All stories by Michael Sommers on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Inspired By True Events: Not-So-Grand Guignol by Michael Sommers

★☆☆☆☆ Director Knud Adams aims to get real staging Ryan Spahn's debut should-be thriller The post Inspired By True Events: Not-So-Grand Guignol appeared first on New York Stage Rev…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:00PM
Sunday, July 14, 2024

On Beckett: Existential Thoughts from a Clown by Michael Sommers

★★★★☆ The great Bill Irwin is profoundly funny on Samuel Beckett The post On Beckett: Existential Thoughts from a Clown appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 06:40PM
Thursday, July 11, 2024

Oh, Mary!: Don’t Ask for Subtle Comedy by Michael Sommers

★★☆☆☆ Cole Escola brings a Mary Todd Lincoln cartoon to Broadway The post Oh, Mary!: Don’t Ask for Subtle Comedy appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:55PM
Wednesday, June 12, 2024

The Welkin: Meet the Real Housewives of 1759 by Michael Sommers

★★☆☆☆ Sandra Oh leads a dozen women through miserable times The post The Welkin: Meet the Real Housewives of 1759 appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:30PM
Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Home: Is Where the Art Is, at Roundabout by Michael Sommers

★★★☆☆ Tory Kittles, Brittany Inge and Stori Ayers make glowing Broadway debuts The post Home: Is Where the Art Is, at Roundabout appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:26PM
Tuesday, June 4, 2024

What Became of Us: More Than Just a Lifetime Drama by Michael Sommers

★★★☆☆ BD Wong and Rosalind Cho portray siblings in an uncommon new play The post What Became of Us: More Than Just a Lifetime Drama appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:59PM
Thursday, May 30, 2024

The Comedy of Errors: A Tuneful Bilingual Romp through the Parks by Michael Sommers

★★★☆☆ The Public Theater's Mobile Unit brings Shakespeare's comedy to a park near you The post The Comedy of Errors: A Tuneful Bilingual Romp through the Parks appeared first on N…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 10:20PM
Tuesday, May 21, 2024

The Fires: A Not So Hot Study of Black Men in Love by Michael Sommers

★★☆☆☆ Raja Feather Kelly writes and directs a sorrowful new drama for Soho Rep The post The Fires: A Not So Hot Study of Black Men in Love appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:00PM
Monday, May 6, 2024

The Brief Life & Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria: Crown of Thorns by Michael Sommers

★★★☆☆ A London troupe shines seriocomic light on dark wartime history The post The Brief Life & Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria: Crown of Thorns appeared first…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 03:02PM
Sunday, March 31, 2024

Two Shades of Ibsen: Old Henrik Inspires New Works by Herzog and Busch by Michael Sommers

The Norwegian Father of Realism spawns a pair of contrasting plays on and off Broadway The post Two Shades of Ibsen: Old Henrik Inspires New Works by Herzog and Busch appeared first on New …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 10:01AM
Thursday, January 4, 2024

Here We Are: Sondheim’s Non Finito Musical, or Sunday in the Dark with Brunch by Michael Sommers

A genius leaves a final puzzle for his fans to ponder The post Here We Are: Sondheim’s Non Finito Musical, or Sunday in the Dark with Brunch appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 03:24PM
Thursday, December 15, 2022

Ain’t No Mo’: Satirical Beauty Languishes Amid a Beastly Broadway by Michael Sommers

★★★★★ Being a trenchant and meaningfully funny comedy doesn't necessarily translate into substantial audiences The post Ain’t No Mo’: Satirical Beauty Languishes Amid a Beastly…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 02:23PM
Friday, September 11, 2020

Incidental Moments of the Day: Richard Nelson’s Latest Socially Distant Drama by Michael Sommers

★★★☆☆ The latest Zoom saga of the Apple family's doings in the pandemic remains thoughtfully everyday The post Incidental Moments of the Day: Richard Nelson’s Latest Socially Di…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 12:34PM
Thursday, July 2, 2020

And So We Come Forth: The Apple Family Seems Exhausted by Current Events by Michael Sommers

Richard Nelson's latest Rhinebeck drama offers a chat 'n' chew over interesting times The post And So We Come Forth: The Apple Family Seems Exhausted by Current Events appeared first on New…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 01:10PM
Thursday, April 30, 2020

What Do We Need to Talk About?: An Apt Chat and Chew Over Current Events by Michael Sommers

Richard Nelson's fresh slice of Rhinebeck life is a screenshot reflection of our troubled times The post What Do We Need to Talk About?: An Apt Chat and Chew Over Current Events appeared fir…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 02:15PM
Tuesday, March 3, 2020

