All stories by Elisabeth Vincentelli on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Alan Dershowitz’s daughter bound to get ‘Intimate’ on stage by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Celebrity children lunging into the limelight are nothing new. But rarely are they known for bold, risky moves — except for Ella Dershowitz. The 23-year-old didn’t follow in the footstep…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 05:13PM

Trailer for ‘Madison County’ musical is cheesy masterpiece by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Is this a joke? A “Saturday Night Live” spoof? A trailer for Harlequin’s Superromance line? No, those cheesetastic 30 seconds are the trailer for the new “Bridges of Madison County�…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 03:52PM
Monday, January 27, 2014

Goofy ‘Stop Hitting Yourself’ falls short overall by Elisabeth Vincentelli

One look at the decadent ’30s mansion where “Stop Hitting Yourself” is set, and it’s hard not to gasp. A giant dollar sign flashes in the background, melted cheese is...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:12PM

Civil War re-enactors entangled in dramedy ‘Row After Row’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The colorful world of historical re-enactment is tailor-made for the stage. Adults dressing up to re-create past events? That’s like theater where the actors would also be the audience —…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 05:22AM
Friday, January 24, 2014

Messing is fine but basically miscast in ‘Outside Mullingar’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Part of what makes romantic comedies so satisfying is that we know the mismatched, bickering pair will end up together. The fun is in watching them get there. Except, that...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 05:21AM
Thursday, January 23, 2014

Update of ‘Long Distance Runner’ literally jogs in place by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Its only 90 minutes long, but by the time “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner” ends, its athletic lead is in a sweat, panting. And no wonder: As Alan...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 04:46AM
Monday, January 20, 2014

‘Loot’ loses value over time by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Few things age as badly as provocation. Joe Orton’s black comedy “Loot” raised hackles when it opened in England in 1965. The show has all the trappings of farce —...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 05:48AM
Saturday, January 18, 2014

Bonkers for boinking beasts in ‘Green Porno’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli

In her live show “Green Porno,” Isabella Rossellini talks about the birds and the bees . . . and the snails, the whales, the spiders and the dragonflies. Based on Rossellini’s seri…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 04:01AM
Friday, January 17, 2014

Frank Langella brings a fine but predictable ‘King Lear’ to BAM by Elisabeth Vincentelli

For ambitious actors of a certain age, “King Lear” is a rite of passage. The hair’s going, the beard’s graying — and suddenly they feel the urge to sink their...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 02:06PM

Rebecca Hall in thrilling revival of Sophie Treadwell’s ‘Machinal’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli

One of the most thrilling shows on Broadway is about a woman who kills her husband in cold blood. That would pack in the tourists . . . if we were talking...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 06:00AM
Thursday, January 16, 2014

Toni Bentley’s memoir ‘The Surrender’ becomes a stage clunker by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There’s a famous movie called “Rear Window.” Now there’s an infamous play that should be titled “Rear Entry.” Based on Toni Bentley’s “erotic memoir,” the new solo “T…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 07:53AM
Monday, January 13, 2014

A foul-mouthed fowl the unlikely hero of ‘Year of the Rooster’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The hero of the new play “Year of the Rooster” is one angry bird. “I think I could kill a cow if I put my mind to it,” Odysseus Rex...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 08:43PM
Thursday, January 9, 2014

Cate Blanchett returns to New York stage by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Some movie stars fill seats in the theater and then can’t deliver — but Cate Blanchett does both. From “Hedda Gabler” to “A Streetcar Named Desire” to 2012’s “Uncle Vanya,”…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 08:18AM

Legendary heavyweights meet at last in ‘Tyson vs. Ali’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli

A dozen years ago, we saw an explosion of music mashups — in which two different songs were combined to create a catchy Frankenhit. The COIL festival’s “Tyson vs. Ali”...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 02:59AM
Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Not-so-forbidden B’way: Offbeat choices for Kids’ Night by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Think taking your brood to restaurants can get expensive? You may have to borrow against your 401(k) for a night out on Broadway. But from Feb. 24 to March 2,...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 04:29PM
Sunday, December 29, 2013

A regular at the opera, meet NYC’s most cultured dog by Elisabeth Vincentelli

You’d have a hard time finding a more cultured New Yorker than Ven. He’s a regular at the Met, Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall. He’s game for Baroque opera...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 07:54AM
Thursday, December 26, 2013

5 screen actors who bombed on Broadway in 2013 by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Five TV and movie stars who didn’t fare well on the New York stage in 2013.

