On the Couch with Ali McGregor by Arts Review

Who is Ali McGregor? I’m a singer who ran away from the opera and joined the cabaret REVOLUTION! What would you do differently to what you do now?    Eat less carbs?! As far as my work …

'The end of an era': Ringling Bros circus closes curtain on elephant shows by Susan Zalkind In Providence, Rhode Island

Final show for the pachyderms comes after local government actions made touring with the animals difficult, as activists herald ‘victory’ for animal rightsAfter the last-ever circus to f…

Review: Ireland 100: ‘The Girl Who Forgot To Sing Badly’ at The Kennedy Center by Kendall Mostafavi

The Kennedy Center is currently presenting IRELAND 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture, through June 5, 2016. The festival includes a wide range of events focused on Irish…

Unwritten: Celebrating 21st Century Female Singer-Songwriters by Sandi Durell

  by Monica Charline Brown     Lucille Carr-Kaffashan pieced together a truly enjoyable evening of cabaret in her latest stint at Don’t Tell Mama, one of midtown’s hottest…

Review: Signature Plays: The Sandbox, Drowning, Funnyhouse of a Negro

From the comical to the terrifying, three plays examine issues of body politics.

How to Keep a Musical Great: Call Heather Headley and Marin Mazzie by Ben Brantley

The actresses who replaced Jennifer Hudson in “The Color Purple” and Kelli O’Hara in “The King and I” brought a new feistiness to the roles.

Review: ‘Signature Plays’ Triple Bill Reveals Truth in the Mirror’s Lies by Ben Brantley

The collection of three short vintage works at the Pershing Square Signature Theater includes Edward Albee’s “The Sandbox.”

The Taming of the Shrew: 'This is not a woman being crushed' by Maddy Costa

An exercise in misogyny – or a love story about a man liberating a woman? As the RSC stages The Taming of the Shrew, Maddy Costa asks actors and directors how they read the playA man acqui…

Chita Rivera at the Café Carlyle by Joel Benjamin

She ran down the list of her Broadway co-stars: Ricardo Montalban, Donald O’Connor (the disastrous Bring Back Birdie), Antonio Banderas (upon whose shoulder she placed a shapely leg in Ni…

‘Scandal’s Joe Morton Roars With The Power & Punch Of Dick Gregory In ‘Turn Me Loose’ – Review by Jeremy Gerard

If the only image that comes to mind at the mention of the name Dick Gregory is the skinny African American elder, his beaming visage ringed with a nimbus of white hair and beard, prepare�…

FULLY COMMITTED by Laura

FULLY COMMITTED is a one-man show about a struggling actor who takes phone reservations for one of the hottest restaurants in Manhattan.

Signature Plays Review: Edward Albee, Maria Irene Fornés, Adrienne Kennedy Revisited by New York Theater

The three short plays that Signature Theater is reviving together in a single production – Edward Albee’s The Sandbox, Maria Irene Fornés’ Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy’s Funnyhous…

Review: ‘Oleanna’ at Persiphere Theater by Patrick (pj) McMahon

David Mamet’s Oleanna is a play that has split many people over the years. What is it about exactly? Is it about power balance or sexual assault? Who is the villain? The sexist, pedantic t…

Upcoming Equity Auditions Sunday, May. 22 by Audition Roundup

Updated this week Check out upcoming Equity Auditions from Sunday, May 22, 2016 for both productions in your area and around the country including whatwhenwhere and how to audition

VIDEO: 70th Annual Tony Awards Preview by Meaghancorzine

The Tony nominees for musical revival offer a fresh look at classics and more recent Broadway productions.

