most violent tragedy — has been streamlined to the max. Edited down to 90 minutes, it has no set and few props. But directo…

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Thursday, August 9, 2012

Woods a fine fairy-tale setting by Elisabeth Vincentelli

For its outdoor program’s 50th- anniversary season, the Public Theater put the park back into Shakespeare in the Park. In June, we were treated to a lovely production of “As You Like It…

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Short plays are fast and ‘Furies’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Just because a play is brief doesn’t mean it has to fit a mold. The three entries in “Summer Shorts Series B” show the many shapes and forms a miniature can take — but then, they’r…

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‘Adolf’ is locked & loaded by Elisabeth Vincentelli

‘Bullet for Adolf” has all the markings of a cult show — it could be theater’s answer to a midnight movie. Directed and co-written by Woody Harrelson, this new off-Broadway play is o…

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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

My grandma, myself by Elisabeth Vincentelli

True to its title, “My Mind Is Like an Open Meadow” meanders gently. It’s not so much a play as an impressionistic travelogue back in time. Though this is a solo piece, writer-performe…

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Sunday, August 5, 2012

Fringe benefits: A cheat sheet by Elisabeth Vincentelli and Barbara Hoffman

Titillating titles, madcap musicals and Shakespeare, either straight up (another “Twelfth Night”) or twisted (“Pulp Shakespeare,” a mash-up of the Bard and Quentin Tarantino): Yes, t…

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Friday, August 3, 2012

A pain in the ash by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Provocation isn’t easy. The guys from “South Park” and “The Book of Mormon” make it look that way, but it’s really not. Case in point: The new musical “The Last Smoker in Amer…

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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
Nov 17, 2024: Elf - Marquis Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre