All stories by Michael Sommers on BroadwayStars

Friday, June 13, 2014

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Third’ in Red Bank by Michael Sommers

Annette O’Toole takes the lead in a production of Wendy Wasserstein’s “Third,” staged at Two River Theater in Red Bank.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:29PM
Saturday, June 7, 2014

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘The Tempest’ in Madison by Michael Sommers

The current production of “The Tempest” by the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey in Madison is less concerned with flashy stagecraft and more intent upon fleshing out the emotions that d…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:29PM
Friday, May 23, 2014

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Tamer of Horses’ in Trenton by Michael Sommers

In the Passage Theater Company’s production of “Tamer of Horses” in Trenton, a couple try to rehabilitate an illiterate gang member who seeks shelter at their home.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:44PM
Friday, May 2, 2014

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Marisol’ at Luna Stage in West Orange by Michael Sommers

“Marisol,” currently being presented by Luna Stage in West Orange, is a dark fantasia that reflects a number of the social and spiritual troubles of the early 1990s.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:48PM
Saturday, April 19, 2014

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Trouble in Mind’ at Two River Theater in Red Bank by Michael Sommers

“Trouble in Mind,” a 1955 comedy-drama by Alice Childress, is about racism in the theater world and has been rediscovered in recent years.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:01PM
Thursday, April 3, 2014

Spotlight | New Jersey: Don’t Press the Up Button by Michael Sommers

“Lift” by the best-selling mystery writer Walter Mosley opens April 10 at the Crossroads Theater Company in New Brunswick.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:19PM
Friday, March 14, 2014

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Date of a Lifetime’ at New Jersey Repertory Company by Michael Sommers

A pair of single New Yorkers on the cusp of 40 play out their visions of long-term love in a breezy musical.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:45PM
Thursday, February 20, 2014

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Master Harold’ in West Orange by Michael Sommers

The intimacy of Luna Stage amplifies the penetrating examination of hatred in Athol Fugard’s 1982 play, set in 1950 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:20PM
Friday, December 13, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Oliver!’ in Millburn by Michael Sommers

Paper Mill Playhouse stages a cheery and lively rendition of the lighthearted musical “Oliver!” based on a bleak tale of workhouses and thieves.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:15AM
Thursday, November 7, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Our Town,’ at the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey by Michael Sommers

The artful simplicity of “Our Town,” at the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, is enhanced by staging both beautiful and thoughtful.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:26PM
Friday, November 1, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘The High Water Mark,’ at Luna Stage by Michael Sommers

In “The High Water Mark,” a new play by Ben Clawson that Luna Stage is presenting in West Orange, childhood chums reconnect in the middle of the night to hash out their midlife crises.&n…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:12PM
Friday, October 4, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘A Most Dangerous Woman,’ in Madison by Michael Sommers

“A Most Dangerous Woman,” Cathy Tempelsman’s play about George Eliot now at the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theater, depicts a novelist whose private life scandalized the hypocritical Vict…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:12PM
Friday, September 27, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘On Borrowed Time,’ at the Two River Theater by Michael Sommers

In “On Borrowed Time,” death comes to visit an old man who tricks it into climbing an apple tree from which it cannot escape.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:36PM
Friday, September 20, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Proof,’ at the McCarter Theater Center by Michael Sommers

“Proof,” at the McCarter Theater Center, is more concerned with the value of trust in relationships than with proving some mind-boggling equation that changes the world’s understanding…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:45PM
Thursday, September 5, 2013

Arts | New Jersey: Fresh Look for the Fall Theater Season by Michael Sommers

More than a dozen fresh plays and musicals, either brand-new works or those being seen for the first time in New Jersey, are expected to be among the productions at the state’s theaters.&n…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:08PM
Friday, August 2, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Saving Kitty,’ at the New Jersey Repertory Company by Michael Sommers

