285 stories by "Elyse Trevers"
In Sophocles' classic play, Oedipus tries to circumvent the fate the gods have ordained for him. He will kill his father and marry his mother. Tragically, he can't because he has already ful…
The musical Chess premiered in London in 1986 and then on Broadway two years later. Despite its gorgeous score with music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (of ABBA) and Tim R…
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) He's the son of the groom he has never met. She's the sister of the much-younger bride. Together they are the main characters in Two Strangers (C…
Picture a small blonde tornado " bursting with energy and dressed in hot pink wearing high heels. That's Kristen Chenoweth portraying the real-life Jackie Siegel in The Queen of Versailles. …
With only two main characters and a beige couch, Little Bear Ridge Road, a new play by Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale and FX's Emmy Award winning show Baskets) depends entirely on language, scr…
This Fall theater season presented two productions dealing with Archduke Ferdinand. At the end of Ragtime, he is assassinated, setting off the war to end all wars. More recently, I saw Archd…
In his 1975 novel Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow offers a panorama of Americana. He uses real-life personalities, including magician Harry Houdini, radical militant Emma Goldman, starlet Evelyn Nesb…
Is it Gah-Doh or GOD-dot? That was my first question upon receiving the invitation to see the revival of Samuel Becket's classic play, "Waiting for Godot." Director Jamie Llloyd opted for th…
Hispanics comprise about 20.0% of the total U.S. making up the largest ethnic minority in the US. Yet, in the new drama "The Other Americans" written by John Leguizamo playing at The Public …
My friend's daughter had a 10 year old named Serena with long curly hair who wore frilly dresses like her older sister. One day she showed up at school with short hair and wearing overalls a…
Years ago the fictional TV journalist Murphy Brown (played by Candy Bergen) showed her contempt for pretentious modern art lovers by sneaking a picture drawn by her toddler onto the wall of …
Rishi Varma, playwright of the new Off-Broadway show "Sulfur Bottom" has an important message to deliver to his viewers. Factories that promised to bring jobs and prosperity to communities a…
What makes you laugh? For me, it's often recognizing a familiar situation that ends with a surprise twist. I wasn't familiar with the work of comedian Jeff Ross, except that he's called "The…
According to magician Jamie Allan in Amaze Magic, New York, his transplanted show from London's West End, there are two types of people when it comes to magic -dreamers and skeptics. I am a …
Four men gather in a small Irish pub. One is the young owner and the other three are regulars with a long history together. Jack (an impressive Dan Butler) regrets choices he made as a young…
JOY A New True Musical The story of Joy Mangano, a single mom from Long Island who through her tenacity and ingenuity, becomes a millionaire, is inspirational. She created household products…
Rolling Thunder :A Rock Journey How do you describe the horrors of war to an audience through the music of its time? Australian journalist and writer Bryce Hallett undertook the difficult ta…
Four privileged young men from an elite school are about to participate in the most important debate of their high school career. They will be competing against the girls from their own scho…
I rarely go to see a show without having a good sense of what it's about. Yet that's exactly what happened recently when I saw the revival of "Heathers The Musical" at New World Stages. I ex…
At the end of Season 4 of "Hacks," there's a rumor that Debra Vance (played by the incredibly funny, talented Jean Smart) is dead. I'm here to report that she isn't dead. In fact, Smart is a…
When we first meet Ralph, the main character in "Angry Alan," the 85 minute play by Penelope Skinner at the intimate Studio Seaview, he isn't angry. Portrayed by John Krasinski who played th…
Comedy is an art, and it isn't easy. What some find amusing, others barely snicker at. Humor comes from wordplay and language, action, innuendo and exquisite timing. We can all agree on the …
It's December 17, 1957, and we are in the audience for the taping of the last Nat King Cole show. Cole was the first African-American to host a variety show and it was groundbreaking. Althou…
"Old Friends" is the perfect musical for lovers of Stephen Sondheim music. The show is a tribute to Sondheim who died in 2021, leaving behind an unparalleled musical legacy. There are more t…
Sometimes I attend a show with preconceived ideas, having heard or read about it. However, I knew nothing about "Real Women Have Curves," never having read Josefina Lopez ' novel or seen the…