Medea: the mother of all roles by Maddy Costa

Diana Rigg played a memorable Medea – now her daughter Rachael Stirling is taking it on. She talks to Maddy Costa, while other actors recall their own immersion in one of theatre's toughes…

Rachel Bloom's Live Performance of 'Sexy French Depression' Might Have You Booking a One-Way Ticket to Paris by Devon Ivie

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend co-creator and star Rachel Bloom stopped by the third annual Vulture Festival last night for a lively conversation with fellow co-creator Aline Brosh McKenna and executiv…

'Kiss Me, Kate': A mixed bag filled with classics

If it had nothing else to recommend it, Act II Playhouse's production of Kiss Me, Kate would still have the winning combination of Cole Porter and Shakespeare on its side. That mix - Porter'…

As If Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Couldn't Get Any Funnier, Carol Burnett Might Guest Star by Devon Ivie

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend will be returning for a second season on The CW this fall, and with it will inevitably come more original songs, more unusual Greg/Josh dynamics, and more guest stars. On…

Alistair Beaton: 'If you’re bored, it’ll be my fault' by Alistair Beaton

It’s either serious or it’s funny. That’s a view I quite often encountered when working in Germany. A theatre professional there once advised me to remove all references to writing tel…

Affecting ‘The Tin Woman’ Plumbs Depths of The Heart by Bill Hirschman

A double sense of “life after death” pervades the touching and beautifully rendered The Tin Woman drama suffused with wit now playing at Actors Playhouse as spring slides into summer.

Review: ‘Fully Committed’ at Theatre Horizon in Norristown, PA by Tim Dunleavy

Fully Committed, Becky Mode’s frenetic 1999 comedy that spoofs the unpleasant underbelly of the restaurant business, is being given a highly enjoyable production at Theatre Horizon in Norr…

Review: ‘Sultans of String’ at AMP at Strathmore by Bev Fleisher

The Sultans of String delight and excite. This is World Music as you’ve never heard it before. The music is, quite simply, a soul satisfying mash-up of European gypsy, classical, punjabi, …

Five Stories From Last Week’s AJ: Likes And Dislikes Edition by Douglas McLennan

Why aren’t the arts something we can all get behind? Maybe it’s somewhere in the psychology of how we like what we like? Revealed: nobody reads arts reviews anymore (says an edit…

TWITTER WATCH: Tony Nominee Cynthia Erivo Completes Half Marathon on Two-Show Day by Louisa Brady

Tony nominee and star of THE COLOR PURPLE Cynthia Erivo doesn't rest Yesterday, before her two show day, the star completed a half-marathon...and chronicled the whole thing on Twitter Check …

Review: ‘Half Moon Bay’ Shows the Hook Up and the Aftermath by Alexis Soloski

In this Dan Moyer play, a man and a woman meet in a bowling alley bar and forge a relationship.

Excerpt: ‘Drowning’

A scene from the María Irene Fornés play, part of the program "Signature Plays" at the Signature Center.

Andi Snelling in #DearDiary by Arts Review

What if your past could speak to you? Fresh from a completely sold-out season at Adelaide Fringe 2016, Andi Snelling’s critically-acclaimed solo confessional, #DearDiary returns to…

Dulka Warngiid – Land of All by Arts Review

The fascinating career of the late Bentinck Island artist and senior Kaiadilt woman, Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori will be explored in a retrospective exhibition at the Queensland…

This Week on Broadway for May 22, 2016: Lindsay Jones by James Marino

Peter Filichia, James Marino, Michael Portantiere, and Matt Tamanini talk with composer and sound designer Lindsay Jones.Peter reviews Do I Hear a Waltz? at New York City Center. Michael…

Broadway at the Cabaret - Top 5 Cabaret Picks for May 23-29, Featuring The Skivvies, John Arthur Greene, and More! by Louisa Brady

Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars Well after Broadway orchestras begin their overtures, ensemble members take their dance breaks, a…

Tribes by Arts Review

A runaway hit both in London and off-Broadway, Nina Raine’s Tribes hones in on our universal desire to belong and to be heard with startling humour and biting accuracy, in a Sydney Pr…

Sunday Watch: Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews Rehearse for MY FAIR LADY

Today's Sunday Watch from my inbox - Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews recreate the first rehearsal for "My Fair Lady." From the CBS-TV 2 hour spectacular, "The Fabulous…

BWW Interview: Patrick Page is Ruling the Underworld Downtown in NYTW's HADESTOWN by Nicole Rosky

