David Ives trips with repetitive comedy 'The Heir Apparent' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

They say comedy is hard, but if the actors are sweating, maybe it's just too hard. The new farce "The Heir Apparent" strains so much to be funny, it's exhausting...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 4:34am on April 10, 2014☆⚑

We deserve a sharper satire from 'The Most Deserving' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Culture wars in the heartland are a big neon target, but "The Most Deserving" isn't sure where to aim, or how. So playwright Catherine Trieschmann covers all the bases: slapstick,...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 5:02am on April 9, 2014☆⚑

Greta Gerwig replaces Maggie Gyllenhaal in 'The Village Bike' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Back in February Maggie Gyllenhaal announced she would star in this fall's Broadway revival of "The Real Thing" opposite Ewan McGregor. Great for Gyllenhaal, not so great for MCC: The...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 5:38pm on April 8, 2014☆⚑

Defanged 'Threepenny Opera' loses original satirical bite by Elisabeth Vincentelli

For a show about whores, beggars and thieves, this new revival of "The Threepenny Opera" is amazingly clean-cut. Oh sure, there's a bit of tasteful nudity and a touch of...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 5:03am on April 8, 2014☆⚑

Eno packs powerhouse quartet in 'The Realistic Joneses' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

What powerhouse playwright could possibly lure Toni Collette, Marisa Tomei, Michael C. Hall and Tracy Letts into a show? Tennessee Williams, maybe, or Arthur Miller. Try Will Eno. Until now,…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:49pm on April 6, 2014☆⚑

Washington leads spirited cast in 'A Raisin in the Sun' revival by Elisabeth Vincentelli

'A Raisin in the Sun" endures for good reason. Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 play " the first by a black woman on Broadway " features several meaty roles and enough dramatic...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 5:55am on April 4, 2014☆⚑

This 'Happy Fella' is a charming crowd-pleaser by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Fans of glorious singing should hustle to City Center, where the intoxicating Encores! revival of "The Most Happy Fella" runs through Sunday. After landing a hit with "Guys and Dolls,"...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 4:10pm on April 3, 2014☆⚑

'Heathers' still cliques in musical re-imagining by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Forget those big-budget, starry adaptations of beloved movies. If you want to relive a cult flick, head over to the ingenious, very funny "Heathers: The Musical," which pulls off wonders...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:21pm on March 31, 2014☆⚑

Idina Menzel carries new Broadway musical 'If/Then' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

New Broadway musical "If/Then" would be DOA without Idina Menzel. The star holds this ambitious but unwieldy show together. Actually, she does more than that: She gathers a bunch of messy…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:00pm on March 30, 2014☆⚑

Into the breach once more " alas, with a lesser 'Lear' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

“King Lear" is the Everest of plays: It's big, it's daunting and a lot of people try to climb it. Frank Langella just did it in January, John Lithgow tackles...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:14pm on March 27, 2014☆⚑

Not everything tastes better with 'Hellman' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It sounds nuts, kids, but once upon a time serious writers appeared on talk shows, and their feuds were national news. One of those legendary disputes inspired the new play...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:00pm on March 26, 2014☆⚑

Terrific performances, speedy pace lift 'Les Misérables' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Critics of "Les Misérables" call it bombastic. So what? Bitching that "Les Miz" is overwrought is like complaining a Dalmatian has too many spots: It's the nature of the beast....

SOURCE: The New York Post at 5:37am on March 24, 2014☆⚑

'Aladdin' musical doesn't quite seem like a Disney hit by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Disney's new "Aladdin" doesn't quite catch lightning in a bottle " but it lets a pretty nifty genie out of a lamp. That would be James Monroe Iglehart, in the...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:09pm on March 20, 2014☆⚑

Nina Arianda returns to the stage in 'Tales From Red Vienna' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Nina Arianda's career went from zero to 60 in 10 seconds flat " with a Tony nod for her Broadway debut in 2011's "Born Yesterday" followed the next year by...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:01pm on March 18, 2014☆⚑

Old family feuds float up to the surface in 'Appropriate' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Just because a story is familiar doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. So while there's very little that's fresh in "Appropriate," the show's still a fun ride. Hailed as a...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 5:45am on March 17, 2014☆⚑

'Rocky' musical scores an unexpected knockout by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Something electric happens at the end of "Rocky" that gets theatergoers on their feet and writers scuttling for exclamation points: A boxing ring descends from the rafters, then glides into.…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:00pm on March 13, 2014☆⚑

Boyer's berserk performance is divine in 'Hand to God' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

'Hand to God" boasts the kind of berserk, star-making performance you have to see to believe. Make that two performances " both by the same actor, Steven Boyer. In Robert...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:13pm on March 10, 2014☆⚑

im Brochu pays tribute to a special breed in 'Character Man' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Jim Brochu made his off-Broadway debut back in 1968 and has worked steadily ever since. Never heard of him? No wonder: He's what's known as a "character man" " someone whose qu…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 5:17am on March 10, 2014☆⚑

Bryan Cranston looms large as LBJ in 'All The Way' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Walter White, the drug-dealing anti-hero of "Breaking Bad," was a fantastic gift to Bryan Cranston " it led to a memorable performance, a Golden Globe and three Emmys. But the...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 12:00am on March 7, 2014☆⚑

Emma Thompson shows off singing chops in 'Sweeney Todd' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Yes, she can sing. For her New York stage debut, Emma Thompson is aiming high: She's taking on the amoral Mrs. Lovett in Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 8:26am on March 6, 2014☆⚑

A family feuds in 'The Open House' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Some consider Will Eno the Beckett of American suburbia. Others find him simply maddening. From "Thom Pain (based on nothing)" to "Title and Deed," the playwright's deadpan tone, lack of...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:23pm on March 5, 2014☆⚑

Hudes' Iraqi vet trilogy ends with 'Happiest Song' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

“The Happiest Song Plays Last" is the kind of show in which people who look otherwise reasonable make big head-scratching decisions. And they don't even seem to have consequences. "Hap…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 4:34am on March 4, 2014☆⚑

Sarah Ruhl delivers a brilliant comedy with 'Stage Kiss' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Who are you and what have you done with Sarah Ruhl? Ruhl's built a sterling reputation " Pulitzer and Tony nominations, a MacArthur "genius grant" " with works invariably described...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 5:46am on March 3, 2014☆⚑

Jonathan Hadary shines in Paddy Chayefsky's 'Middle of the Night' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

"I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!" Pulled from Peter Finch's epic rant in 1974's "Network," this may be the single most famous line...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 1:29pm on March 2, 2014☆⚑

Carrie Cracknell's 'A Doll's House' restores Ibsen's power by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It takes only minutes for this outstanding production of "A Doll's House" to grab you " and that's before a word of Ibsen's 1879 classic about an increasingly desperate housewife...

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:27pm on February 27, 2014☆⚑