All stories by Paulanne Simmons on BroadwayStars

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Broadway Review: PROOF (Booth Theatre) by Paulanne Simmons

THE MATH DOESN’T ADD UP A starry revival that struggles to convince All the action in the Broadway revival of David Auburn’s Proof takes place on the porch of Robert and Catherine’s ho…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:18PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Broadway Review: TITANÍQUE (St. James Theatre) by Paulanne Simmons

CELINE TAKES THE WHEEL An irreverent Titanic spoof that goes all in on camp and pop spectacle Titaníque, the Titanic parody which premiered in Los Angeles in 2017, opened at The Asylum Th…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:59AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Broadway Review: DOG DAY AFTERNOON (August Wilson Theatre) by Paulanne Simmons

HOLDING UP UNDER PRESSURE A bold stage adaptation that captures much "but not all"of the film's tension Adapting an iconic film like Dog Day Afternoon for the stage is a challenge. There are…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:50AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Off-Broadway Review: MARCEL ON THE TRAIN (Classic Stage Company) by Paulanne Simmons

SILENT RESISTANCE A wartime journey inspired by Marcel Marceau's resistance work becomes an overlong and uneven theatrical ride Marcel Marceau was not only a mime; he was one of the most fam…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:21PM[SHARE]
Friday, February 13, 2026

Concert Review: THE DOVER QUARTET (Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall) by Paulanne Simmons

TRADITIONS IN CONVERSATION From Mendelssohn to Chickasaw works, a program unified by thoughtful playing The Dover Quartet " Joel Link, Bryan Lee, violins; Julianne Lee, viola; and Camden Sha…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 01:22PM[SHARE]
Sunday, January 18, 2026

Off-Broadway Review: H.M.S. PINAFORE (New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players) by Paulanne Simmons

SAILORS, SATIRE, AND SOPRANOS New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players keep H.M.S. Pinafore proudly afloat"smart, tuneful, and gloriously old-school. Producing a Gilbert & Sullivan operet…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 01:59AM[SHARE]
Friday, January 16, 2026

Cabaret Theater Review: FINDING DOROTHY PARKER (Laurie Beechman Theatre) by Paulanne Simmons

WIT, WOUNDS, AND A GREAT SET OF PODIUMS A smart, lively cabaret revue that reminds us Parker was more than just a quote machine. Those of us who remember Dorothy Parker think of a sharp-witt…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:05PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Cabaret Review: HARLEM HOLIDAYS (Renée Elise Goldsberry for The Classical Theatre of Harlem) by Paulanne Simmons

AN INTIMATE HOLIDAY CONCERT Renée Elise Goldsberry does everything joyfully right; And yes, it helps keep The Classical Theatre of Harlem thriving Founded in 1999, The Classical Theatre of …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:00AM[SHARE]

Concert Review: A PLACE CALLED HOME (NY Pops with Megan Hilty and Essential Voices USA) by Paulanne Simmons

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE A PLACE CALLED HOME A late-season course correction that feels like a homecoming Christmastime is filled with traditions. And one of the best ones in New York City is t…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Concert Review: LET'S GET AWAY FROM IT ALL (Michael Feinstein at Carnegie Hall) by Paulanne Simmons

NO PLACE LIKE HOME" UNLESS MICHAEL FEINSTEIN TAKES YOU THERE Let's Get Away From It All proves the Great American Songbook is still first-class travel When Michael Feinstein opened his show …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:22AM[SHARE]
Friday, November 7, 2025

Theater / Restaurant Review: POP UP DINNER THEATER (Barlume Downstairs) by Paulanne Simmons

POP-UP, FLOP-DOWN: WHEN DINNER UPSTAGES THE THEATER The foundational idea of Suite 524's Pop Up Dinner Theater at Barlume Downstairs is solid " four courses from Barlume's excellent kitch…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:52PM[SHARE]
Monday, November 3, 2025

Off-Broadway Review: CIRQUE LE SWING (Immersive Supper Club Experience at Swing 46) by Paulanne Simmons

SWING ON IN! If you want to have the time of your life, you can't do better than get a ticket for Cirque Le Swing, an immersive supper-club experience that combines a three-course dinner, ja…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:21AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 26, 2025

Off-Broadway Review: HANNAH SENESH (National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene at Theater Row) by Paulanne Simmons

People, especially oppressed people, need martyrs. And Jews, although now considered part of the white establishment by some, have been oppressed for centuries. They have found their martyr …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:59AM[SHARE]
Saturday, September 20, 2025

Off-Broadway Review: AMAZE (Jamie Allan at New World Stages) by Paulanne Simmons

Years ago, all a magician needed was a top hat and a live rabbit. Magic has come a long way. Jamie Allan's Amaze uses props, videos, projections and cell phones to do exactly what the title …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:00AM[SHARE]
Thursday, September 4, 2025

Cabaret Review: HOT COMBINATION: THE CLIFF EDWARDS / RED NICHOLS PROJECT (Mike Davis, Bryce Edwards@Birdland) by Paulanne Simmons

The names Red Nichols and Cliff Edwards may not be recognized by any but a few aficionados of 1920s jazz these days, but after seeing Mike Davis and Bryce Edwards' Hot Combination at Birdlan…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:46PM[SHARE]
Friday, July 18, 2025

Off-Broadway Review: THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS (Little Island) by Paulanne Simmons

