Saturday, September 8, 2012
It only takes a quick Google search to find out how many Baltimore Ravens players have been arrested over the past decade. Here's a partial rap sheet: driving under the influence, assaulting…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 01:10PMMonday, September 3, 2012
Tribes, at the Barrow Street Theatre off-BroadwayGratuitous Violins rating: ***1/2 out of ****I love just about everything about Nina Raine's play Tribes, even the title.It made me think how…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 11:40AMSaturday, August 25, 2012
One Man, Two Guvnors, at Broadway's Music Box TheatreGratuitous Violins rating: **** out of ****I always say it's easy to make me cry, harder to make me laugh.I've been to a few shows where …
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 12:40PMSunday, August 19, 2012
Harvey, at Studio 54 on BroadwayGratuitous Violins rating: **1/2 out of ****Even though it closed earlier this month, I just want to say a few things about the Broadway revival of Harvey sta…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 09:00PMThursday, August 16, 2012
Into the Woods, at the Delacorte Theater in Central ParkGratuitous Violins rating: ***1/2 out of ****For me Into the Woods was more than a show, it was a practically 24-hour experience that …
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 12:20PMSunday, August 12, 2012
Watching Married and Counting made me sorry that Stephen Mosher and Pat Dwyer have completed their wedding tour because I would love to have been a part of it. But I'm glad that I got to joi…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 11:30AMWednesday, August 8, 2012
A dear friend died this week. Saundra Smokes and I worked together for 11 years at the Syracuse Herald-Journal, where she was then a columnist and editorial writer. Sandi was a compelling vo…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 08:40PMSunday, August 5, 2012
Uncle VanyaSydney Theatre Company at Lincoln Center FestivalGratuitous Violins rating: *** out of ****Before Uncle Vanya, I didn't think you could go into a play too cold - at least one that…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 11:10PMMonday, July 2, 2012
Theatre companies love me - they call, they write all the time. I know it's because they miss me and they really, really want to see me again but some of the lines they use to lure me back a…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 10:30AMThursday, June 28, 2012
I'm not surprised that the haters came out in force when Oreo posted a picture on its Facebook page of a rainbow-themed cookie to celebrate Gay Pride Month. (Sadly it's only an illustration,…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 01:20PMTuesday, June 26, 2012
Clearly, Kirsten Greenidge would like a better calibre of people to come see her plays. You know, the kind who appreciate her talent and would give her the adulation she deserves. At least t…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 02:30PMMonday, June 11, 2012
Watching the Tony Awards last night made me so happy that I braved a storm to see The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess before it came to Broadway, that Trinity Rep snagged Clybourne Park for a 30…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 12:48PMWednesday, June 6, 2012
The Tony Awards are Sunday night at 8 on CBS, hosted once again by the charming Neil Patrick Harris!Here are the nominees in (most of) the categories and my picks if I had a vote. I've marke…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 12:03PMMonday, June 4, 2012
The Best Man, at Broadway's Schoenfeld TheatreGratuitous Violins rating: **** out of ****Usually I know way too much about a show going in, so I'm glad I restrained myself with The Best Man …
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 10:32AMTuesday, May 29, 2012
I always said I'd never get an e-reader. I like the feel of paper in my hands. I spend enough time staring at computer screens as it is. Plus, browsing in bookstores and buying books is one …
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 07:20PMFriday, May 25, 2012
Woody Sez, at the American Repertory TheaterGratuitous Violins rating: ***1/2 out of ****My introduction to Woody Guthrie came in elementary school. We took a class trip to the symphony and …
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 10:00AMSunday, May 20, 2012
Peter and the Starcatcher, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson TheatreGratuitous Violins rating: ***1/2 out of ****Sure, I like plays that weigh in on serious subjects. But every once in awhile, i…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 06:11PMMonday, May 14, 2012
End of the Rainbow, at Broadway's Belasco TheatreGratuitous Violins rating: ** out of ****I'm old enough to remember when The Wizard of Oz was a highly anticipated television event. Before V…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 10:51AMSaturday, May 12, 2012
Evita, at the Marquis TheatreGratuitous Violins rating: *** out of ****Years ago, someone loaned me a VHS copy of Evita - yes, it was that long ago - and I loved it. The story was fascinati…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 10:20PMWednesday, May 9, 2012
President Obama finally had his "We Shall Overcome" moment today when he endorsed the right of gay and lesbian Americans to marry the person they love.Congratulations, Mr. President. It's ab…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 08:25PMWednesday, May 2, 2012
Newsies, at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre Gratuitous Violins rating: ***1/2 out of ****A plucky girl reporter and a story ripped from the pages of the history books. If the musical the…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 08:45PMThursday, April 26, 2012
Once, at Broadway's Jacobs TheatreGratuitous Violins rating: **** out of ****One of the reasons I love going to the theatre is that it gives me a chance to keep the outside world at bay. It'…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 01:57PMTuesday, April 24, 2012
Death of a Salesman, at Broadway's Barrymore TheatreGratuitous Violins rating: **** out of ****I read the play in high school and a few years ago I watched a production taped for TV but unti…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 10:30AMMonday, March 19, 2012
I saw "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs" in October and I had my doubts about how much of it was true as I was sitting in my seat at the Public Theater in New York. (Which I noted in …
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 07:00PMThursday, December 22, 2011
This year, it's easy to pick my favorite theatre. Tony Kushner's Angels in America, at the Signature Theatre, and Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart, on Broadway, stood far above anything else …
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 11:00AMSaturday, December 17, 2011
Follies, at Broadway's Marquis TheatreGratuitous Violins rating: **** out of ****Because my opportunities to get to New York City are limited, I almost skipped the Broadway revival of Follie…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 12:30PMWednesday, November 23, 2011
Sons of the Prophet, at the Roundabout Theatre Company,Laura Pels TheatreGratuitous Violins rating: ***1/2 out of ****Sometimes a play connects with me for the way it depicts a slice of life…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 11:15PMMonday, November 21, 2011
Asuncion, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre off BroadwayGratuitous Violins rating: ** out of ****I think Jesse Eisenberg intended his play Asuncion to be about the clash of cultures: what hap…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 05:15PMWednesday, November 9, 2011
Good riddance to Brett Ratner and if Eddie Murphy wants to follow him, that's fine. The dignity of my gay friends is more important than allowing Ratner to produce the Oscars in the wake of …
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 08:15PMFriday, November 4, 2011
Other Desert Cities, at Broadway's Booth TheatreGratuitous Violins rating: ***1/2 out of ****I've been hooked on a few nighttime soap operas over the years, most notably Dallas and Falcon Cr…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 01:15PMTuesday, November 1, 2011
Chinglish, at Broadway's Longacre TheatreGratuitous Violins rating: *** out of ****During the year I lived in Israel, my halting attempts to speak Hebrew resulted in lots of linguistic misad…
SOURCE: Gratuitous Violins at 10:20AM 
