Tuesday, March 7, 2023

The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window - When Dreams Die by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander There's a line in the 1939 film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" about lost causes being the only ones worth fighting for. This also proves to be the ultimate truth …

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 07:13PM
Sunday, February 12, 2023

Some Like It Hot- A Rollicking Good Time by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander The classic 1959 film "Some Like It Hot" gets the Broadway treatment and comes out running on pretty much all cylinders. Thanks in no small part to an excellent sc…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 09:18AM
Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Heaven – What Does It Mean To You? by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander  When it comes to Eugene O’Brien’s drama Heaven, the story begins and ends with the play’s final line. Presented by Fishamble, this intriguing work about p…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 07:22PM
Sunday, December 25, 2022

A Child's Christmas in Wales - The Power of Memories by Judd Hollander

Review by Judd Hollander Vivid recollections of a time long ago often strike a poignant note. Especially to those who never experienced them but wish so much that they could. Such a case i…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 04:12AM
Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Nothing But Thunder - Gods Behaving Badly by Byrne Harrison

Review by Byrne HarrisonPhoto credit: Duncan Pflaster Photography and Graphic Design Dionysus.  God of theatre and wine.  Son of Zeus.  A man who can drive women to the heights of ecstasy…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 01:43AM
Monday, June 13, 2022

Belfast Girls - Hope, Hypocrisy and Grim Reality by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander In the late 1840's the colonial government of Ireland, in the face of a severe famine and resulting economic crisis, came up with the Orphan Emigration Scheme. Cap…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 09:12PM
Saturday, November 27, 2021

The Lehman Trilogy - A complex tale made breathtakingly clear by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Told in what can best be described as a continual stream of consciousness, the Broadway play The Lehman Trilogy recounts the rise and fall of what would become a g…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 08:03PM
Saturday, November 28, 2020

"Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon" - An Enlightening Journey Into Darkness by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander In the closing narration of the classic Twilight Zone television episode "Where is Everybody?" series creator Rod Serling talks about isolation, the barrier of lo…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 07:06PM
Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Book Review: The Understudy by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd HollanderIf you're looking for a complicated dissertation on what it takes to be an actor, then The Understudy, a novel by Ellen Tovatt Leary, is not for you. Though if you …

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 02:42PM
Friday, March 20, 2020

The Woman in Black - Where Innocence Meets The Unexplainable by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander (Originally scheduled to run through April 19th, The Woman in Black, as well as all other live performances at the McKittrick Hotel have been suspended until fu…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 02:12AM
Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Dana H - Portrait of A Real-Life Nightmare by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Playwright Lucas Hnath unveils a very personal tale which examines one of humankind's deepest fears. Being held captive by another person while you pray for your…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 12:48AM
Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice - Trying Too Hard To Be What One Is Not by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Such is the message of the new musical Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice. Presented by The New Group at …

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 12:24AM
Sunday, February 23, 2020

Mack & Mabel - The Perennial Bridesmaid by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Watching Douglas Sills sing “Movies Were Movies”, the opening number in the recent Encores! production of the 1974 Broadway musical Mack & Mabel, one can …

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 04:54PM
Saturday, February 15, 2020

Medea - Hell Still Hath No Fury... by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Director Simon Stone has staged his new adaptation of Euripides' classic revenge story Medea, now at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, on a white background. Bob …

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 02:03AM
Friday, February 7, 2020

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake - Finding The Freedom To Be Yourself by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander One of the basic tenets of people everywhere is the need to express who they are inside. This is the underlying principle beautifully expressed in the absolutel…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 02:54AM
Monday, January 6, 2020

Judgment Day - The Degrees of Responsibility by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander The idea that every person is responsible for their own actions is a basic tenet in most societies. However, when those actions are called into question, uncoveri…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 10:06PM
Friday, January 3, 2020

Greater Clements - Starting Over Is Not For Everyone by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Just about everybody has wished for a second chance at least once in their lives. The opportunity to undo a certain decision, change the direction of one's life o…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 12:06PM
Wednesday, December 11, 2019

The Gospel of John - An Enlightening Tale, Masterfully Told by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander The key to telling a story, no matter how old it may be, is the ability of the one doing the telling to imbue it with passion from the here and now. A particular…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 10:18PM
Saturday, November 23, 2019

Slava Snowshow - A Wonderful World to Visit by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Clowns exist in their own pocket universe. A point from which they can project everything from a childlike innocence to a bit of misguided whimsy, a can-do attit…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 04:18PM
Friday, November 8, 2019

Big Apple Circus - Thrills and Fun for All! by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander The most important element of any circus is the ability to instill feelings of joy and amazement in its audience. Something Big Apple Circus, now beginning its 4…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 08:48PM
Sunday, October 27, 2019

Slave Play - An Attempt At Understanding by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander One of the most important aspects in a committed relationship is one partner’s willingness to help satisfy the emotional needs of the other. Even if those need…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 06:12PM
Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Caesar and Cleopatra - More Intellectual Than Gripping by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Who would have thought Julius Caesar would be turn out to be a moderate sort? At least that’s how he appears in George Bernard Shaw’s seldom-seen comedy, Ca…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 10:48PM
Thursday, September 5, 2019

Tech Support - When Life Is What You Make It by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Who among us hasn't at one point longed for a break from hi-speed technology and a return to a time when things were simpler? This is the starting point for Debra…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 11:42PM
Monday, August 19, 2019

Moulin Rouge! The Musical - Where Love Triumphs by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Love and passion collide with loyalty and responsibility in Moulin Rouge! A stirring powerhouse of a Broadway musical at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. It's 1899 a…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 05:06AM
Monday, June 3, 2019

Happy Talk - Portrait of an Unhappy Narcissist by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander When one continually projects a sunny disposition, no matter the circumstances, it’s possible the person in question is trying to hide some deep personal pain.…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 08:12AM
Sunday, May 19, 2019

High Button Shoes - Not Reaching Nearly High Enough by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Pretty much relegated to the dustbin of history, the Broadway musical High Button Shoes is mainly remembered by theatre lovers and historians for its “Bathin…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 03:06PM
Sunday, May 12, 2019

Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus - A Missed Opportunity by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander No one involved in the theatre sets out to present a bad play; producers Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom notwithstanding. However sometimes one gets so enamored of …

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 12:24AM
Sunday, May 5, 2019

Lady in the Dark - An Enlightening Journey by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander The one thing most people will tell you when it comes to dreams is that they often don't make sense. Either literally or chronologically. Different people from v…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 04:06PM
Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Nantucket Sleigh Ride - A Few Bumps In The Road by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Barely remembered images from childhood collide with recollections others simply don't want to revisit in John Guare's Nantucket Sleigh Ride. The show offering a…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 01:18AM
Saturday, April 13, 2019

Do You Feel Anger? - The Dangers of Running with the Herd by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Trying to see things from another's point of view can be an admirable trait. But when one sacrifices their own principles in the process, even if they believe it…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 09:03PM
Wednesday, March 13, 2019

The B-Side: "Negro Folklore From Texas State Prisons," A Record Album Interpretation - Where messages can be found between the lines by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander People of a certain age may recall the joy of going through dusty bins of vinyl recordings at a record store or flea market and seeing one that unexpectedly caug…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 07:46PM

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