He's taken on Scar, Claude Frollo, the Green Goblin, and the Grinch... but his past characters are not all that bad at least he doesn't see it that way. Now Patrick Page is back on stage at …

Wacky British fun at 'One Man, Two Guvnors,' but only to a point by Chris Jones

If you are a fan of "Carpool Karaoke" and the other excellent shtick to be found on "The Late Late Show With James Corden," then you largely have "One Man, Two Guvnors," the current show at …

Act One Finale: 10 lessons learnt this season by Andrew Wright

I was thinking what to write for my final blog this season [editor: before Andrew heads off to immerse himself in Half a Sixpence at Chichester Festival Theatre]. I’ve had a few suggestion…

Scott Siegel’s Broadway Originals by Sandi Durell

    by: Linda Amiel Burns   Scott Siegel’s Broadway Originals! series gives audiences the opportunity to hear and see performers who created the roles in past musical theate…

Clowning around with yesterday’s junk in ‘The Object Lesson’ by Nelson Pressley

Geoff Sobelle’s offbeat solo show at Studio Theatre pulls meaning and fun out of boxes.

Talk Stoop Featuring Gloria Estefan by Talk Stoop With Cat Greenleaf

The singer stops by the stoop to chat with Cat about her hit Broadway musical, "On Your Feet," her connection to her fans and upcoming album.

Chicago Theater Review: THE BOYS UPSTAIRS (Pride Films and Plays at Mary’s Attic) by Lawrence Bommer

AN UNCRITICAL MATING COMEDY Familiar gay fare, The Boys Upstairs, a 2009 rouser by Jason Mitchell, revels in industrial-strength crowd-pleasing. Pride Films and Plays’ two-hour funfest is …

'Camp David' makes history live by James Hebert

Old Globe stages worthy West Coast premiere of fact-based play.

HBO’s All the Way Is a Large-Scale Account of Lyndon B. Johnson With Little to Say by Matt Zoller Seitz

It's been a while since I saw a TV movie that had everything going for it, yet failed to be memorable. All the Way should have been a classic: electrifying, surprising, moving, artful. It's …

‘Color Purple’ star finishes half marathon then does two shows by Lindsay Putnam

Cynthia Erivo doesn’t just run the show on “The Color Purple” — she runs New York, too. The actress — who stars as Celie in the show’s Broadway revival — ran the Brooklyn Half …

Walnut Street Theatre Gala Concert

On May 6, the Walnut Street Theatre celebrated its 207th anniversary with a gala concert. Founded in 1809, the theater is America's oldest, as well as the most-subscribed theater in world, w…

Behind the Scenes: Keeping up with the Sarasota arts scene by Jay Handelman

Welcome a new addition to the Herald-Tribune's arts staff as we continue to cover a vibrant performing and visual arts scene... Read more »

Fuse Film Review: “Sunset Song” — Misogyny in the Highlands by Arts Fuse Editor

I wanted to like Sunset Song, steeped as it is in Scottish history and scenery.

Tony Awards Close-Up: Jennifer Simard Opens Up About her All-But-Disastrous Nomination! by BroadwayWorld TV

The Queen of Off Broadway has officially arrived DISASTER might not mark Jennifer Simard's Broadway debut, but it has certainly launched her into a new level of stardom, as her portrayal of …

59E59 Announces Season by Steven McElroy

“Game of Thrones” star Jack Gleeson will star in a play at 59E59 Theaters this summer.

Tony Award Countdown: 30 Years In 30 Days, Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn Honored For Lifetime Achievement, 1994 by Michael Dale

The great couple of the theatre was presented with the first-ever Tony Award for a lifetime of work.

