All stories by Sandy MacDonald on BroadwayStars

Thursday, May 23, 2024

Molly Sweeney: An Ideal Cast Adds Insight and Intensity to Friel’s 1994 Chamber Drama by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ When a master playwright takes on the mystery of sight (in its many senses), it pays to listen. The post Molly Sweeney: An Ideal Cast Adds Insight and Intensity to Friel’s …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:58PM
Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Syncing Ink: A Crack Ensemble Revives a Hip-Hop Legend by Sandy MacDonald

★★★☆☆ Playwright/performer NSangou Njikam, accompanied by some gifted colleagues, gets to the heart of hip-hop culture. The post Syncing Ink: A Crack Ensemble Revives a Hip-Hop Leg…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 06:00PM
Monday, April 29, 2024

Staff Meal: Chef’s Kiss for a Kooky Pastiche by Sandy MacDonald

★★★☆☆ Absurdism triumphs in this crazy combo meal of modern dating mores plus culinary pretention. The post Staff Meal: Chef’s Kiss for a Kooky Pastiche appeared first on New Yor…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 07:19PM
Thursday, April 25, 2024

The Great Gatsby: All That Glitters, But Short on Depth by Sandy MacDonald

★★★☆☆ All the fixings – including some snazzy sets and standout stars – don't suffice to hoist this musical into the top rank. The post The Great Gatsby: All That Glitters, B…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:54PM
Saturday, April 20, 2024

The Grapes of Wrath: Ricky Ian Gordon’s Opera Deserves a Real Run by Sandy MacDonald

MasterVoices revives their 2010 concert staging of this opera version of the Steinbeck novel The post The Grapes of Wrath: Ricky Ian Gordon’s Opera Deserves a Real Run appeared first on …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 10:00AM
Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Sally & Tom: The Oddest, Most Emblematic Couple in U.S. History by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★★ There’s no way to sugarcoat Thomas Jefferson’s abuse of Sally Hemings, but Lori-Parks whips up an entertaining gloss. The post Sally & Tom: The Oddest, Most Emblemati…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:29PM
Sunday, April 14, 2024

Lempicka: A Paint-by-Numbers Old-School Musical by Sandy MacDonald

★★☆☆☆ Daubed with broad strokes, this sweeping bio-musical proves at once arty and inept. The post Lempicka: A Paint-by-Numbers Old-School Musical appeared first on New York Stage …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 10:54PM
Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Grief Hotel: A Bizarre Business Plan That Doubles as a Clever Leitmotif by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ "Loss is fast, and grief is slow…. At the grief hotel, you get to stop time.” The post Grief Hotel: A Bizarre Business Plan That Doubles as a Clever Leitmotif appeared fi…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:29PM
Sunday, March 24, 2024

Philadelphia, Here I Come: Two Aces Finesse This Spirited Revival of a Modern Classic by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ Brian Friel’s early character study – an exercise in ego vs. id – proves surprisingly timely and compelling. The post Philadelphia, Here I Come: Two Aces Finesse This …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:59PM
Thursday, March 21, 2024

Water for Elephants: A Thrilling Throwback to the Heyday of the Big Top by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ This “circus musical” occupies an impressively big tent, probing the power dynamics that affect the human animal. The post Water for Elephants: A Thrilling Throwback to t…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:55PM
Friday, March 1, 2024

Brooklyn Laundry: Management Not Responsible for Loss by Sandy MacDonald

★★★☆☆ Cecily Strong does her utmost as a spinster (yes, the dated epithet is apt) desperate to find a mate at all costs. The post Brooklyn Laundry: Management Not Responsible for L…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 03:55PM
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

I Love You So Much I Could Die: A Relatable Palliative by Sandy MacDonald

★★★☆☆ A shy courage infuses this recessive exercise in responding to emotional trauma. The post I Love You So Much I Could Die: A Relatable Palliative appeared first on New York St…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 06:00PM
Sunday, February 11, 2024

Hamlet: A Tour de Force That Fails to Lift Off by Sandy MacDonald

★★☆☆☆ Eddie Izzard's formidable talent is spread a bit thin in this daunting abridgment of Shakespeare's masterwork. The post Hamlet: A Tour de Force That Fails to Lift Off appeare…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 05:58PM
Thursday, February 8, 2024

Russian Troll Farm: The Hijinks Are Far from Hilarious by Sandy MacDonald

★★☆☆☆ Poke a troll and you might discover its soft underbelly. The post Russian Troll Farm: The Hijinks Are Far from Hilarious appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:51PM
Thursday, February 1, 2024

Jonah: Three Ages of Woman, Intriguingly Interspliced by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ Gabby Beans portrays a writer-in-training at three distinct junctures in her life, slightly jumbled to fascinating effect. The post Jonah: Three Ages of Woman, Intriguingly I…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:05PM
Sunday, January 21, 2024

