Tuesday, September 9, 2014
SWEET A Tony-winning 2002 musical based on the 1967 Julie Andrews film of the same name, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” is a smorgasbord of giddy fluff. Director Danny Michaels’…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 09:55PMSWEET More Louisa May than Lena, the affectionate send-up Women recasts Alcott’s Civil War–era novel of feminine blossoming (as told by Gillian Armstrong’s unapologetically sacchar…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 07:41PMBITTERSWEET I teetered early on the verge of boredom, staved off by the fine production until the last twenty minutes, the end a foregone conclusion in a play that just wouldn’t stop chatt…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 07:33PM SWEET It’s such a confident company that there are very few showboats. Long-form improvisation allows the inspiration of the moment – requires it – to drive the story; a couple …
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 07:12PMBITTERSWEET Under Scott Zigler’s crisply slick direction, the production features a dynamic cast and design team that would be hard to better. And even though Mamet has created Susan as fa…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 06:03PMMonday, September 8, 2014
BITTERSWEET Twice or three times in ninety minutes, arresting images are allowed to loiter unto dissipation. There is less of permanence in this production than of stasis. Perhaps its primar…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 11:46PMSunday, September 7, 2014
BITTER The problem is that while “to cheat or not to cheat” may be a theme that transcends time and place, these particular characters and the dialogue they employ do not. Their small-ta…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 09:38PMSWEET Creator Cindy Shapiro has fashioned a vibrant and exciting rock-opera from this richly romantic source material, investing her book, music and lyrics with a magical blend of timeless a…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 12:29AMThursday, September 4, 2014
SWEET Zimmerman’s direction is fast and furious, which ideal for a piece like this as the one-liners just keep flying. Most all of them hit their intended targets. No subject is safe — s…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 08:02PMMonday, September 1, 2014
SWEET What the script lacks in surprises, it makes up for in its nuanced, beautifully written portrait of Biddle, an inestimable gift to an actor, and one that the wonderful Abatemarco, unde…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 02:19PMFriday, August 29, 2014
SWEET Despite its flaws, Bulrusher is a reminder that while more than half a century has passed, race relations have remained strained even six decades later. Bulrusher reads fortunes. If sh…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 09:03PMSWEET I saw one of the most powerful, raw, awesome and tragically-moving performances in memory. Oh, my, it really shook me up. Jay Weston – Huffington Post SWEET The effect is an emot…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 08:29PMTuesday, August 26, 2014
SWEET Director Randall Arney deftly captures every nuance in the relationships and their unfolding. He keeps the comedy flowing, the realizations only gradually emerging. And he has assemble…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 09:14PMSWEET It’s full of dynamic characters going through interesting changes, and they say funny and moving things all the time; the emotional flow is well-ordered and effective. Exciting image…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 08:00PMBITTERSWEET As the cast takes turns revealing their little secrets, and I must admit there are a few doozies, I said, “Self this is one screwed-up bunch” but in reality, nothing new or u…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 07:22PMSWEET Ludwig’s play, like an old-fashioned steam locomotive, starts out slowly and a bit laboriously, but it soon builds up a head of comic steam, puffing along merrily and careening dizzi…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 02:04AMWednesday, August 20, 2014
SWEET That we follow the largely unedited text through its dark moments and plot convolutions to an earned happy conclusion testifies to the curiosity factor and the clarity of storytelling …
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 04:57PMTuesday, August 19, 2014
BITTERSWEET I notice that I have used the pejorative “little” for some of these scripts, and not for others. There’s a reason. “As We Sleep” does not feel little, despite its short…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 07:34PMSWEET For committed theatergoers, there’s no happier occasion than stumbling upon a mature, polished work of dramatic art where you never expected to find one. In the little hole-in-th…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 05:56PMSWEET Improvisation is the ability to perform without preparation, about being in a moment of truth and bringing the audience with you. This connection creates a spontaneous reaction between…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 05:06PMMonday, August 18, 2014
SWEET The Gamester offers impulsive appetites, mistaken identity and course comeuppance — nothing new in comedy, but it does so with classic charm and contemporary wit, and couplets that w…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 11:08PMBITTERSWEET And with all the asides to the audience, along with more contemporary language, those less familiar with Shakespeare may find this production a good introduction to the Bard. How…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 06:02PMWednesday, August 13, 2014
BITTER But it’s not the lame plot that’s the problem here. (Nobody else knows what “Bohemian Rhapsody” is about either.) Rather, “We Will Rock You,” with …
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 01:33AMTuesday, August 12, 2014
SWEET Given that this take on the original’s rigidly patriarchal universe is fundamentally bonkers, it’s impressive how well co-adapter/directors Ellen Geer and Melora Marshall succeed i…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 11:31PMSWEET This production of In a Dark Dark House is theatre at its best! Gil Kaan – BroadwayWorld SWEET “Dark House”‘s gripping two hours at the Matrix benefits from clear visual re…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 07:40PMMonday, August 11, 2014
SWEET Director Jason Alexander, who originated the role of Stanley in the Broadway premiere, imparts his command of the material into an attentively drilled cast. Despite limited rehearsal t…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 08:16PMFriday, August 8, 2014
SWEET An evening under the stars at the Theatricum Botanicum rarely disappoints. No exception to that general rule, “Much Ado About Nothing,” playing in repertory in the theater’s sylv…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 09:17PMSWEET “Visionary Man” currently at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood’s Theatre Row is a powerful, brilliant yet warm and fun show depicting the amazing life of the fascinating materially…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 08:37PMSWEET Veteran director/actor/playwright Chris DeCarlo directs this delightful cast in this very entertaining and humorous play. Carol Kaufman Segal – Stagehappenings SWEET This sweet f…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 06:44PMSWEET Now onstage at the group rep in NoHo, Streetcar may be a daring choice for this company, but under L. Flint Esquerra’s caring and detailed direction and with four actors perfectl…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 06:13PMSWEET There’s a lot to enjoy in this romantic comedy and it’s a show you might just fall in love with. Sandro Monetti – Thespian Thoughts BITTER It’s all been done before, and no…
SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 03:31PM 
