All stories by Howard Shapiro on BroadwayStars

Friday, June 21, 2013

Review: You're doin' fine, 'Oklahoma!' by Howard Shapiro

There's no skimping in the big-theater production of "Oklahoma!" that opens this season's Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and the payoff is clear -- a grand version of Rodgers and Hammers…

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 02:40PM

Podcast: Brush up your Shakespeare by Howard Shapiro

Philadelphia's most produced playwright this season is eloquent and groundbreaking and his themes are universal.

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 02:37PM

Review: The 'Mothers and Sons' reunion, in a Terrence McNally premiere by Howard Shapiro

In Terrence McNally's "Mothers and Sons," a taut, terrific new play getting the world-premiere it deserves at Bucks County Playhouse, values and perspectives clash for the entire 80 minutes …

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 02:33PM

Review: Lending a tenor, down the shore by Howard Shapiro

Attention all Philadelphians down the Shore and all Shore people down there, too: If you've never enjoyed the silly pleasures of "Lend Me a Tenor," the popular American farce, you'll get you…

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 02:32PM
Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Review: 'Glass: Shattered' is jagged, indeed by Howard Shapiro

The script is badly executed, but the notion is cool – taking all four characters in “The Glass Menagerie” and re-imagining them so that the narrator, who remains the play’s son, can…

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 03:02PM
Thursday, June 6, 2013

Review: Under the skin of 'Some Other Kind of Person' by Howard Shapiro

InterAct Theatre Company commissioned the play four years ago, all the while shepherding playwright Eric Pfeffinger through his drafts. The payoff: A solid script with a clean narrative arc …

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 09:53AM
Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Review: A tough all-nighter in 'Barcelona' by Howard Shapiro

I have my qualms about "Barcelona," but not about the intensity with which Jackson Gay stages it.

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 12:52PM
Friday, May 31, 2013

Review: 'Venus in Fur' nearly gets kinky by Howard Shapiro

Is it hot in here, or is it just me? Hoo-boy! It's not just me. It's the entire Suzanne Roberts Theatre, where the Philadelphia Theatre Company has opened David Ives' "Venus in Fur."

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 10:50AM

Review: 'Spring Awakening' awake yet groggy by Howard Shapiro

The Tony-award winning musical, essentially about raging teenage hormones, is a rough-hewn, intense and racy exploration of newfound sexuality in 19th-century Germany, but that's just one si…

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 10:49AM
Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Review: 'A Raisin in the Sun,' and still fresh by Howard Shapiro

If mama ain't happy in Walter Dallas' tight, convincing production of "A Raisin in the Sun," then nobody is.

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 08:12PM
Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Review: 'Timon of Athens' has his rare day by Howard Shapiro

While it's far from the dressy production that "Timon" may need to help mask its pedestrian script, this "Timon" is at least a clearly told tale.

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 09:39AM
Thursday, April 4, 2013

Review: Lantern Theater's 'Henry V' by Howard Shapiro

At Lantern, it's all done with spitfire delivery that comes at you head-on – even comic scenes with the rascally brawler Pistol (Jake Blouch) are delivered with ferocity. And in the end, t…

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 01:03PM

Review: Betting on the evolution of Bristol's 'Pirates of Penzance' by Howard Shapiro

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that over the last nights, Bristol Riverside Theatre's large-scale production (two dozen cast members and a 12-piece orchestra) of "The Pirates of Penza…

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 01:00PM
Monday, April 1, 2013

Review: One 'Seminar' you'll remember by Howard Shapiro

"Seminar" is a bulls-eye comedy about the power of words and the fragility of the writers who use them -- and as an added bonus, it's also an odd take on what it means to be a mentor.

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 05:48AM
Friday, March 22, 2013

Review: A heartfelt 'Trip to Bountiful' by Howard Shapiro

I would tell you that the best reason to go see the late Horton Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful is the extraordinary performance of Carla Belver, but then, there is the play itself.

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 11:31AM

Review: 'Under the Whaleback' — Steering a wobbly script by Howard Shapiro

Is life really a journey and not a destination? "Under the Whaleback" – a caustic play being given a terrific production by the Wilma Theater – is about a bunch of guys for whom life is …

SOURCE: NewsWorks at 11:28AM
Tuesday, October 23, 2012

'Theatre Philadelphia': A celebration, then the plot thickens by Howard Shapiro

The theater community comes together -- first to celebrate, then to plan. Inquirer theater critic Howard Shapiro reports.