BIG GOSPEL ON LITTLE ISLAND Greek religion and Christianity had very different views on the nature of God and salvation, but the current revival of The Gospel at Colonus still manages to tur…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:12PM[SHARE]
Monday, June 23, 2025

Cabaret Review: GEORGE YOUNG: SINGIN' AND SWINGIN' (NYC's 54 Below) by Paulanne Simmons

VELVET NOTES AND VINTAGE VIBES Remember when singers had velvety voices and a smooth style? Even those who don't certainly enjoyed George Young: Singin' and Swingin' at 54 Below on June 1…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:12PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Highly Recommended Concerts: PICNIC PERFORMANCES (Bryant Park) by Paulanne Simmons

Whether you live in New York City or you're visiting, one of the best places to be this summer is Bryant Park. Among the park's many activities, one of the most outstanding is Bryant Park Pi…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:03PM[SHARE]
Monday, April 28, 2025

Broadway Review: STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW (Marquis Theatre) by Paulanne Simmons

SPECTACULAR. COMPLICATED. FUN. OVERLONG. DESTINIED TO BE A CULT CLASSIC. STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED. Having never seen the enormously popular Netflix series Stranger Things, I no doubt mi…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:58AM[SHARE]
Friday, April 18, 2025

Broadway Review: SMASH (Imperial Theatre) by Paulanne Simmons

A PLATE OF MASHED SMASH Let me be clear. I never saw the television series Smash. I know nothing about the series other than that it focused on a community theater working on a show about th…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:35PM[SHARE]
Thursday, February 27, 2025

Dance Review: TANGO AFTER DARK (Germán Cornejo at the Joyce Theater) by Paulanne Simmons

NOT YOUR AVERAGE TANGO Tango: a dance with European, Argentinian and Cuban influences, born in the impoverished backstreets of Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay, raised in smok…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:24AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 21, 2024

Concert Review: MERRY & BRIGHT WITH JESSICA VOSK (New York Pops at Carnegie Hall) by Paulanne Simmons

WHO COULD VOSK FOR ANYTHING MORE? I can think of no better way to celebrate the holidays than at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops' Merry and Bright, featuring Jessica Vosk (Wicked, Fi…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:58AM[SHARE]
Friday, December 20, 2024

Broadway Review: GYPSY (Audra McDonald, Majestic Theatre) by Paulanne Simmons

AUDRA MCDONALD GIVES US A POWERFUL MAMA ROSE BUT IS IT A SUITABLE INTERPRETATION? Gypsy is a great show. Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim wrote a justly iconic score, and Arthur Laurents' boo…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:54PM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 24, 2024

Broadway Review: ELF: THE MUSICAL (Marquis Theatre) by Paulanne Simmons

THE BEST HOLIDAY GIFT ISN'T UNDER THE TREE, IT'S ELF AT THE MARQUIS Elf, the charming story of Buddy, the orphan who crawled into Santa's sack one Christmas Eve and was raised at the North P…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:50AM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 21, 2024

Broadway Review: DEATH BECOMES HER (Lunt-Fontanne) by Paulanne Simmons

DEATH BECOMES HER IS NOT FOR PURITANS OR VICTORIAN GRANDMOTHERS. BUT HOW MANY OF THEM ARE AROUND TODAY? Death Becomes Her, the new musical based on the eponymous 1992 black comedy/fantasy an…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:49PM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 2, 2024

Off-Broadway Review: VLADIMIR (Manhattan Theatre Club at New York City Center) by Paulanne Simmons

There's an eponymous and ominous presence onstage at New York City Center Stage I. You can't see him. But his evil, autocratic and tyrannical nature permeates every scene in Erika Sheffer's …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 11:22PM[SHARE]
Thursday, October 24, 2024

Off-Broadway Review: FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: MERRILY WE STOLE A SONG (Theater 555) by Paulanne Simmons

FORBIDDEN PLEASURES Even the most avid theatergoers may not realize how much about Broadway there is to have fun with until they see Forbidden Broadway, the decades-old Off-Broadway musical …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:56AM[SHARE]
Saturday, September 14, 2024

Broadway Review: THE ROOMMATE (Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone at the Booth Theatre) by Paulanne Simmons

FOR THE ROOMMATE, IT'S ULTIMATELY ABOUT THE CASTMATES Take a big dose of Grace and Frankie, add a bit of Arsenic and Old Lace, and top it off with the magnificent Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:53AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Cabaret Review: JULIE BENKO AT BIRDLAND by Paulanne Simmons

JULIE BENKO IS, AND IS ABOUT TO HAVE, A BROADWAY BABY Vocalists have found many fruitful ways of reaching their audiences, from celebrating other singers to paying tribute to composers and l…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:56PM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 25, 2024

Broadway Review: SUFFS (Music Box Theatre) by Paulanne Simmons

IT MAY BE ABOUT A MOVEMENT MORE THAN ITS PEOPLE, BUT A POWERHOUSE SCORE AND WINNING PERFORMANCES EMPOWER SUFFS There are several major conflicts in Suffs, the new Broadway musical directed b…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 12:00AM[SHARE]
Monday, February 26, 2024

Off-Broadway Review: JELLY'S LAST JAM (Encores! at New York City Center) by Paulanne Simmons

JELLY'S JAM IS JAMMIN' THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW Jelly Roll Morton was born Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe in New Orleans. Both his parents traced their Creole ancestry four generations back to …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:33PM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off