Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole
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…
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…
Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman I am unabashedly a Jonathan Groff fan and enjoyed his work in "Spring Awakening," "Merrily We Roll Along," "Little Shop of Horrors," and "Hamilton.…
John Proctor is the Villain At the end of Arthur Miller's classic play, "The Crucible," protagonist John Proctor refuses to lie, even to save his own life. Overwhelmed by what he is being as…
In 1890, Oscar Wilde wrote a story about a young handsome man who has his portrait painted. He then makes a Faustian bargain, trading his soul for the picture to age, wrinkle and grow ugly i…
Set in a struggling barbershop in Harlem,in the 1950's, "Ceremonies in Dark Old Men" by Lonnie Elder III focuses on the family of Russell B. Parker (a fine Norm Lewis) and his adult children…
Floyd Collins "Truth is stranger than fiction" goes the old expression, and some of the most intriguing stories come directly from the headlines. In the early 1920's many men explored the Ke…
If you are expecting one of your favorite TV shows, complete with its competitive divas and love stories in the new version of SMASH at the Imperial Theatre, you might be disappointed since …
Broadway is always looking for a family friendly musical, one with kid and tourist appeal, and this season the musical is "Boop! The Musical." Few young people know Betty Boop, the animated …
If producers ever had any doubt of a celebrity's effect on the box office, they need only look at this current theater season to see ticket prices. Popular movie star George Clooney is packi…
If you've seen the original David Mamet play or the movie version of "GlenGarry Glen Ross," forget it and approach this revival with a fresh mind. Don't compare the present cast to Al Pacino…
The phrase "the sins of the father are visited upon the son" suggests that parents' actions can severely impact their children. In the new adaptation by Mark O'Rowe of Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts…
Composer-lyricist Jonathan Larson died before achieving success. He posthumously received three Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his groundbreaking musical "Rent". The musica…
How would you react after a terrible personal tragedy? Would you slip into a deep depression? In the new musical "Redwood" directed by Tina Landau at the Nederlander Theater, Idina Menzel's …
It's hard to imagine our mothers' lives when they were young women. What were their plans, goals, dreams? Do they have regrets? This is the premise of Bess Wohl's new play, Liberation, prese…
It's not easy for an adult to learn a new language. If you ever tried, you will connect with the characters in "English" the 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning play for Drama by playwright Sanaz To…
Some Broadway musicals are classics, revived over and over again. And then there are the divas, the performers who create the starring roles. If you are lucky enough to see them, you will wi…
The Board of Directors of Eureka Day school, a private school in upscale Berkeley, California, prizes inclusivity above all else. So no issues will be resolved without complete agreement. "W…
Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" is considered a 'problem' play with its ambiguous tone, shifting from humor to dark elements in the person of one of the central characters, the Jewish…
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Photo by Julieta Cervantes So much theater is about family dynamics where we often recognize ourselves and our families on stage. However, sometimes we are relieved that it is NOT our family…
How far would you go to retain your youth? Theater and film are replete with tales of women attempting to stay young. If the woman is Maddy Ashton, an egotistical narcissistic performer, one…
With his raspy gravelly voice and broad smile, trumpet-player Louis Armstrong has become an iconic figure. Yet his story is much more complex than that. The new Broadway bio-musical, "It's A…
When people need to recharge, they take a nap or have a cup of coffee or a piece of chocolate. When the charming Helper Bots in the different quirky new musical, "Maybe Happy Ending" need a …