SOURCE: The New York Post at 04:48PM
Monday, December 23, 2013

The 5 worst theater shows of 2013 by Elisabeth Vincentelli

A terrible play is worse than a terrible movie. Not only are you watching something bad, but you’re just a few feet away from live actors embarrassing themselves. Because it’s...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 06:49PM
Thursday, December 19, 2013

Gravity defying ‘Cirkopolis’ unlike any other circus by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There’s the circus, and then there’s Cirque Éloize. Unlike the Big Apple Circus and Ringling Bros., the Montreal-based Éloize has no animals, and it favors theaters rather than big top…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 09:45PM
Sunday, December 15, 2013

‘A Christmas Story — The Musical’ on its way to becoming a new holiday classic by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The cavernous Theater at Madison Square Garden — a soulless hangar with awful acoustics — is a terrible place to see a show. And yet “A Christmas Story — The...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 07:31PM

‘Life and Death’ is a surprising entertainment by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Most performance artists are completely unknown outside of museum and gallery circles. And then there’s Marina Abramovic. The glamorous 67-year-old Serbian has reached such a level of hips…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 05:57PM
Thursday, December 12, 2013

‘Night Alive’ will win you over by Elisabeth Vincentelli

If all you knew of Ireland came from plays, you’d think it was a nation of underemployed eccentrics who loved spinning tales — and arguing — in florid language. Also,...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:15PM

Fiona Shaw brings ‘Rime’ to vibrant life at BAM by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It’s easy to see why Fiona Shaw was a witch on “True Blood” and nasty Aunt Petunia in the Harry Potter movies: The tall, strong-featured Irish actress can do intense...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 09:23PM
Monday, December 9, 2013

‘Watson Intelligence’ doesn’t land anywhere interesting by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The action in “The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence” jumps around time periods and settings, the transitions between them smoothed by a large curtain that glides around on a...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 08:19PM

‘Smash’ spawn ‘Hit List’ deserves to live on by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The hottest new musical in town doesn’t technically exist. But anybody who saw the exhilarating concert version of “Hit List” Sunday night will hope it soon becomes a reality. Haven’…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 03:39PM

‘Chéri’ struggles to create drama by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Since 1893, only 12 dancers have been designated “prima ballerina assoluta,” which is like being crowned empress of the ballet galaxy. So it’s a big deal that the last one...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 03:58AM
Thursday, December 5, 2013

Introducing Burt Bacharach to a new generation by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Burt Bacharach may be a pop genius with a host of Grammys, Oscars and chart-toppers under his belt, but his theatrical record is spotty. His 1968 musical, “Promises, Promises,” did well…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 08:42PM

Daniel Kitson doesn’t say a word in solo show ‘Analog.Ue’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Daniel Kitson’s done pretty well for a prickly Englishman who eschews TV. Often described as a comedian, he doesn’t fire off jokes but mulls over things like identity and death....

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:50AM

Frances McDormand serves as mouthpiece in ‘Bodycast’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The last time Frances McDormand appeared on a New York stage, she won a Tony for portraying a working-class mom in the gritty 2011 drama “Good People.” Her new project...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:47AM
Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Disney’s Broadway history of hits and misses by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It didn’t take long for theater lovers to suggest that Disney’s “Frozen” — with its Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez score — was a natural for the stage. The Disney...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 04:49PM
Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Terrence McNally’s love letter to the theater by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Terrence McNally loves peeking behind the scenes, and he’s made arcane subjects widely accessible. His best-known play, 1995’s “Master Class,” is about the prickly relationship betwe…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 11:38PM