Photo Coverage: Meet the Nominees- LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT's Jessica Lange by Walter McBride

On May 4, the 2016 Tony nominees flocked to the Paramount Hotel, where they met with the press for the first time since getting the big news. BroadwayWorld will be bringing you coverage from…

Fully Committed, in two towns by Cogency

  Fully Committed, by Becky Mode. Lyceum Theatre in New York City; Theatre Horizon in Norristown PA.   Michael Doherty is no Jesse Tyler Ferguson; he’s even better. It’s no sec…

Monster Raving Loony: Where is the party now? Tooting… by Terri Paddock

When Monster Raving Loony was announced a few months ago, I got a bashing on Twitter when I cheekily asked dramatist James Graham if he’d considered writing his next political play about t…

Natasha J Barnes in FUNNY GIRL – West End by Jonathan Baz

Quite simply, Barnes is a stunning, revelatory astonishment. The role is huge, with the actress onstage almost throughout as she charts Brice’s rise from a self-confident Brooklyn kid to B…

Fuse Coming Attractions: May 22 through 31 — What Will Light Your Fire This Week by Arts Fuse Editor

Arts Fuse critics select the best in film, theater, dance, music, visual arts, and author events for the coming week.

VIDEO: The cast of Titanic in rehearsals by Press Releases

Titanic, one of the most acclaimed musicals in recent times, is sailing back to London for a 10-week season at Charing Cross Theatre from Saturday 28 May to Saturday 6 August 2016, directed …

Eve Ensler's "In the Body of the World" at A.R.T. by Nancy Grossman

Ensler's performance is engaging and without a shred of artifice as she obliterates the fourth wall and addresses the audience in an intimate, conversational style.

STAGE TUBE: On This Day for 5/22/16- Laurence Olivier by Stage Tube

Happy Birthday, Laurence Olivier Born in 1907, Olivier remains one of the most revered actors of the 20th century. He was the first artistic director of the National Theatre of Great Britain…

NEWS: Gwen Taylor stars in Emlyn Williams thriller Night Must Fall on tour by Caroline Hanks-Farmer

The Original Theatre Company and Salisbury Playhouse in association with Eastbourne Theatres will present the national tour of Emlyn Williams’ psychological thriller, NIGHT MUST FALL, dire…

How to Be Rejected by [email protected] (jamie)

By Justin Taylor. Justin Taylor on reframing rejection.

Tickets Now On Sale to See Josh Groban in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway by Broadway.com

Here’s your chance to catch Josh Groban in his Broadway debut! Tickets are now available for Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, starring Groban and Denée Benton. Perfo…

FROM DOWN UNDER: The Glass Menagerie by Simon Parris

In an eagerly awaited boon for Melbourne theatregoers, Malthouse Theatre hosts Belvoir’s acclaimed 2014 staging of The Glass Menagerie. The meticulous production shows the riches to be unc…

Backstage with Richard Ridge: From BLACKBIRD to THE NEWSROOM - Tony Nominee Jeff Daniels Shares Advice for Actors! by BroadwayWorld TV

It's undeniable that Jeff Daniels' career has been a varied one. From his Emmy-winning role on Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM to one half of the comedy duo behind DUMB AND DUMBER, the stage and…

STAGE TUBE: Watch BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Live Action Teaser; Full Trailer Premieres Tomorrow! by Stage Tube

Today, Disney's live action BEAUTY AND THE BEAST released a trailer on their Twitteraccount, teasing tomorrow's premiere of the official full-length trailer. Check it out below, and make sur…

THIS IS LIVING – Trafalgar Studios by Emma Clarendon

Liam Borrett’s play examines what it would be like if you were given a chance to say a proper goodbye to the one you loved.  What would happen if you were given the chance to say …

Bette! Sutton! Patti! August Wilson At Last! John Leguizamo! Week in New York Theater by New York Theater

“What we do deeply, deeply matters,” George C. Wolfe, director and book writer of Shuffle Along, told a group of out-of-town theater owners and presenters in another week focused…

Top Ticket: Three shows to see May 22 to 28 by Carly Maga - Theatre Critic

The Tiger Bamboo Festival from Soulpepper, Counting Sheep from Lemon Bucket Orkestra and the WeeFestival Family Day.

