470 stories by "Jacob Malizio"
The Vernon Point Neighborhood Association is a passionate bunch, whether squabbling over historically inaccurate porch railings or debating trash can protocol. Still, no one is prepared for …
This psychological delicacy comes as no surprise: Lindsay-Abaire wrote one of our most persuasive dramas on social collision, “Good People,” which explores the two ends of the class stru…
Lindsay-Abaire’s new play The Balusters makes a highly entertaining if specious argument for the eventual triumph—bad-faith cultural backlash be damned—of social justice in left-leanin…
It’s cleverly devised, although for a play about the corrupting influence of obsessing over peace and quiet it’s more than a tad pat. Though Lindsay-Abaire lingers on the idea that every…
The Balusters is hilarious, skewering not only neighborhood associations but also identity politics while maintaining compassion for all its characters. Too bad real HOA meetings can’t be …
While The Balusters is never less than entertaining, the play suffers in comparison to similar recent Broadway works, notably The Minutes and, especially, Eureka Day, both of which had sharp…
“The Balusters”[…] may be the most vital and timely show on Broadway this season. It’s definitely the funniest.
The post Anika Noni Rose, Richard Thomas Star in Brilliant and Brutall…
Even more egregious, several emotional turns depend on offstage action that, through its on-stage unveiling, feel like cheap gotchas. Is this a multifaceted discussion or a series of cute wr…
Kenny Leon’s direction levels some of the imbalance in the play’s humor. He gives the supporting characters just enough edge to inflict pain without ever spilling so much blood that some…
We’re in a moment in the American theater when, after years of caution, writers finally are beginning to find the courage to expose the hypocrisy of our newly sensitive language, tiptoeing…
Welcome to Schmigadoon—the magical town where every day is a musical. Everybody has a song for everything, the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye, and the only bridge out of town leads…
A sendup of musicals needs to fulfill three major requirements: It must know its stuff inside out, it must be precisely crafted, and of course, it must be funny. Let’s just dispense with t…
While some may toss Schmigadoon! aside as a frivolous night out, Paul has created a world deeply rich in humanity, charm, and musical theatre heritage. Go do yourself a favor and get trapped…
Schmigadoon! as a TV show was a gift to musical theater buffs whose greatest joy will forever be Leslie Uggams’ musical stylings on June’s bejeepers. Paul, the stage show’s sole author…
If you watched the TV series, you’ll recognize some of these moments – along with others such as the fan-favorite celebration of “Corn Puddin!” – but what you might miss is the inh…
The effervescent stage show, from creator Cinco Paul and director-choreographer Christoper Gattelli, is all but irresistible — a giddy love letter to the form that’s enough to turn even …
Director and choreographer Christopher Gattelli (who just adapted Death Becomes Her for Broadway last year) makes the absolute most of the medium his show skewers so deliciously.
The post Th…
Under the protective cover of parody, Schmigadoon! is free to deliver real pleasures of old-school American musical comedy: catchy melodies with clever lyrics, laughs on the regular, a littl…
Schmigadoon! replicates much of the golden-age façade while seeming afraid of those shows’ political shadows. The show gestures at the classic targets of old-timey sexism, small-mindednes…
Melissa and Josh are ready to leave Schmigadoon. And so are we. I walked away contemplating if somewhere buried in there is a smart, hilarious musical that questions, and not so sappily, the…
Emmy Winner Ayo Edebiri and Golden Globe Winner Don Cheadle make their long-awaited Broadway debuts in David Auburn's Pulitzer and Tony Award"winning PROOF. Directed by Tony winner Thomas Ka…
Cheadle and Edebiri are both down-to-earth and unshowy in their clear affection for each other, and they're warmly believable as parent and child. Cheadle is laid back to the point of liquid…
Proof is so structurally sound that any production can have an impact, which is both a gift in theory and a potential liability in practice. Both sides of that equation are why Thomas Kail's…
The cast assembled here is easily one of the best on Broadway right now. Edebiri was, frankly, the wild card, an intriguing bit of casting that nonetheless had folks wondering whether her th…
While it may take the production a moment to fully kick into gear, Proof's effective performances from its four-member cast will keep theatergoers engrossed in all of its mathematical comple…
