All stories by Naveen Kumar on BroadwayStars

Thursday, April 18, 2024

‘Gun & Powder’ Review: Twin Vigilantes Stake Claim to the American West by Naveen Kumar

The musical traces the story of Black twin sisters who pass as white, and exact their own form of justice for the crime of slavery, in the 19th-century Texas.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:54PM
Thursday, April 4, 2024

‘Travels’ Review: A Sonic Flight From Heartbreak by Naveen Kumar

In his new show, James Harrison Monaco blends storytelling and electronic beats in service of curiosity and escape.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:42PM
Thursday, March 21, 2024

‘Like They Do in the Movies’ Review: Laurence Fishburne Widens His Lens by Naveen Kumar

In his solo show, the screen and stage star shines a light into his formative dark corners and on the people who made an impression.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:18PM
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

‘The Effect’ Review: Dissecting the Science of Desire by Naveen Kumar

In Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Lucy Prebble’s play, Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell are a couple who fall in love during a pharmaceutical trial.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:18PM
Thursday, February 29, 2024

How compelling Broadway b-roll gets made by Naveen Kumar

The co-founders of HMS Media explains the process behind capturing footage for Broadway shows.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 08:45AM
Monday, February 26, 2024

Review: Cynthia Nixon Is Nowhere and Everywhere in ‘Seven Year Disappear’ by Naveen Kumar

A sleekly designed production, starring Cynthia Nixon and Taylor Trensch, aims to skewer the art world but falls flat.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:06PM
Saturday, February 24, 2024

Reviving ‘The Wiz’ Through ‘the Blackest of Black Lenses’ by Naveen Kumar

The beloved 1975 musical returns to Broadway this spring, with nods to Black culture like second-line parades and Underground Railroad quilts.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:24AM
Sunday, February 18, 2024

A new musical shows how hard it is to make alcoholism interesting onstage by Naveen Kumar

Kelli O’Hara and Brian d’Arcy James star in Broadway’s “Days of Wine and Roses,” Adam Guettel’s musical based on the 1962 movie.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:54PM
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

‘Between Two Knees’ Review: A Virtuosic Romp Through a Century of Terrors by Naveen Kumar

Two deadly standoffs at Wounded Knee are the bookends for a show that manages to narrate a violent history with moments of light and humor.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:06PM
Monday, February 12, 2024

Review: In ‘Self Portraits (Deluxe),’ a Provocateur Instigates Reflection by Naveen Kumar

Through self-examinations and social recriminations, Phillip Howze’s new show explores the injustices facing Black men.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:06PM
Thursday, February 8, 2024

The 1/52 Project is working to diversify the pipeline of professional designers by Naveen Kumar

Founded by Tony Award winner Beowulf Boritt, the project links established designers with aspiring ones through grants and mentorship.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 09:00AM
Friday, January 12, 2024

Three Festival Shows Explore Toxic Society by Laura Collins-Hughes, Naveen Kumar and Juan A. Ramírez

“Queens of Sheba” and “Volcano” at Under the Radar, and “Bacon,” at International Fringe Encore Series, expound on identity, captivity and violence.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:12PM
Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Is a January slump inevitable or surmountable? by Naveen Kumar

Charlotte St. Martin, TodayTix’s Tracy Geltman and more discuss why the start of a new year is historically tough for Broadway, what to expect for January 2024 and how shows can weather th…

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 08:05AM
Monday, December 11, 2023

Review: In ‘Translations,’ What’s Lost When Language Is Looted by Naveen Kumar

An exquisite revival of Brian Friel’s 1980 play at the Irish Repertory Theater is the first of three there by the Irish author.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:24PM
Wednesday, December 6, 2023

‘Manahatta’ Review: Tracing the Blood-Soaked Roots of American Capitalism by Naveen Kumar

Straddling the 17th and early 21st centuries, Mary Kathryn Nagle’s play at the Public Theater examines the exploitation of the Lenape by Dutch settlers.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:02PM
Tuesday, December 5, 2023

‘Life & Times of Michael K’ Review: An Arduous Trek That’s a Marvel to Watch by Naveen Kumar

