Saturday, October 25, 2025

“On the Sunny Side of the Street”: A Cavalcade of Variety by Alix Cohen

The New York Cabaret Convention Third NightHost K.T. Sullivan, Artistic Director -The Mabel Mercer Foundation By Alix Cohen Opening tonight’s show, Mardie Millit and Michael Garin ebullien…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:39AM
Friday, October 24, 2025

“I’ve Heard That Song Before”- The Music of Jule Styne by Alix Cohen

The New York Cabaret Convention – Second NightHosts Klea Blackhurst and Billy Stritch By Alix Cohen Jule Styne (Julius Kerwin Stein 1905-1994) was a British American songwriter who contrib…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 03:49PM

“The Best is Yet to Come: A Celebration of Cy Coleman” by Alix Cohen

OPENING NIGHT- The 36th New York Cabaret Convention By Alix Cohen Weeeeeeere back! Under the aegis of the venerable Mabel Mercer Foundation, the cabaret community gathered once again to supp…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:45AM
Wednesday, October 22, 2025

“Art of Leaving”: Better Left Alone by Ron Fassler

Review by Samuel L. Leiter . . . Art of Leaving is the unpropitious title of an amateurish new domestic comedy by Anne Marilyn Lucas, whose cardboard dialogue and plywood acting had me pond…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:56PM
Monday, October 20, 2025

“Bull Durham The Musical” Swings and Misses by Eyal Solomon

By Adam Cohen... "Bull Durham The Musical" gets close but lacks the double romantic poetry necessary to drive both romances for the grand slam the creators want. The post “Bull Durham The…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:03PM

Klea Blackhurst & Billy Stritch “Dreaming of A Song: The Music of Hoagy Carmichael” by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Friends Klea Blackhurst and Billy Stritch go back a looong time. At the urging of uber-fan, the late Barry Day, they developed a Hoagy Carmichael show, repeatedly performing, t…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 05:29PM

The Immersive André De Shields is Tartuffe Offers a Delightful and Unique Evening by Melissa Griegel

By Melissa Griegel… Photos by Joan Marcus One of the most unique and entertaining theater offerings this season is André De Shields is Tartuffe. Running at the House of the Redeemer (7 Ea…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 04:39PM

“Triplicity”- Uniquely Captivating by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen If work by Talking Band has escaped your radar, Triplicity is an opportunity to rectify its notable absence. The genre-defying collaboration, “in the place where speech and m…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:04AM
Sunday, October 19, 2025

Ari’el Stachel’s “Other” Mesmerizes by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . The 34-year-old Ari’el Stachel is blessed with charm for days. Anyone who saw his Tony Award-winning performance in The Band’s Visit were enchanted by his i…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:07PM

“Awake and Sing” – A Call to Action by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen In 1935, New York Times reviewer Brooks Atkinson found Awake and Sing! a story of “noisy, lunging humanity” he felt was weighted by character development, but promising. Se…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:30PM
Saturday, October 18, 2025

“Art”- The Emperor’s New Clothes? by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen “We’re not selling objects—we’re selling ideas, emotions, and the aura of cultural relevance.” Larry Gagosian (Gagosian Gallery) Serge (Neil Patrick Harris), a succes…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:33AM
Friday, October 17, 2025

Watch Out World, Here She Comes! Ava Nicole Frances Performs at The Laurie Beechman Theatre by Melissa Griegel

By Melissa Griegel… Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography www.melissagriegel.zenfolio.com Ava Nicole Frances is taking the cabaret world by storm. She began showcasing her vocal talents pr…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:43AM
Thursday, October 16, 2025

“Ragtime” Meets the Moment in a Thrilling Revival by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . Eleven months ago, the City Center Annual Gala Presentation of Ragtime, minimally staged by director Lear DeBessonet, received excellent reviews (mine among t…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:59PM

Limón Dance Company by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Chaconne (1942- José Limón) is inspired by a dance originating in Mexico during the Spanish occupation. On stage are dancers from the current company, older alumni, La Guardi…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:07AM
Wednesday, October 15, 2025

LEITER LOOKS AT BOOKS: “CAREFULLY TAUGHT: AMERICAN HISTORY THROUGH BROADWAY MUSICALS” by Eyal Solomon

By Samuel L. Leiter... Casual notes on show biz books, memoirs, and studies, dust gatherers and hot-off-the presses. The post LEITER LOOKS AT BOOKS: “CAREFULLY TAUGHT: AMERICAN HISTORY THR…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 12:04PM