Review: Running Wild, Open Air Theatre by Rob Ellis

Transportive is a great word in theatre. This is more than good set design – it’s ensuring that every technical molecule of a production works in harmony to capture the spirit of a l…

STUDENTS JOIN FREE by Newsdesk

STUDENTS JOIN FREE JOIN STAGELIGHT PAPER FOR FREE WHEN YOU USE CODE ‘STUDENT’ Join Now $34 – FREE one world observatory $31 – FREE ripley’s believe it or not…

Edward Bond on shock value and shaking up British theatre: 'I'm far too busy to be bitter' by Guardian Staff

He has walked out of his own plays, been chased up the A1 by a director and thinks British drama is dead. Mark Lawson meets the magnificently irascible Edward BondFamous playwrights are trad…

Review: ‘kinK’ at Greenbelt Arts Center by William Powell

 ‘kinK’ explores murder, revenge and justice Director\Writer William Dean Leary produces unsettling, lapel-grabbing work that addresses topical issues. In his previously written and dir…

REVIEW ROUND-UP: King John at the Rose Theatre, Kingston by Emma Clarendon

Trevor Nunn returns to the Rose Theatre in Kingston to direct one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays. What have critics been saying about the production? King John continues until 5 June …

Film Review: ‘Love & Friendship’ by Erin Teachman

Love & Friendship opens with a sigh of regret from an unknown and unnamed narrator as one Lady Susan Vernon takes her leave of the Manwarings (pronounced as if that “w” was a booris…

Biopix: Katrina Bowden Heads West, Shows Off Secret to Being Healthy, Balanced and Beautiful by #cota

Biopix is a series by CenterOnTheAisle.com (#COTA), offering an inside look at the life of celebrities — curated by celebrities — through their own photos. By Steve Schonberg (@CntrOnTh…

BLUE/ORANGE – Young Vic Theatre by Aleks Sierz

Ace! Revival of Joe Penhall’s brilliantly written contemporary classic is superbly staged and brilliantly performed... Each exchange is like a duel, and each duel is humorous as well a…

Review: Show Boat at curtainup.com-London by Lizzie Loveridge

erome Kern's musical of 1927 is the first real musical with every song progressing the plot and a dark, serious plot it is .

Review: Cal in Camo at curtainup.com by Jacob Horn

- Emotion dominates in William Francis Hoffman's new play about familial love, loss, and redemption.

Dylan Moran on drink, stand-up and self-confidence by Hannah Pool

Dylan Moran on drink, stand-up and self-confidenceIrish-born Dylan Moran, 35, is best known for his parts in the sitcom Black Books and the film Shaun of the Dead. He objects to journalists …

BWW's On This Day - May 22, 2016

Here are the Broadway, Off-Broadway and West End shows which opened on May 22 along with all of the upcoming show openings, closings and special events

Brighton Festival Review: Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, Theatre Royal Brighton by Ellen Carr

It is sad that it’s still rare to see a stage dominated by women, so I’m pleased the cast of Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour dominated in the way they did. The six young women have an in…

Review: This is Living, Trafalgar Studios by Holly O'Mahony

Alice is sprawled face down on the water-soaked tarpaulin. Her husband Michael sits cross-legged watching her. She’s dead, and Michael must move on, eventually. But what if he’s …

Brighton Fringe Review: Leaving Home Party, Latest 7 Music Bar by Ellen Carr

Catherine Ireton has a disarming voice and in Leaving Home Party she uses it to tell the story of how she left home, returned, and left again. Her personal story is used to explore the notio…

Review: Weekend Rockstars, Battersea Arts Centre by Rebecca Latham

Traditionally, the middle child has been a pitied figure, in danger of living in the older sibling’s shadow and wanting the same the comfort blanket gifted to the youngest. It has been sai…

Running Wild review – Michael Morpurgo animal magic rivals War Horse by Lyn Gardner

Regent’s Park Open Air theatreAn elephant which saves a girl from the 2004 tsunami is the real draw – alongside orangutans and the wave itself – of Samuel Adamson’s spectacleIf you h…

Quizzes: Test your theatre knowledge: Laurence Olivier

A high score on the Olivier quiz - to be or not to be?