The Perplexed: Pretty Pointless by Michael Sommers

★★ Richard Greenberg writes a play overstuffed with nothing interesting The post The Perplexed: Pretty Pointless appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 10:02PM

Coal Country: Telling a Sorrowful Story as Old as the Hills by Michael Sommers

★★★ Grammy-winning songwriter Steve Earle lends authenticity to a docudrama The post Coal Country: Telling a Sorrowful Story as Old as the Hills appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:59PM
Sunday, March 1, 2020

The Hot Wing King: Smart and Sassy by Michael Sommers

★★★★ Katori Hall composes a satisfying dramedy about black men who happen to be gay The post The Hot Wing King: Smart and Sassy appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 10:01PM
Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Dana H.: Giving Voice to a Soul Held Captive in Plain Sight by Michael Sommers

★★★ Deirdre O'Connell delivers a striking portrait of a woman in distress The post Dana H.: Giving Voice to a Soul Held Captive in Plain Sight appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:52PM

We’re Gonna Die: Catch a Concert Study in Mortality at Second Stage by Michael Sommers

★★★★ Playwright/songwriter Young Jean Lee studies an inevitable fact of life The post We’re Gonna Die: Catch a Concert Study in Mortality at Second Stage appeared first on New York…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:49PM
Monday, February 24, 2020

Cambodian Rock Band: Jamming on the Eve of Destruction by Michael Sommers

★★★★★ Lauren Yee dramatizes the Khmer Rouge nightmare with a suspenseful story The post Cambodian Rock Band: Jamming on the Eve of Destruction appeared first on New York Stage Revi…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:51PM
Thursday, February 20, 2020

West Side Story: Damp, Desolate, and Usually Distracting by Michael Sommers

★★★ The 1957 Bernstein-Laurents-Robbins-Sondheim masterpiece gets a harsh modern makeover The post West Side Story: Damp, Desolate, and Usually Distracting appeared first on New York S…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 07:46PM

Mack & Mabel: A Musical Heartbreaker in More Ways Than One by Michael Sommers

★★★★ Jerry Herman's musical about Hollywood legends is an imperfect charmer The post Mack & Mabel: A Musical Heartbreaker in More Ways Than One appeared first on New York Stage R…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 06:05PM
Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Blues for an Alabama Sky: A Hard-Boiled Canary Desires a Better Roost by Michael Sommers

★★★ Pearl Cleage's 1995 drama about 1930 Harlem life receives its overdue New York premiere The post Blues for an Alabama Sky: A Hard-Boiled Canary Desires a Better Roost appeared firs…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 07:00PM
Monday, February 17, 2020

Dracula/Frankenstein: Smart New Stagings of Gothic Literature by Michael Sommers

★★★★ Classic Stage delivers very different but very smart new versions of the classic horror stories, in rep The post Dracula/Frankenstein: Smart New Stagings of Gothic Literature ap…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:59PM
Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Riddle of the Trilobites: An Earnest New Musical Packs Multiple Messages by Michael Sommers

★★★ Prehistoric characters deal with global warming and learn that change is their friend The post Riddle of the Trilobites: An Earnest New Musical Packs Multiple Messages appeared fir…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 01:24PM
Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice: They’re All Talk and No Action by Michael Sommers

★ A dull new musical regards a not-so-fab foursome of the Swinging '60s The post Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice: They’re All Talk and No Action appeared first on New York Stage Re…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 07:31PM
Monday, February 3, 2020

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake: Spooky and Sexy Romance in Dance by Michael Sommers

★★★★ A classical ballet reimagined as a bisexual psychodrama briefly revisits New York The post Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake: Spooky and Sexy Romance in Dance appeared first on New Y…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 05:45PM
Sunday, February 2, 2020

STEW: A Mothers and Daughters Dish by Michael Sommers

★★★★ Playwright Zora Howard debuts Off-Broadway with a tasty kitchen sink-type drama The post STEW: A Mothers and Daughters Dish appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 03:00PM
Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The Confession of Lily Dare: What’s Wrong with This Picture? by Michael Sommers

★★ Charles Busch stars as a self-sacrificing mama in his send-up of Pre-Code Hollywood flicks The post The Confession of Lily Dare: What’s Wrong with This Picture? appeared first on Ne…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:59PM
Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Paris: Black Invisibility in a White World by Michael Sommers

★★★ Eboni Booth sets her insightful working class drama in a big box store in 1995 The post Paris: Black Invisibility in a White World appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:58PM

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