“Let’s Love!” – A Dramedy About Connection by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen With Let’s Love! Ethan Coen gives us a contemporary La Ronde, the French anthology film directed by Max Ophüls. Seemingly disparate chapters on sex/love/attachment unexpecte…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:06AM
Tuesday, October 14, 2025

“Gwyneth Goes Skiing” Navigates A Slippery Slope by Ron Fassler

By Alex Eichholz . . . ​For a show that opens with the line “Prepare to be GOOPED!”, I was neither gooped nor gagged by Gwyneth Goes Skiing, which opened tonight at SoHo Playhous…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:10PM

Louis Rosen CD: “American Sunset”- A Thinking Man’s Cri de Coeur by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen American Sunset is a concept album written between Election Day November 5, 2024, and Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025. Liquor and drug consumption increased, sleep became el…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 12:08PM
Sunday, October 12, 2025

Happenstance Theater presents “Dreadful Episodes”- A Peculiar Delight by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Inspired by the illustrations of Edward Gorey, Victorian reverie, ill-fated romance, calamitous croquet, and the dangers of windy cliffs. “The world is full of people who are…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 12:11PM
Friday, October 10, 2025

“On the Wheels of a Dream” by Alix Cohen

The American Songbook Gala Celebrating Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty By Alix Cohen Lynn Ahrens was working as a copywriter when invited to write a song for children’s television. A bu…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 02:49PM

Bedlam presents “Are the Bennet Girls Ok?” – Expect the Unexpected by Alix Cohen

A Contemporary Feminist Look at Pride and Prejudice By Alix Cohen “Oh my God, everyone here sucks!” exclaims Kitty Bennet, bored at a Ball. (Violeta Picayo) ‘Decidedly not the familiar…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 02:12PM

A long-Awaited “Waiting For Godot” Arrives on Broadway by Eyal Solomon

Review by Carol Rocamora... Director Jamie Lloyd gives us a daring version of Beckett's classic The post A long-Awaited “Waiting For Godot” Arrives on Broadway appeared first on Theate…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:15PM
Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Dylan Mulvaney Shares Her Life in Story and Song in “The Least Problematic Woman in the World” by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . It is with only a fleeting awareness of her media persona that I attended The Least Problematic Woman in the World, Dylan Mulvaney’s solo autobiographical pla…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:50AM
Tuesday, October 7, 2025

This Is Not a Drill — When it Takes a Vacation Bomb Scare to Make You Realize Life is Precious by Jk Clarke

In January 2018, people across Hawaii received an alert that a ballistic missile was headed for them . . . The musical, This Is Not a Drill examines how that moment affected the lives of sev…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 04:43AM
Sunday, October 5, 2025

“The Bliss Option” -Every day the choice is yours by Alix Cohen

A Panacea for the Floundering By Alix Cohen The near? future. Population growth is bleeding earth’s resources. With AI rampant, employment is an issue. People haven’t been coping well fo…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:08PM

“Torera” – Rights of Passage of a Woman Bullfighter by Alix Cohen

A Study of Self Realization By Alix Cohen Bullfighting in Mexico, corrida de toros, was introduced during the colonial era by Spanish settlers and evolved into a national tradition. For cent…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:38AM
Friday, October 3, 2025

“The Honey Trap”- Revenge is Not Easy—A Terrific Production by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Belfast today: American oral historian Emily (Molly Ranson) is interviewing middle-aged Dave (Michael Hayden) about the assassination of a friend and fellow soldier that occurr…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 12:21PM

“Lost and Found” – Deft by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Every play does not have to be life changing. A One-Act with limited production budget can offer as much value as theater with publicity and stars. Lost and Found is a small, t…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:59AM
Thursday, October 2, 2025

“This Much I Know”-Our Puzzling Minds – Whip Smart and Beautifully Produced by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Reasoning and logic are the backbone of clear thinking and decision-making. Drawing conclusions from evidence and deductive reasoning have all but been jettisoned in the curren…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:53AM
Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Cabaret is Alive and Well in Morristown, NJ by Melissa Griegel

By Melissa Griegel… Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography www.griegelphoto.zenfolio.com The Thorne Mansion in Morristown, NJ was alive with music on Sunday, September 28th, 2025 with the s…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:09PM
Tuesday, September 30, 2025

MCC Theater Scores with “Caroline” by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . When the lights go up on Preston Max Allen’s new play Caroline, which opened tonight at off-Broadway’s MCC Theater, we see a 28-year-old mother (Chloë Grace…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:53PM

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