All stories by Michael Sommers on BroadwayStars

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
Monday, January 20, 2020

Timon of Athens: Re-gendered and Re-Engineered for Audiences Today by Michael Sommers

★★★ Kathryn Hunter plays the title figure in a relatively obscure play by Shakespeare (and Thomas Middleton) The post Timon of Athens: Re-gendered and Re-Engineered for Audiences Today…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 12:30PM
Friday, January 17, 2020

How to Load a Musket: Re-creating Your Own Personal American History by Michael Sommers

★★★★ A smart new docudrama studies history re-enactors whose pastime can be obsessive The post How to Load a Musket: Re-creating Your Own Personal American History appeared first on …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 01:15PM
Sunday, January 12, 2020

The Unknown Dancer in the Neighborhood: Big City Blues by Michael Sommers

★★★ Japanese playwright Suguru Yamamoto collages dance, drama, text, and video in his study of urban existence The post The Unknown Dancer in the Neighborhood: Big City Blues appeared …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 06:00PM
Wednesday, December 18, 2019

42FT—A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels: An Old-School Charmer by Michael Sommers

★★★★ Sharp circus skills and eccentric machinery deliver a beguiling time The post 42FT—A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels: An Old-School Charmer appeared first on New York Stage Re…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 12:00PM
Friday, December 13, 2019

‘Twas the Night Before: Cirque du Soleil’s Bright New Holiday Gift by Michael Sommers

★★★★ Aerialists and acrobats deliver Christmas cheer to Madison Square Garden The post ‘Twas the Night Before: Cirque du Soleil’s Bright New Holiday Gift appeared first on New Yo…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 04:28PM
Tuesday, December 10, 2019

one in two: An Absurdist Look at a Serious Issue by Michael Sommers

★★★ The sadly familiar story of a black man living with HIV gets an absurdist twist The post one in two: An Absurdist Look at a Serious Issue appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 06:59PM
Monday, December 9, 2019

Greater Clements: Haunted By History by Michael Sommers

★★★ Samuel D. Hunter delivers a significant though flawed American drama The post Greater Clements: Haunted By History appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:51PM
Sunday, December 8, 2019

The Illusionists: They’ve Got Magic to Do by Michael Sommers

★★★ Six magicians conjure up tricks for the family crowd The post The Illusionists: They’ve Got Magic to Do appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 05:00PM
Sunday, November 24, 2019

Fefu and Her Friends: Still Ahead of Its Time by Michael Sommers

★★★ An unorthodox 1977 drama on feminist themes is revived by Theatre for a New Audience The post Fefu and Her Friends: Still Ahead of Its Time appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:20PM
Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Underlying Chris: What We Share in Our World by Michael Sommers

★★★★ Will Eno thoughtfully explores the human essentials in his latest play The post The Underlying Chris: What We Share in Our World appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:44PM

The Crucible: Boils Over Again In a Hot and Timely Staging by Michael Sommers

★★★★ Bedlam removes the frame from Arthur Miller's drama about another witch hunt The post The Crucible: Boils Over Again In a Hot and Timely Staging appeared first on New York Stage…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:00PM
Wednesday, November 20, 2019

A Christmas Carol: Spooked By the Past by Michael Sommers

★★★ A chilly Campbell Scott plays Scrooge in a grim rendition of the holiday classic The post A Christmas Carol: Spooked By the Past appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:45PM
Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Inheritance: Gay Times in America, Then and Now by Michael Sommers

★★★★ Some fine acting and a sterling staging lend credence to a classy gay soap opera by Matthew Lopez The post The Inheritance: Gay Times in America, Then and Now appeared first on …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:45PM
Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular: A Perennial That Lives Up to Its Name by Michael Sommers

★★★★ The Rockettes dance through the 87th annual edition of a New York City classic The post The Radio City Christmas Spectacular: A Perennial That Lives Up to Its Name appeared firs…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:00PM
Thursday, November 7, 2019

Cyrano: A New Musical Based on an 1897 Classic Comes Up Short by Michael Sommers

★★★ Peter Dinklage plays the title role in The New Group's world premiere The post Cyrano: A New Musical Based on an 1897 Classic Comes Up Short appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:29PM
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Dr. Ride’s American Beach House: Unsaid Feelings Vibrate Up on the Roof by Michael Sommers

