1,115 stories by "FRANK SCHECK"
Frank Scheck William Shatner takes audiences on a witty journey through his acting career in his one-man Broadway performance.read more
When the narrator of "A Map of Virtue" turned out to be a bird statue, the play stopped working for me. Sadly, that was in the first few minutes.This latest effort, presented by the playwrig…
As delicate as a cherry blossom, "Tokio Confidential" transports us to 19th-century Japan. This lovely chamber musical about a Civil War widow whose life's transformed by a tattoo artist rev…
Love proves lethal in John Ford's 1629 revenge drama "The Broken Heart." Theatre for a New Audience's stylish rendition of this difficult and rarely performed play captures all of its chills…
Norbert Leo Butz has always brought a certain strangeness to his roles, whether a buffoonish con artist in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" or an obsessive FBI agent in "Catch Me If You Can." But a…
When Rinde Eckert's "Moby-Dick"-themed "And God Created Great Whales" premiered in 2000, it racked up rave reviews and many awards, and went on to several revivals.
Well, call me Ishmael, bu…
Revivals of "Merrily We Roll Along" are a lot like the musical itself: Just as its characters get younger and more idealistic with each scene, there's a perpetual hope of going back in time …
An offhand reference to wild ducks is the closest you get to Chekhov's brilliance in "Chekhovek," an ill-advised adaptation of the Russian master's short stories. Like "The Sneeze," last sea…
Try as you might, you won't find a directing credit in the program for "Psycho Therapy." Watching it, you won't find any evidence of a director, either. Frank Strausser's alleged comedy deal…
Memo to theater companies specializing in the classics: Take a cue from Marvell Rep. The troupe's second season doesn't have a Shakespeare, Chekhov or Shaw in the bunch " just six controvers…
It’s ironic that John Osborne’s classic drama Look Back in Anger is now as much of a period piece as the “well-made plays” it was attempting to usurp. This work--whic…
In light of the recent Vassar early-admissions snafu, already wary parents of students applying to college should avoid "Inadmissible." Not that anyone else should rush to see this play abou…
Beware sexy Russian men bearing gifts. That seems to be the primary message of Russian Transport, the new play by Erika Sheffer being given its world premiere by the New Group. This uneasy b…
Margaret Edson has just written one play in her life, the brilliant Wit, now receiving its Broadway premiere a mere seventeen years after it was first produced and went on to win nearly ever…
The British songstress long-awaited return to the New York nightclub scene proved to be a truly triumphant evening.
In "The Mystery of Claywoman," we meet a 500-million-year-old extraterrestrial who's become a cult-like figure.
She's a fascinating character " too bad we don't get to see more of her.
Half …
Though "Stopped Bridge of Dreams" is based on 17thcentury Japanese writings, its style couldn't be more contemporary.
Written, directed and designed by MacArthur "Genius" Award winner John J…
You can tell that George Bernard Shaw was still a young man when he wrote "The Philanderer." This infrequently performed comedy has a breezy playfulness, unlike the playwright's more heavy-g…
The four scientists in "Instinct" spend most of the play's 85-minute running time debating parenthood, religion and sexual identity.
Oh, and they're also trying to halt an epidemic killing h…
A Midwestern mother and her businesswoman daughter travel to a small American city. Their purpose? To identify the body of a family member who committed suicide.Hilarity ensues.If that sound…
Reunited with his American Beauty director, Sam Mendes, Kevin Spacey pulls out all the stops with his devilishly entertaining turn in the title role of the Bridge Project’s production …
The plays of Athol Fugard often require heavy lifting on the part of an audience. That’s particularly true of his 1987 drama The Road to Mecca, now being given its Broadway premiere in…
I* capturing the monotony and anger that marks the daily life of New York City cops, "Newyorkland" makes a powerfully compelling film.The problem is, it's supposed to be a theater piece. The…
Why does every show set in Dublin seem to take place in a bar? Hot on the heels of the Broadway-bound "Once" " where you can step up onstage and buy a pint of Guinness before the show and at…
Composer Stephen Sondheim will probably be appeased when he sees The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, the reconceived revival of the classic opera by George and Ira Gershwin and, oh yes, lib…