This captivating adaptation of J.M. Coetzee’s novel, a collaboration with Handspring Puppet Company, follows a man and his ailing mother during a civil war in South Africa.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:36PM
Wednesday, November 29, 2023

What a new class of artistic directors could mean for Broadway and beyond by Naveen Kumar

Roundabout Theatre Company, Second Stage and Lincoln Center Theater will experience significant leadership changes by 2025.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 08:00AM
Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Full Exposure? Four Solo Shows Ponder the Art of True Nature. by Naveen Kumar

Lameece Issaq’s “A Good Day to Me Not to You” strives for intimacy, but that is not necessarily the aim of works by Alexandra Tatarsky, Milo Cramer and Ikechukwu Ufomadu.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:24PM
Tuesday, November 7, 2023

‘Snatch Adams’ Review: Gross-Out Humor for Not-So-Easily-Shocked Liberals by Naveen Kumar

Becca Blackwell and Amanda Duarte’s amorphous variety show aims to be a queer spectacle but is mostly improv strung together with non sequiturs.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:24PM
Wednesday, November 1, 2023

‘Poor Yella Rednecks’ Review: A Writer’s Origin Story Remixes Conventions by Naveen Kumar

Qui Nguyen’s crowd-tickling comedy about a Vietnamese family in Arkansas mixes hip-hop and martial arts with soapy twists and turns.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:36PM
Tuesday, October 31, 2023

‘Artificial Flavors’ Review: Blame ChatGPT for This Musical by Naveen Kumar

Each performance culminates in a production, composed on the spot, with misguided help from artificial intelligence.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:37PM
Monday, October 23, 2023

Why Broadway curtain times are changing by Naveen Kumar

More productions are shaking up their schedules in response to shifting audience habits.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 07:00AM
Wednesday, October 11, 2023

‘The Refuge Plays’ Review: A Surreal Family Saga on the Homestead by Naveen Kumar

A family in exile contends with its future, and its ghosts, in Nathan Alan Davis’s new Off Broadway play starring Nicole Ari Parker.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:33PM
Tuesday, October 10, 2023

The Broadway Review: A revival that makes sense and sizzle out of ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ by Naveen Kumar

The first Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s notorious bomb explodes with heart and sophistication. 

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 07:12PM
Friday, October 6, 2023

Review: In ‘Bite Me,’ Taking Aim at Familiar Teenage Tropes by Naveen Kumar

Eliana Pipes’s new play is too pat to convincingly explore the societal imbalances resulting from race, class and gender.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:43PM
Thursday, September 21, 2023

‘9 Kinds of Silence’ Review: A Soldier’s Battle Is Within by Naveen Kumar

In Abhishek Majumdar’s tense play at 122CC Theater in Manhattan, every sound underscores what’s left unsaid after a shellshocked veteran’s homecoming.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:43PM
Tuesday, August 15, 2023

How the regional theater crisis will be felt on Broadway by Naveen Kumar

Producers Sue Frost and Aaron Glick, playwright Douglas Lyons and more predict possible benefits and challenges caused by the ripple from America’s theaters.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 09:40AM
Thursday, August 10, 2023

Review: ‘The Shark Is Broken’ offers fan service without teeth by Naveen Kumar

Transferring from London’s West End, the comedy relies on nostalgia and fandom.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 10:00PM
Tuesday, August 1, 2023

‘Let’s Call Her Patty’ Review: Rhea Perlman as an Uptown Matriarch by Naveen Kumar

Rhea Perlman stars as a quintessential Upper West Sider in Zarina Shea’s snapshot of affluent, self-flagellating motherhood

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:37PM
Friday, July 21, 2023

Review: ‘Flex’ Hits the Right Rhythms on the Court and Off by Naveen Kumar

The writer Candrice Jones and the director Lileana Blain-Cruz show a mastery of the game in this play about a girls’ basketball team in rural Arkansas.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:19PM
Friday, July 7, 2023

Theater District pedicabs have become a safety hazard and a risk to industry-related businesses by Naveen Kumar

Congestion, dangerous driving, price-gouging and more are a growing problem.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 07:32AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards