WAR OF THE ROSES, BLOOMING AGAIN Five hours fly by in this gripping, emotionally rich adaptation. William Shakespeare is generally considered one of the greatest playwrights the world has ev…
BURNED BY AMBITION Sometimes the bravest artistic choice is asking for help. In Theft of Fire, Garrett Hildebrandt is presentable, well-spoken, talented, and smart. However, he’s not as ta…
SUCKING FACE Chemistry, comedy, and a little bloodlust make for an irresistible evening. Is there a quality more indefinable and unpredictable than the chemistry between two people, whether …
FROM BARK TO HEART A barking-dog complaint grows into something far more interesting I have been a fan of Richard Lucas since I reviewed his short, humorous, autobiographical novel The Dog L…
SPEAK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG SONG Megan Carmitchel delivers a knockout performance in Backyard Renaissance’s latest gem During a recent move, I handed down dozens of DVDs. One I couldn’t…
GETTING CAUGHT UP WHEN THERE’S A CATCH A baffling experiment eventually reveals a powerful emotional core Why? That one-word refrain was what repeatedly popped up in my head through most o…
INTENTS LOVE Victoria Lynne Barclay’s impressive debut traces a friendship—and a missed connection—across twenty-five years The world premiere of Camping by Victoria Lynne Barclay offe…
SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE A “charming bulldozer” meets a wall of resistance Anyone who has had a home renovation knows the way a contractor can take over one’s life. Suddenly, strange m…
TRICKS ARE FOR KIDS AND THEIR PARENTS A large-scale illusion show that never loses its personal touch Most of the magic shows I’ve been to have been small, intimate affairs, with an audien…
ET TU, SHOESTRING? An ambitious historical comedy collapses under its own weight— but not without flashes of promise There are many different reasons for failure. All of them sting. The Fa…
A SUAVE, STREISAND- CENTRIC SOIGNÉE SOIRÉE Errico eloquently echoes superstar Streisand with style Musical mega-talents cast long shadows. Any performer who builds a show around their repe…
SOMEWHERE, STILL Paper Mill Playhouse proves that a classic doesn’t need fixing The powerful and poignant West Side Story has been retooled, tweaked, and tinkered with in the years since t…
BORDERING ON TRAGEDY Saheem Ali’s politically charged staging complicates Shakespeare’s timeless tale— but the young lovers still shine through This year’s Shakespeare in the Park pr…
EVERYTHING’S COMING UP MORMONS A campy musical mashup finds laughs, heart, and the perfect home at Prism Theatre Palm Springs’ Prism Theatre is christening its permanent home with a prod…
[Editor’s Note (June 2026): Raven Theatre’s astounding production of Octet, originally reviewed by Stage and Cinema in May, transfers intact to the Goodman Theatre for a limited engageme…
THE GHOSTS IN THE FAMILY TREE Tom Stoppard’s final play is as intellectually dazzling as it is emotionally devastating “Barbarism will not be eradicated by culture.” That line, spoken …
TO BAN OR NOT TO BAN Who decides what children are allowed to read? Playwrights are among the many who are struggling to reconcile the escalating conflicts among different factions of our so…
UNDER PRESSURE Ann Noble directs Ann Loud in a nicely twisted mystery set in a multi-crew submersible some 30,000 deep. Ann Loud, who penned the script and plays all five characters, skillfu…
CALAMITY JANE MEETS LAS VEGAS A charming tribute delivers plenty of Doris Day favorites, even if the biography occasionally takes a back seat Day After Day (The Life and Music of Doris Day) …
FAITH, HOPE, AND QUEERITY: AMEN TO THAT Flux Theatre Ensemble finds grace where religion and identity collide One of the great joys of theatergoing in New York City is discovering the countl…
WHAT THE MUSIC BOX REMEMBERS A lavish production overcomes a book that never fully solves its own mystery A music box opens. A grandmother sings a lullaby to a five-year-old girl who will sp…
GHOSTS WITH HEARTBEATS Jon Schnitzer finds warmth and wonder beneath the bumps in the night Something Spooky, written and performed by Jon Schnitzer, is more about heart than haunting. Yes, …
BUBBLING OVER WITH NOSTALGIA Amas celebrates a milestone with a joyful reminder of the music that put the company on the map Amas Musical Theatre sure knows how to throw a party. Held in a p…
YOU LEARN… OR YOU DON’T The songs still hit hard, but the family drama built around them feels overly familiar More often than not, as a critic, I like to go into a show cold, without ma…
LOVE ON THE RANGE, PAIN ON THE HORIZON A beautiful musical framework strengthens a stage adaptation that never quite resolves its competing impulses In 1997, a short story from Pulitzer winn…