Aristocrats: Brian Friel’s Chekhovian Homage Treated Rather Shabbily by Sandy MacDonald

★★☆☆☆ Brian Friel's Ballybeg aristos face reduced circumstances, with varying degrees of grace (and varying degrees of acting skill). The post Aristocrats: Brian Friel’s Chekhovi…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:56PM
Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Buena Vista Social Club: Go for the Music Alone by Sandy MacDonald

★★★☆☆ The book could use a some beefing up, but the music is a treat – an extraordinary experience in so intimate a space. The post Buena Vista Social Club: Go for the Music Alon…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:27PM
Sunday, December 10, 2023

How to Dance in Ohio: Exuberance Triumphs over Social Unease by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ With a bold, groundbreaking documentary as inspiration, this brave new musical delivers depth and delight. The post How to Dance in Ohio: Exuberance Triumphs over Social Unea…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:56PM
Monday, December 4, 2023

Life & Times of Michael K: Puppets Lend Visceral Immediacy to a Modern Literary Classic by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ The travails of a born outsider, coping with inconceivable hardships in the South Africa of four decades ago, tragically resonates to this day. The post Life & Times of M…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 09:30PM
Thursday, November 16, 2023

Spamalot: Spamalot: Trumpeting the Return of a Raunchy Musical Comedy for the Ages by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ A crack cast reinvigorates Eric Idle’s irreverent slice of highly improbable history. The post Spamalot: Spamalot: Trumpeting the Return of a Raunchy Musical Comedy for the…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 07:55PM
Monday, November 13, 2023

Harmony: Superb Singing Marks Barry Manilow’s Long-Delayed Broadway Debut as Composer by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ A singing sextet in pre-WWII Berlin wows the cabaret crowd — but proves powerless against the Gestapo The post Harmony: Superb Singing Marks Barry Manilow’s Long-Delayed …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 11:15PM
Sunday, November 5, 2023

The Frogs: They’re Back and Bouncier Than Ever by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ Nathan Lane hosted an evanescent revival of his too rarely seen collaboration with Stephen Sondheim. The post The Frogs: They’re Back and Bouncier Than Ever appeared first …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 03:59PM
Friday, November 3, 2023

Pal Joey: At City Center, Purists Are In for a Surprise by Sandy MacDonald

★★★☆☆ With additions from the Rodgers & Hart songbook, this updated interpretation is juicy if not entirely cohesive The post Pal Joey: At City Center, Purists Are In for a Sur…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 06:05PM
Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Dig: Theresa Rebeck could delve a bit deeper by Sandy MacDonald

★★★☆☆ Each recovery story is unique, but this one proves overly schematic. The post Dig: Theresa Rebeck could delve a bit deeper appeared first on New York Stage Review.

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 07:54PM
Monday, September 18, 2023

Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors Tickles Ingeniously by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ A clever script and a versatile cast transform a horror classic into pure fun and games The post Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors Tickles Ingeniously appeared first on New York S…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:56PM
Thursday, September 14, 2023

Death, Let Me Do My Show: Rachel Bloom picks up the pieces post-Covid by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ Bloom is back, spilling and spewing her neuroses and obsessions – wittily. The post Death, Let Me Do My Show: Rachel Bloom picks up the pieces post-Covid appeared first on…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 07:57PM
Thursday, June 22, 2023

Once Upon a One More Time: Betty Friedan Would Plotz by Sandy MacDonald

★★★☆☆ Sometimes a supposed tribute is an ill-camouflaged insult. Brittany Spears gets lionized in this femmage; Betty Friedan, not so much. The post Once Upon a One More Time: Bett…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:54PM
Sunday, June 18, 2023

Cassie and the Lights: A Family at Risk, Reconfigured by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ Family dynamics get a tragicomic treatment in this tale of three virtual orphans surviving precariously in contemporary London. The post Cassie and the Lights: A Family at Ri…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 01:31PM
Monday, June 5, 2023

The Comeuppance: A High-School Reunion Prompts Some Startling Revisionism by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★★ With surgical precision and abundant sympathy, Branden Jacob-Jenkins dissects the Class of 2002. The post The Comeuppance: A High-School Reunion Prompts Some Startling Revisi…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:51PM
Thursday, May 4, 2023

Oliver!: A Problematic Classic Benefits From a Reconsidered Villain by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ A cuddly Fagin? Raúl Esparza pulls off an improbable transmogrification in this Encores! staging The post Oliver!: A Problematic Classic Benefits From a Reconsidered Villain…

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 02:28PM
Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Summer, 1976: An Odd Couple of Midwestern Moms by Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ Not every woman wants – or needs – a makeover, but plenty of women enjoy initiating them. Toxic or benevolent? You get to decide. The post Summer, 1976: An Odd Couple of …

SOURCE: New York Stage Review at 08:54PM

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 15, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
TBA: Titanic