A More Perfect Union - Reviewed by ANDY PROPST

Vern Thiessen's two-hander about a couple of Supreme Court clerks who fall for each other is thoughtful but unconvincing.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Finding the Rooster - Reviewed by MARK PEIKERT

Terence Patrick Hughes' script certainly isn't to blame for the dismal production of his 'Finding the Rooster', currently crowing at 13th Street Repertory Company.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

After Darwin - Reviewed by ANDY PROPST

In Timberlake Wertenbaker's richly layered 'After Darwin', theories of natural selection and survival of the fittest are discussed not only in relation to the evolution of animal species but…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Way to Heaven (Himmelweg) - Reviewed by LEONARD JACOBS

More than 75 years after Hitler's ascension to power in Germany, the portrayal of Nazis on stage and screen is arguably more difficult than ever.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

For Lovers Only (Love Songs... Nothing but Love Songs) - Reviewed by ADAM R. PERLMAN

Producers of theater are slow to learn the lesson every real estate agent gets on day one: Location matters.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

The Fantasticks<br> Reviewed by Les Spindle

Unfortunately, director Jason Alexander's reinvention of the piece favors ham-fisted burlesque over wistful lyricism, obscuring the bittersweet beauty at the play's core.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

The Merchant of Venice - Reviewed by ADAM R. PERLMAN

Edward Hall's Propeller, an all-male British company, investigates and invigorates text so fully it seems to invent Shakespeare's plays on the spot, as in the near-great production of "The M…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Offices - Reviewed by ERIK HAAGENSEN

Even though it clocks in at a mere 75 minutes, Ethan Coen's latest collection of one-acts wears out its welcome long before it's over, mistaking as it does banality for hipness.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Christmas Is Miles Away - Reviewed by ANDY PROPST

British playwright Chloe Moss, winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, makes her U.S. debut with Babel Theatre Project's production of "Christmas Is Miles Away," a charming if rough portr…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

It Pays to Advertise - Reviewed by KARL LEVETT

Once again, the estimable Metropolitan Playhouse has unearthed a small gem.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Oh Virgil! A Theatrical Portrait - Reviewed by LEONARD JACOBS

As depicted by playwright-director Wallace Norman, the composer and music critic Virgil Thomson was one of the most irascible, impossible, and utterly obstreperous artists of the 20th centur…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Sophistry - Reviewed by ANDY PROPST

Individually, pieces of "Sophistry" are periodically intriguing, titillating, and even moving, but they fail to create a satisfying whole.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

The Temperamentals - Reviewed by ERIK HAAGENSEN

Gay artists are reclaiming their history in projects like the award-winning film "Milk," and now Jon Marans has done something similar for Harry Hay in his bright and affecting new play.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Everyday Rapture - Reviewed by ADAM R. PERLMAN

This is the first time I've seen Sherie Renee Scott's full, dazzling range of tools. Vain and vulnerable, silly and sexy, wistful and wise, she's a mess of contradictions as riveting as Bern…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

The Assistant - Reviewed by KARL LEVETT

The cast works hard to add character dimension in this too-straightforward telling of Bernard Malamud's story.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Galileo - Reviewed by KARL LEVETT

Director Julie Fei-Fan Balzer presents a brisk staging of Brecht's play that seems fearful of the language, as if aimed at the attention-deficient.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

The Shanghai Gesture - Reviewed by ROBERT WINDELER

Disappointingly, this production both fails to convey any of the excitement audiences apparently felt upon seeing the show in the 1920s or any relevance for current audiences. The play is se…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

9 TO 5 - Reviewed by ERIK HAAGENSEN

"9 to 5" aims low and hits its target squarely. And that's the difference between creating a classic and just a fun night out.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Waiting for Godot - Reviewed by DAVID SHEWARD

This is a screamingly funny and howlingly sad "Godot."

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Accent on Youth - Reviewed by ERIK HAAGENSEN

"Accent on Youth" is the kind of play for which the word "chestnut" was appropriated. No doubt titillating and somewhat sophisticated in its day, in 2009 it just creaks, groans, and lumbers …

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Your Character's Soundtrack By Jean Schiffman

Listening to music can put you in the mood for a great performance.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Ain't Misbehavin'<br> Reviewed by Les Spindle

The production feels fresh and vital, though Maltby has wisely not reinvented the wheel.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

The Seafarer<br> Reviewed by Dany Margolies

Somehow, under the direction of Randall Arney and in the hands of five worthy actors, the whole doesn't jell.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

¡Americanize! - Reviewed by MARC MILLER

The current American immigrant experience is a rich topic, but these one-acts attack it haphazardly and unevenly.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

The Oath - Reviewed by ROBERT WINDELER

If there's such a thing as Southern Gothic Revival in the American theatre, this world premiere of a play by Jacqueline Goldfinger might qualify.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