SOURCE: Philly.com at 12:49AM
Thursday, October 18, 2012

Review: 'The Outgoing Tide' by Howard Shapiro

The Delaware Theatre Company production of Bruce Graham's play about dementia and its effect on a family is first-rate. Inquirer theater critic Howard Shapiro reviews from Wilmington.

SOURCE: Philly.com at 02:16PM
Monday, October 15, 2012

Review: 'Cooking With the Calamari Sisters' by Howard Shapiro

The new show at Society Hill Playhouse, an import from Rochester, gets more wildly funny as it goes on.

SOURCE: Philly.com at 03:06PM
Monday, October 8, 2012

Review: 'RFK' by Howard Shapiro

An exceptional one-man show about Bobby Kennedy, the president's little brother who loomed large in national life, is from New City Stage Company. Inquirer theater critic Howard Shapiro revi…

SOURCE: Philly.com at 04:13PM
Saturday, October 6, 2012

Review: 'This Is the Week That Is by Howard Shapiro

1812 Productions' annual spoof concentrates this year on skewering the presidential campaign season -- and does so hilarious style. Inquirer theater critic Howard Shapiro reviews.

SOURCE: Philly.com at 06:59PM

Review: 'Sherlock Holmes and the Crucifer of Blood' by Howard Shapiro

I say, Watson, is that basically good evening at Hedgerow Theatre a bit ragged 'round the edges? Inquirer theater critic Howard Shapiro reviews.

SOURCE: Philly.com at 06:56PM
Saturday, September 29, 2012

Review: 'The Giant Squid' by Howard Shapiro

A goofy break-out hit from the 2008 Philly Fringe festival returns to a bigger stage with more polish, less playfulness but the basic fun intact. Inquirer theater critic Howard Shapiro revie…

SOURCE: Philly.com at 12:24AM
Friday, September 28, 2012

Review: 'Oleanna' by Howard Shapiro

At Bristol Riverside Theatre, two actors bring alive a David Mamet play that's less about the story it tells than about issues behind the story. Inquirer theatr critic Howard Shapiro reviews.

SOURCE: Philly.com at 12:37PM
Tuesday, September 25, 2012

News: The 2012 Barrymore Awards by Howard Shapiro

The Philadelphia Theatre Company and Wilma Theater are the big winners of this year's Barrymore Awards, in what may be the final curtain for the theater honors that recognize work on the reg…

SOURCE: Philly.com at 08:07AM

Year's big Barrymore winners: Philadelphia Theatre Company and Wilma by Howard Shapiro

The Philadelphia Theatre Company and Wilma Theater are the big winners of this year's Barrymore Awards, in what may be the final curtain for the theater honors that recognize work on the reg…

SOURCE: Philly.com at 06:19AM
Thursday, September 20, 2012

News: Bucks County Playhouse plans premiere with high-level partners by Howard Shapiro

The newly reopened Bucks County Playhouse is already planning a world premiere, and a high-level one, too: A production based on Stephen King’s novel "Misery," which the Playhouse will pro…

SOURCE: Philly.com at 02:55PM
Sunday, September 16, 2012

Review: 'Gutenberg! The Musical!' by Howard Shapiro

This musical at Montgomery Theater, and then at Act II Playhouse, is about making a musical focused on the life of the inventor of the printing press -- and it's irresistibly ridiculous. Inq…

SOURCE: Philly.com at 12:30AM
Saturday, September 15, 2012

Fringe review: 'Awesome Alliteration: The Magical Musical' by Howard Shapiro

Public education, in a musical skewering. Inquirer theater critic Howard Shapiro reviews.

SOURCE: Philly.com at 06:07PM

Fringe review: 'EvictionProof PeepShow Home' by Howard Shapiro

A house fights back to stay with its foreclosed family -- a classy blend of storytelling, set design, art and ideas, in a Fringe show in germantown. Inquirer theater critic Howard Shapiro re…

SOURCE: Philly.com at 01:55AM

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
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic