5,899 stories by "JONATHAN MANDELL"
As my best-read posts from 2016 below make clear, some theater trends stay strong year after year: Anything about “Hamilton” is still popular nearly two years after the musical f…
 Instant gratification takes too long. Two of the saddest words in the English language are, ‘What party?’ I was street smart, but unfortunately the street was Rodeo Drive. Y…
My annual New Year’s Eve guide features the Broadway show schedule for New Year's week, and other shows, parties, concerts, intimate dinners, cruises, outdoor events and quiet a…
All but a handful of Broadway shows are performing today, the day after Christmas, even though they usually don't on Mondays. Twenty-one of them are performing twice today " and one Broadway…
What's most interesting about the century-old play "God of Vengeance" " and, let's face it, the reason why a new production of it is opening tonight, at La MaMa " is that it inspired …
 The character Seth Cohen created the holiday that merges Christmas and Hanukah on the TV series The OC. But this year it seems especially apt, since Christmas and Hanukkah are celebrate…
Many New York theatergoers surely see 2016 as "the worst year ever, until next year" according to the title of an essay in the New Yorker by Jia Tolentino, who cited a Twitter meme that pict…
Nobody would ever confuse 'Bright Colors and Bold Patterns," a gay comedy written and performed solo by Drew Droege, for "Long Day's Journey Into Night." Yet oddly, there were moments in …
Yes, Glenn Close, Sally Field, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Bette Midler, and Cynthia Nixon are all returning to Broadway in Spring 2017, and Cate Blanchett and Danny DeVit…
My list of ten favorite shows on New York stages in 2016 reflect two unmistakable trends " the use of the stage to present important current issues facing the country, and shows that innovat…
There IS still time left to do holiday shopping for theater lovers. There are also plenty of shows to see this holiday week: Today is the beginning of the Christmas week schedule for Broadwa…
My ten favorite individual performances in 2016 are listed alphabetically, with explanations for my choices largely excerpted from my reviews, but let's begin with three noteworthy ensembles…
Below is the schedule for Broadway shows from Monday, December 19 to December 26. Broadway is not the place to see shows in New York specifically geared to the holiday season (with one excep…
Welcome to my fourth annual Worst Broadway Show poll. I chose these ten nominees; this is my Bottom 10 list this year (a counterbalance to my Top 10 list.) If you disagree with my choi…
While the Othello at the New York Theatre Workshop can be uncomfortable and even annoying, it is impossible for me to dismiss Sam Gold's often startlingly effective production, even when Dav…
If the Othello at the New York Theatre Workshop can be uncomfortable and even annoying, it is impossible for me to dismiss Sam Gold's often startlingly effective production, even when David …
At yesterday’s matinee of “Hamilton,” the show did not have a single member of the original cast in a principal role. The only one who remains, Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercu…
Here are drama critics' lists of Top 10 New York theater for 2016. Unlike last year’s top 10 lists, there is no one single show that dominates. But “Dear Evan Hansen,” R…
Two hit Off-Broadway plays on my Top 10 list for 2016Â are transferring to Broadway in the Spring, written by two of the most respected women playwrights in America — Pulitzer Prize …
“In Transit” is the first a cappella musical on Broadway, and the rich harmonies and rhythmic beatboxing of a cappella evangelist Deke Sharon's arrangements reveal the human voic…
The members of the creative team behind "The Band's Visit," a delightfully low-key musical starring a memorably paired Tony Shalhoub and Katrina Lenk, have taken a 2007 Israeli film that is …
Below are a dozen photographs from “Hairspray Live,” which was broadcast on NBC December 7th; videos of seven of its songs; and my ten takeaways. Takeaways from Hairspray …
"A Bronx Tale," the new Broadway musical co-directed by Robert De Niro and Jerry Zaks, tells a story that its author, Chazz Palminteri, says is true: He really did witness a mob killing as a…
My list of ten favorite shows on New York stages in 2016 reflect two unmistakable trends " the use of the stage to present important current issues facing the country, and shows that innovat…
While watching "Tiny Beautiful Things," a stage version at the Public Theater of Cheryl Strayed's best-selling book, I started to wonder whether it made sense to try to adapt a collection of…
