All stories by Jesse Hassenger on BroadwayStars

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 s…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:10AM
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
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
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
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 retu…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:32PM
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 a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:00PM
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,…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:00PM
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 wo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:26AM
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
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
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 …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:30PM
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 new…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:24PM

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