Droll play by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Comedy may make millions, but it doesn't get much respect, awards-wise. So whenever funny people want to be taken seriously, they get serious. Nowhere is this more obvious than on Broadway t…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:58am on March 23, 2011☆⚑

'Klown' suits Leguizamo by Elisabeth Vincentelli

John Leguizamo may be only 46, but he's been through enough to fill five autobiographical solo shows -- including 1998's "Freak," 2001's "Sexaholix . . . a Love Story" and now "Ghetto Klown,…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:52am on March 23, 2011☆⚑

Tryst or treat: 'Hello' not really a turn-on by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There's such a thing as too close for comfort -- espe cially when you're sitting inches away from thrusting buttocks. And there's a lot of pelvic action in Michael John LaChiusa's "Hello …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:39pm on March 21, 2011☆⚑

Queen of B'way by Elisabeth Vincentelli

So confident is "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" in its ability to ramp up the thrills that it doesn't wait for the finale to drop the confetti " it falls a mere 30 minutes in shamelessly fe…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:46pm on March 20, 2011☆⚑

Divine 'Comedy' shakes up Shakespeare by Elisabeth Vincentelli

If you like your Shake speare genteel and stiff- upper-lipped, stay away from "The Comedy of Errors" at BAM. But if a Latin-lover cop and a nunchuk-wielding spinster delivering the Bard's…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:45pm on March 20, 2011☆⚑

The tedium is the message in tangled tale by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia" is witty, erudite and cunningly structured. David Leveaux's revival, which opened on Broadway last night, looks handsome, and its cast, including Billy Crudup and Ra…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:59pm on March 17, 2011☆⚑

This wilted 'Flower' should be scent back by Elisabeth Vincentelli

IN the right hands, old-fash ioned farce can still kill, as the 2008 revival of "Boeing-Boeing" proved. The return of "Cactus Flower" -- another French comedy from the mid-'60s, this one ada…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:40pm on March 10, 2011☆⚑

Spoof's a 'Swan' fake by Elisabeth Vincentelli

You know a movie's a bona fide phenome non when it spawns a spoof or a stage version. "Black Swan" delivers on both counts with "SWAN!!!," which the irreverent troupe QWAN (Quality Without a…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:30am on March 9, 2011☆⚑

Little method in this badness by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Method acting, famously adopted by Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift, involves actors digging deep within themselves to find their character's emotional truth. Though the technique's lost c…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:46am on March 8, 2011☆⚑

Rebound not worth a shot by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The most exciting mo ment in "That Cham pionship Season" comes when Jason Patric's character, Tom, falls down a flight of stairs. For a couple of seconds, you're involved in what's happening…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 1:09am on March 7, 2011☆⚑

A mystery man in fantasy land by Elisabeth Vincentelli

TEN-year-old Michael has been going through some changes lately. His par ents are distracted by their new baby, and they've all just moved to a ramshackle house. When Michael explores the…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:39pm on March 4, 2011☆⚑

Onstage riches from poor folks in 'People' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Gritty, tough-talking, blue- collar characters are hardly a rarity onstage. But most of the time their low cash balance is part of the background: It provides color and gives set designers a…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:19pm on March 3, 2011☆⚑

Captivating boxing drama a ringside feat by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Boxing moves are often compared to ballet. "Beautiful Burnout" -- a high-octane show set in a boxing gym -- takes this analogy literally. The training and bouts explode on the elevated ring-…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:25pm on March 2, 2011☆⚑

An entertaining way to get Bard by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Let's face it: You don't go to "Timon of Ath ens" expecting much -- if you go at all. Widely assumed to be co-written by Shakespeare and fellow playwright Thomas Middleton, this uneven tr…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:45am on March 2, 2011☆⚑

Location, location, location: enter 'Hallway' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Shared space plays a big part in Adam Rapp's new "Hall way Trilogy." It even extends to the Rattlestick Theatre itself, where the stage now runs along the entire side of the house. Hallways …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:19am on February 25, 2011☆⚑

French Quarter tale only half-good by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Tennessee Williams would have turned 100 on March 26, and the past months have been jammed with revivals. Except we're not seeing his hits but late-period curios like "The Milk Train Doesn't…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:49am on February 23, 2011☆⚑

Get a rush from star's insanely good turn by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There are star vehicles, and then there's "The Diary of a Madman," which is like a gold-plated, diamond-encrusted Ferrari for Geoffrey Rush. And the Australian actor -- a leading contende…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:30am on February 18, 2011☆⚑

Staged Q&A session is a Gray area by Elisabeth Vincentelli

In the early '80s, the late mono loguist Spalding Gray created a show called "Interviewing the Audience" in which he did just that. He brought random theatergoers onstage and got them to ope…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:26pm on February 10, 2011☆⚑

WASP-y 'Black Tie' doesn't have much sting by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The prolific A.R. Gurney has made a specialty of docu menting a certain slice of America: Northeast-based, white, middle-class families bound by a strong sense of kinship and precisely delin…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:56pm on February 8, 2011☆⚑

Can 'Spidey' fly by Elisabeth Vincentelli

EDITOR'S NOTE: After nearly 70 previews and five delayed openings, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" has moved its official opening to March 15. Given the flurry of celebrity endorsements and …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:30pm on February 7, 2011☆⚑

Apartheid tale a vital revival by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Although Encores! productions such as "Gypsy," "Chicago" and "Finian's Rainbow" have made it to Broadway, fans of the long-running City Center series know such transfers are beside the point…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:13pm on February 4, 2011☆⚑

Civil War-era drama goes out on a limb by Elisabeth Vincentelli

An early scene in the new off- Broadway play "The Whip ping Man" demonstrates the devastating power of words. We're in April 1865 and the war has just ended. A young Confederate soldier, …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:48am on February 2, 2011☆⚑

Pain brings limited gain by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Doug is a living night mare for health- insurance companies: He's more than accident-prone -- he's a lightning rod for calamities. In Rajiv Joseph's uneven play "Gruesome Playground Injur…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:00pm on February 1, 2011☆⚑

It doesn't milk Williams' work for all it's worth by Elisabeth Vincentelli

While Tennessee Williams is acknowledged as a master, his later plays are theater's answer to the madwoman in the attic: Producers and directors either ignore them entirely, or tread gingerl…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:48pm on January 30, 2011☆⚑

Tabloid tycoon's tale back by popular demand by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The key character in "What the Public Wants" is a driven media tycoon who reaches millions via dozens of publications. Through them, he seeks to entertain the many and influence the mighty. …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:55pm on January 27, 2011☆⚑