★★★★ Liza Birkenmeier's sensitive new drama studies lesbian mindsets of yesteryear The post Dr. Ride’s American Beach House: Unsaid Feelings Vibrate Up on the Roof appeared first o…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 07:30PM
Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Big Apple Circus: A No-Frills Edition Still Packs a Few Thrills by Michael Sommers

★★★ A Wheel of Death, a pack of cats, and a hand-balancing duo are the top acts The post The Big Apple Circus: A No-Frills Edition Still Packs a Few Thrills appeared first on New York …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 01:52PM
Monday, October 28, 2019

Seared: Raúl Esparza Gets All Fired Up As a Deranged Master Chef by Michael Sommers

★★★ MCC Theater makes a tasty dish of Theresa Rebeck's lite comedy The post Seared: Raúl Esparza Gets All Fired Up As a Deranged Master Chef appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:29PM
Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Scotland, PA: A Mostly Fair-to-Middling Musical Dishes Out Murders Most Foul by Michael Sommers

★★★ Smart staging and good performers make the most of a so-so new musical The post Scotland, PA: A Mostly Fair-to-Middling Musical Dishes Out Murders Most Foul appeared first on New Y…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:01PM
Monday, October 21, 2019

Is This A Room: Real Life Whistleblower Gets Busted, in Real Time by Michael Sommers

★★★★ A word-for-word FBI transcript is starkly staged as a documentary drama The post Is This A Room: Real Life Whistleblower Gets Busted, in Real Time appeared first on New York Sta…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:01PM
Sunday, October 20, 2019

American Utopia: David Byrne Headlines an Extremely Stylish Concert by Michael Sommers

★★★★ A charismatic star and an expert troupe deliver a classy event The post American Utopia: David Byrne Headlines an Extremely Stylish Concert appeared first on New York Stage Revi…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:41PM
Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Lightning Thief: Scarcely a Striking Attraction for the Whole Darn Family by Michael Sommers

★★ Rick Riordan's modern mythological yarn is a yawn as a musical The post The Lightning Thief: Scarcely a Striking Attraction for the Whole Darn Family appeared first on New York Stage…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:50PM
Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Soft Power: Shall We Dance and Sing Through Our Cultural Differences? by Michael Sommers

★★★ Hillary Clinton enjoys a Fred & Ginger romance in a satirical show at the Public Theater The post Soft Power: Shall We Dance and Sing Through Our Cultural Differences? appeared…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:51PM
Monday, October 14, 2019

The Decline and Fall of the Entire World as Seen Through the Eyes of Cole Porter: Too Much Winking by Michael Sommers

★★ Vintage songs curdle in coy performances The post The Decline and Fall of the Entire World as Seen Through the Eyes of Cole Porter: Too Much Winking appeared first on New York Stage R…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 04:00PM
Sunday, October 13, 2019

The White Chip: A Blithe Spirit Spins Into Chronic Alcohol Abuse by Michael Sommers

★★★ Three actors make a cautionary saga of excessive drinking go down easily The post The White Chip: A Blithe Spirit Spins Into Chronic Alcohol Abuse appeared first on New York Stage …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 05:54PM
Monday, October 7, 2019

Heroes of the Fourth Turning: Millennials Argue About Our Civil Wars by Michael Sommers

★★★★ Younger conservatives drunkenly debate fundamental issues at Playwrights Horizons The post Heroes of the Fourth Turning: Millennials Argue About Our Civil Wars appeared first on…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:01PM
Friday, October 4, 2019

(A)loft Modulation: Obsessive Behavior and All That Jazz by Michael Sommers

★★ A bluesy atmosphere and musical performances enhance an awfully talky new drama The post (A)loft Modulation: Obsessive Behavior and All That Jazz appeared first on New York Stage Revi…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:58AM
Tuesday, October 1, 2019

The Great Society: A Not So Great Play About LBJ by Michael Sommers

★★★ Troubled 1960s events overwhelm a President and dishearten a drama The post The Great Society: A Not So Great Play About LBJ appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:51PM