1,115 stories by "FRANK SCHECK"
A canny pairing of early and late one-acts by Harold Pinter, "The Collection & A Kind of Alaska," makes it clear that the Nobel Prize-winning playwright's talents only deepened over the year…
A country racked by in tense division be tween the right and left; character assassination by a biased press -- and ruthless political figures willing to do whatever it takes to achieve thei…
Even by the daunting standards they've set for themselves, the Civilians' latest effort is a stretch. "In the Footprint: The Battle Over Atlantic Yards" is the musical-theater equivalent of …
Charles Smith's "Knock Me a Kiss" plays like a Tyler Perry movie set during the Harlem Renaissance.
Inspired by the ill-fated marriage between the daughter of activist W.E.B. Du Bois and …
'I had God on my side," declares John Smith, the generically named character David Duchovny plays in Neil LaBute's new, deeply problematic play, "The Break of Noon."
That's how Smith expl…
Amoralists. Rapp. The names are embla zoned on the program for "Ghosts in the Cottonwoods" like the stars of a Hollywood action film. And no wonder: This is a theatrical meeting made in he…
In Peter Nichols' new comedy, "Lingua Franca," set at a wildly dysfunctional language school, the accent is on conflict. It might make you grateful for Rosetta Stone.
Set in 1950s Florenc…
Memo to aspiring dramatists: If that whole playwriting thing doesn't work out, there are other job possibilities out there. You might even get elected president.
That's what happened to Vac…
Combining men in drag with a spoof of cheesy '50s-era sci-fi movies, "Devil Boys From Beyond" is like time-capsule camp. A hit at last year's Fringe Festival, its familiar brand of kitsch se…
Michael Shannon fans often have to settle for seeing him in small doses: his brief, Oscar-nominated turn in "Revolutionary Road," his supporting role in HBO's "Boardwalk Empire."
But the …
The story behind "Personal Enemy" is more interesting than the play itself. Co-written in 1953 by British play wrights John Osborne ("Look Back in Anger") and Anthony Creighton, it was barel…
You may find yourself nervously whistling in the dark at "Play Dead," the fiendishly frightening but playful spookfest devised by Todd Robbins and Teller, the silent half of Penn & Teller.
…
You might want to avoid "Notes From Underground" if you're feeling out of sorts -- because this blistering adaptation of Dostoevsky's 1864 novella could send you over the edge.
Adapted by…
You may want to have a study guide handy during the Irish Rep's "Banished Children of Eve," a swirling historical drama that often feels like homework.
Set during the 1863 New York Draft …
Like its central character, Ar thur Kopit's "Wings" has proved remarkably resilient. This abstract drama about a former aviatrix turned stroke victim premiered to raves on Broadway in 1978, …