In the romantic comedy “Saving Kitty,” at the New Jersey Repertory Company, a daffy, well-off Manhattan woman with a liberal bent hosts her daughter’s beau, an evangelical Christian ed…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:45PM
Friday, July 19, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Clybourne Park,’ at Kean University by Michael Sommers

The roots of “Clybourne Park,” a Pulitzer Prize winner, lie in “A Raisin in the Sun.”    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:35PM
Friday, June 21, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Happy,’ at the New Jersey Repertory Company by Michael Sommers

Robert Caisley’s play revels in the awkwardness that results when a friend’s new girlfriend brings aggression and harsh truths to the dinner table.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:29PM
Friday, May 10, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Venus in Fur’ at the George Street Playhouse, in New Brunswick by Michael Sommers

“Venus in Fur” is a serio-comic depiction of an increasingly heated encounter between a theater director and an unknown actress that delves into aspects of power, both sexual and psychol…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:21PM
Friday, May 3, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Himself and Nora,’ at Hamilton Stage by Michael Sommers

Less a lyrical study of an artist’s life, “Himself and Nora” skims through the biographical details to leave ample room for the couple’s love story.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:55PM
Friday, April 26, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘The Electric Baby,’ at Two River Theater Company by Michael Sommers

The characters in “The Electric Baby,” a drama by Stefanie Zadravec, discover the power of myth in assuaging sorrow.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:35PM
Friday, March 29, 2013

Theater Review | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Roundelay: A Comedy,’ at the Mill Hill Playhouse by Michael Sommers

Composed in nearly 40 fleeting scenes set across the globe, “Roundelay” presents characters who speak longingly about achieving meaningful relationships.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:19PM
Friday, March 1, 2013

Arts | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Lend Me a Tenor,’ at the Paper Mill Playhouse by Michael Sommers

“Lend Me a Tenor,” written in 1986 by Ken Ludwig, is a 1930s-style comedy that uses traditional elements from farces of centuries past.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:37PM
Friday, February 8, 2013

Arts | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Good People’ in New Brunswick by Michael Sommers

“Good People,” by David Lindsay-Abaire, who grew up in South Boston, is a study in character and class, and the mouthing-off sounds authentic.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:30PM
Friday, January 18, 2013

Arts | New Jersey: To Raise the Curtain, New Jersey Theaters Are Pulling Together by Michael Sommers

Dozens of plays will be staged in New Jersey in coming months, and sometimes cooperation between theater companies helps to transform an idea into a reality.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:06PM
Saturday, December 29, 2012

Arts | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Esther’s Moustache,’ in Long Branch by Michael Sommers

In “Esther’s Moustache,” a comedy by Laurel Ollstein playing at the New Jersey Repertory Company, a cartoonist is haunted by her past and her most popular creation, a sexpot goddess.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:30PM
Saturday, December 15, 2012

Arts | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Trelawny of the Wells,’ at F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theater by Michael Sommers

In “Trelawny of the Wells,” in Madison, a popular actress retires from the stage to get married, only to return when faced with the reality of her fiancé’s stuffy relatives.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:10PM
Friday, November 30, 2012

Arts | New Jersey: A Review of ‘The Sound of Music,’ at the Paper Mill Playhouse by Michael Sommers

A revival of “The Sound of Music” at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn features all of the original songs written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and more.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:17PM
Saturday, November 10, 2012

Arts | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Man of La Mancha’ at F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theater by Michael Sommers

The 1965 musical “Man of La Mancha” is performed without amplification in a 308-seat theater.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:04PM
Sunday, October 28, 2012

Arts | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Blessed Are,’ at the Passage Theater Company by Michael Sommers

In “Blessed Are,” a play by Jessica Bedford, a melancholy man returns to his hometown after 17 years in prison for a drunken-driving accident that killed several people.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:48PM
Sunday, October 14, 2012

Arts | New Jersey: A Review of ‘A Chorus Line,’ at the Paper Mill Playhouse by Michael Sommers

The revival of “A Chorus Line” at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn is dedicated to the composer Marvin Hamlisch, and remains faithful to the original staging and choreography.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:07AM

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