1,791 stories by "ELISABETH VINCENTELLI"
Shakespeare’s "Much Ado About Nothing" is the original romantic comedy " its leads are very vocal about how much they can't stand each other. In other words, they're destined to...
A couple of years ago, Ayad Akhtar won the Pulitzer Prize for "Disgraced" " which is headed to Broadway this fall, with "How I Met Your Mother" star Josh Radnor....
The new musical "Fly by Night" is off-Broadway's answer to "The Fault in Our Stars" " earnest, enthusiastic and possibly requiring a tissue or two by the end. Romance doesn't...
In a shocker of an opening scene, Daniel takes a large knife from the kitchen and prepares to slice off his ear. Blackout. It's a heart-stopping way to begin a...
Greta Gerwig could have found a much easier vehicle than "The Village Bike." But no, the blond star of "Frances Ha" and other indie films picked a doozy of a...
Mary Bridget Davies Stars as: Janis Joplin in "A Night with Janis Joplin" "I based my dressing room on [photos from Janis' life]: tapestries, candles, 1930s lamps, two of my...
Two epically awkward dates make a satisfying finale to the off-Broadway comedy "When January Feels Like Summer" " they're a long time coming, though. Playwright Cori Thomas enjoys her charac…
For his New York stage debut, Kenneth Branagh could have gotten away with anything. A solo reading of takeout menus? It's a hit! Instead, the Shakespeare expert brought over a...
Forget about California Chrome and the Triple Crown: For many New Yorkers, the handicapping race this week is all about the Tonys. Ahead of Sunday's telecast, we balance out who...
Back in the day, Broadway songs often became million-selling hits that wormed their way into America's subconsciousness (remember "Tonight," from "West Side Story"?) Now this happens only wi…
Either Jim Dale has led an uneventful life, or he's keeping the juicy stuff to himself. Either way, his new autobiographical show, "Just Jim Dale," is easygoing but not especially...
You’d expect Michael Shannon to play the title role in "The Killer." Broody and intense, he's best known for tortured, often villainous characters " think General Zod in "Man of...
Once in a blue moon comes a show so laughably bad, it's almost enjoyable " almost. Enter "The Anthem." Loosely based on Ayn Rand's 1938 sci-fi novella "Anthem," this inept...
There are no costumed dudes battling evil in "American Hero" " just subs and hoagies. Though, come to think of it, the three leads in Bess Wohl's bittersweet, terrifically acted...
Once the temperature rises, the entire city becomes Shakespeare Central. The Bard is as inevitable as a superhero movie on Memorial Day weekend " and most of the productions are...
If the Amish are famous for their beards and buggies, the Shakers are reputed for their elegant, minimalist furniture. But that second religious group " its formal name is the...
Trucking is a great subject for a play " "breaker breaker," colorful personalities, the lure of the road and all that. Yet "The Few" is strangely uninvolving, its intriguing potential...
Encores! has presented plenty of odd ducks in the past two decades, but it's still hard to beat "Irma la Douce" and its ballet for bearded penguins. Marguerite Monnot's delightful...
Alfred Hitchcock is the only director who's also a pop-culture icon " recent dueling biopics starred Anthony Hopkins and Toby Jones. Now it's Martin Miller's turn to portray the jowly...
The subject of the new comedy "Under My Skin" is very "now": The sucky unfairness of health insurance. But the show's cornball style is stuck in the '80s or '90s...
Politics can get pretty nasty " especially when family members pull for different parties. In "The City of Conversation," Hester Ferris finds that out the hard way. As played by...
If you thought Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" was a provocative poke at race relations, wait till you see off-Broadway's "An Octoroon." A black actor puts on whiteface to play a...
Edgar Allan Poe is famous for his gothic tales, but his own life was mysterious, too. Or rather his own death: In October 1849 he disappeared while on a trip...
An electrifying new show's in town, starring the little dude from the "Harry Potter" movies. No, it's not "The Cripple of Inishmaan" with Daniel Radcliffe, but "Peddling" with Harry Melling.…
We know that saying "it's an honor just to be nominated" is a way to make you feel better when you lose the actual prize. But in a Broadway season...