REVIEW ROUND-UP: The Invisible Hand at the Tricycle Theatre by Emma Clarendon

American banker Nick Bright knows that his freedom comes at a price. Confined to a cell within the depths of rural Pakistan, every second counts. Who will decide his fate? His captors, or th…

Isabelle Huppert: ‘I’d love to work with Woody Allen or Noah Baumbach’ by Jonathan Romney

As one of France’s most revered actors prepares a radical reworking of Phaedra for the British stage, she talks directors, daughters and doing more comedyIsabelle Huppert is known to have …

Drew McOnie: ‘It’s not a technical process, it’s instinctual’ by Luke Jennings

The Olivier award-winning choreographer on working with Matthew Bourne, his creative process and his new production of Jekyll and Hyde at the Old VicDrew McOnie, 30, is a London-based choreo…

The Philanderer review – tribute to the modern woman by Susannah Clapp

Orange Tree, LondonGeorge Bernard Shaw’s satirical attack on the divorce laws (and the medical profession) rather outstays its welcomeThe Philanderer, written in 1893, is a prescient play.…

The Machine Stops review – EM Forster’s chilling vision by Susannah Clapp

York Theatre RoyalThis adaptation of the novelist’s prescient 1909 short story is impressively nimbleA woman looks into a screen showing the face of her faraway son. Electronic music ping …

Nederlands Dans Theater 2 review – this dream team deserves better by Luke Jennings

Sadler’s Wells, LondonFace-pulling and slow-motion walking are no substitute for great choreography, which is a shame, because NDT2’s dancers are brilliantSolo was choreographed by Hans …

Performer's on-stage death adds to Cirque du Soleil's troubles by Kelly Nestruck

Before this tragic accident, the Canadian circus company had already suffered setbacks including layoffs of 400 staff and a string of poorly performing showsSaturday 29 June was supposed to …

The day Richard Harris, in a bathrobe, told me stories over bellinis by Michael Tuft

Having captivated TV producer Michael Tuft with his storytelling at the Savoy’s American Bar, the next day Richard Harris did a recording of WB Yeats poems for himAfter my boy died from me…

Malthouse: The Glass Menagerie by Anne-Marie Peard

The narrator tell us The Glass Menagerie is a memory play. The narrator is also a character in the play. He is also a thinly-veiled version of playwright Tennessee Williams. Currently at Mal…

The Wing’s Docuseries Offers a Look at Theatre Around the Country by Logan Culwell

The long-standing Working in the Theatre web series grants access to theatremakers and pushes the American Theatre Wing into the mainstream.

This Pair Kept Booking the Same Show (So They Took the Hint!) by Whitney Spaner

From performing together onstage to working together as actor and director to attending JHud’s New Year’s Eve shindig, Dwayne Clark and wife Janeece Freeman-Clark do it as a pair.

Video Week in Review: Purple Rain Concert, Bright Star's Paul Alexander Nolan Sings a Medley of Faves, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown With a Cast of by Mark Ezovski

Take a look back at a week of video fun.

Signature Plays Opens Tonight by Olivia Clement

The Signature Theatre revisits the work of its legacy playwrights: Edward Albee, María Irene Fornés and Adrienne Kennedy.

Rent Sing-a-Long Presented Today by Andrew Gans

The concert is part of the Vulture Festival.

Playbill Vault's Today In Theatre History: May 22 by David Gewirtzman

Eyewitness 1916: 5,000 turn out for Shakespeare celebration by Len Barcousky / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A few dozen people gathered at the Shakespeare statue outside Carnegie Music Hall recently to mark the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s passing.

2Do this week, May 22-28: Cultural events around Pittsburgh by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

MONDAY

Music preview: 'Fun Home's' Michael Cerveris returns to home base for Pittsburgh CLO by Sharon Eberson / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It’s a Broadway geek’s delight, the pairing of Michael Cerveris and Seth Rudetsky in the intimate Cabaret at Theater Square.