All stories by Jesse Hassenger on BroadwayStars

Monday, April 27, 2026

The Lost Boys review – 80s vampire musical lacks Broadway bite by Jesse Hassenger

Palace Theatre, New YorkJoel Schumacher’s much-loved movie gets a splashy stage transfer which might be technically impressive but the songs never come to lifeBrand-dependent mega-musicals…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:59AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 21, 2026

The Balusters review – a Pulitzer-winning playwright returns with mixed results by Jesse Hassenger

Samuel J Friedman Theatre, New YorkRabbit Hole writer David Lindsay-Abaire takes on a list of modern American conflicts in a fun, if ultimately underdeveloped, comedy dramaPlaywright David L…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:30PM[SHARE]

Schmigadoon! review – cancelled TV show given hit-and-miss Broadway resurrection by Jesse Hassenger

Nederlander Theatre, New YorkApple’s spoofy musical comedy series makes a natural leap to the stage but often struggles to bring much that feels new to the materialThere are countless exam…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:35PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Dog Day Afternoon review " Broadway take on heist can't match Pacino's punch by Jesse Hassenger

August Wilson Theatre, New YorkA splashy new production inspired by the real-life 1970s bank robbery stars Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach The story of Dog Day Afternoon is so familiar t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:00AM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 12, 2026

Every Brilliant Thing review " Daniel Radcliffe sells tricky Broadway transfer by Jesse Hassenger

Hudson Theatre, New York The hit one-man show about depression suffers from plain and often corny writing yet is saved by an exuberant turn from the Tony-winning Harry Potter star Every Bri…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:00PM[SHARE]
Thursday, January 8, 2026

Bug review " Carrie Coon brings intensity to paranoid Tracy Letts revival by Jesse Hassenger

Samuel J Friedman Theatre, New York The White Lotus and Gilded Age actor takes on her real-life husband Tracy Letts' 1996 thriller, which could have afforded some modern-day tweaks You can p…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:30PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, November 25, 2025

'A nucleus of a community': the five-hour stage play about Dungeons & Dragons by Jesse Hassenger

In Initiative, a group of young people in the early 2000s finds themselves via the role-playing game, the latest example of its undying popularity It sounds like a big ask, the idea of prese…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:02AM[SHARE]
Monday, November 17, 2025

Chess review " messy Broadway revival wastes catchy Abba songs by Jesse Hassenger

Imperial Theatre, New York A 1980s concept album, from Tim Rice and Abba members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, is brought back to the stage with uneven results According to plenty of c…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:12AM[SHARE]
Monday, September 29, 2025

Masquerade review " Phantom of the Opera is back with a new gimmick by Jesse Hassenger

218 West 57th Street, New York An immersive, experiential reworking of Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-running musical turns it into something resembling a mostly fun theme park ride Anyone put o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:00PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, August 27, 2025

The death of the review? Cultural criticism is at risk of erasure by Jesse Hassenger

Recent announcements at major publications have seen critics losing their positions, an ongoing shift that we should all be alarmed by Media layoffs are no longer breaking news; at this poin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:06PM[SHARE]
Monday, August 25, 2025

Twelfth Night review " Lupita Nyong'o and Peter Dinklage anchor fun, if thin, production by Jesse Hassenger

Delacorte Theater, New York A slick, starry cast, also including Sandra Oh and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, bring a lively yet overly abbreviated outdoor take on the comedy to life New York's most …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:06PM[SHARE]
Thursday, May 29, 2025

The show goes on: how did Broadway achieve a record-breaking season? by Jesse Hassenger

The 2024-25 season has risen to a record $1.89bn, an incredible number lifted not just by big stars and high ticket prices but a variety of offerings Hollywood reporting was recently abuzz t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:43AM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 17, 2025

Is it curtains up on a new generation on Broadway? by Jesse Hassenger

Younger audiences are helping to reposition a typically older-skewed activity with hot ticket gen Z stars and impassioned online fanbases For much of the past decade, probably longer, regula…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:15AM[SHARE]
Monday, April 14, 2025

John Proctor Is the Villain review " smart and snappy high school comedy by Jesse Hassenger

Booth Theatre, New York Stranger Things star Sadie Sink takes the lead in a wonderfully written new Broadway show about high schoolers grappling with hot potato issues in 2018 Soaring prices…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:00PM[SHARE]
Monday, March 31, 2025

Glengarry Glen Ross review " David Mamet's masterpiece still dazzles on Broadway by Jesse Hassenger

Palace Theatre, New YorkKieran Culkin, Bob Odenkirk and Bill Burr lead an impressive new staging of the bleak yet darkly funny drama The new revival of David Mamet's seminal play Glengarry G…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:30PM[SHARE]
Monday, March 24, 2025

$921 to see Denzel Washington's Othello? How Broadway tickets got so expensive by Jesse Hassenger

A blockbuster production of the Shakespeare tragedy might boast Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal but it's sparked a debate over excessive pricing How much would you pay to be in the sam…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:10AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Buena Vista Social Club review " exuberant yet dramatically thin Broadway musical by Jesse Hassenger

Schoenfeld Theatre, New York The 1997 album that later became a hit documentary now reaches the stage in a play with thrilling music performances but a lacking script Was it restraint or ove…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:00PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Purpose review " dysfunctional family drama hits highs and lows by Jesse Hassenger

Helen Hayes Theater, New York Tony-award winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has crafted an ambitious and bold new play but not all of his big swings hit their mark Technically speakin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:03AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Sing Sing on stage: the Oscar-nominated drama hits New York by Jesse Hassenger

The play within the acclaimed prison-set movie made its way to an off-Broadway stage this week with original cast members involved Recently, a few hundred people gathered in Manhattan at the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:48PM[SHARE]
Monday, January 27, 2025

Hugh Jackman: From New York, With Love review " the showman hits Broadway again by Jesse Hassenger

Radio City Music Hall, New York The actor and performer's charmingly old fashioned one-man show saw him rattle through surprising list of showtunes and fan favorites When Hugh Jackman return…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:32PM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 12, 2024

Cult of Love review " Christmas descends into chaos in smart Broadway play by Jesse Hassenger

Hayes Theatre, New York City Leslye Headland's 2018 play makes for a tense and timely pre-holiday watch with a starry cast, including Shailene Woodley and Zachary Quinto, giving it their all…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:00PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Hold on to Me Darling review " Adam Driver powers electric Kenneth Lonergan play by Jesse Hassenger

Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York The actor makes a compelling lead in the return of the playwright's textured 2016 play about a celebrity returning home for his mother's funeral In 2016, pla…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:00PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Joe Rogan's Netflix special is another tired, and unfunny, tirade | Jesse Hassenger by Jesse Hassenger

The streamer's latest remarkably laugh-free comedy special is another procession of eye-rolling jokes about cancel culture and LGBTQ+ people He's the guy from Fear Factor, right? That would …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:26AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, February 27, 2024

The Ally review " intense but unwieldy play tackles big issues by Jesse Hassenger

The Public Theater, New York Josh Radnor is a liberal college professor falling down a slippery slope in a thorny drama that starts with a punch and ends with a heavy hand In The Ally, a new…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:00PM[SHARE]
Monday, November 13, 2023

Harmony review " Barry Manilow's Broadway musical lacks magic by Jesse Hassenger

Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York The period musical about a German singing group stumbles to the big stage after a troubled decades-long journey, arriving a little worse for wear Harmony, a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:02PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Purlie Victorious review " Ossie Davis play makes triumphant Broadway return by Jesse Hassenger

The Music Box Theatre, New York Leslie Odom Jr leads a note-perfect cast in a revival of Ossie Davis's thoughtful comedy about a preacher scheming to save his church in the Jim Crow South Pu…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:30PM[SHARE]
Friday, February 11, 2022

The Music Man review: Hugh Jackman dazzles in uneven Broadway show by Jesse Hassenger

Winter Garden Theatre, New York The actor enthusiastically sings and dances through a big-budget version of the much-loved musical but the show around him isn't always on his level The newly…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:24PM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off