400 stories from Theatre Criticsm
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") It's been said that the third time's the charm. Previously, two earlier iterations of Hairspray have graced local theaters. Le Petit T…
By ALAN SMASON For the past several weeks, I've been promoting this weekend as a way for the local theatre community to give back to Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré, the historic theater fo…
By AARON KRAUSE While summer camp is over for kids, a different kind of camp is in session for adults at Island City Stage (ICS). There, the side-splitting camp comic classic Die, Mommie,…
By AARON KRAUSE The term "collision" usually carries a negative connotation. After all, serious injuries or worse can result when people or vehicles collide. But a potentially healing collis…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") It has taken nine years for the Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans (TWTC) to tackle one of the biggest and most intrica…
By AARON KRAUSE "Bigger isn't better." So go the lyrics to a Cy Coleman and Michael Stewart song from the musical "Barnum." At least, bigger isn't always better. A fine example is New …
By ROY BERKO Confession: Â I am not a big fan of juke box musicals, the now popular Broadway vehicle which is a genre of American musical theatre in which pre-written songs are woven, most…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") After several decades in development and through various iterations, Empire, the musical that tells the story of the construction of t…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") The Public Theater has enjoyed a well deserved reputation as a proving grounds for works that have later found great fame on Broadway.…
By LOU HARRY Prior to a performance, most theaters share a short list of expected behaviors. Turn off those cell phones. Unwrap those candies. Note the exits. However, for Hamlet, staged at …
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") One of the marketing ploys for The Notebook: The Musical can be found at the merchandising kiosk downstairs at the Gerald Schoenfeld T…
By ROY BERKO In 1985, "Back to the Future," the feature film, opened.  It starred Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.  It quickly became a cult favorite and spun off two sequel…
The 77th Annual Tony Awards were held in New York City on Sunday, June 16, presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. Despite snagging 13 Tony nominations " the most for…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") With the rapid rise of blatant antisemitism in the world today, there is probably no better time than now for the presentation of Mois…
By AARON KRAUSE If you look closely at the program for Palm Beach Dramaworks' (PBD) polished and poignant production of the touching historical drama, Trying, you'll notice a tilted "g." …
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") James Bartelle, a founding member of The NOLA Project, has written a number of original works for the troupe of young, innovative perf…
By ANNE SIEGEL MILWAUKEE, WI " The Broadway Series at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts concludes its 2023-24 season with a bang. No, this is not a reference to the confetti-spewing …
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") In what may be the greatest bit of casting for a national tour in decades, Rob McClure, the Tony-nominated actor brought his A game to…
The American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League, sponsors of the Tony Awards for excellence on the Broadway stage, were announced on Tuesday, April 30. The awards will be presented on Sund…
By LOU HARRY While many companies have responded to the challenges facing post-lockdown theater by offering minimally cast shows and/or feel-good entertainments, the storied Guthrie Theater …
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") Playwright Michael Frayn claims he got the inspiration to write Noises Off in 1970 while watching a comedy he had written unfold backs…
By ANNE SIEGEL War is hell, they say. But the months leading up to war can also be a kind of hell, as demonstrated by the characters in From Here to Eternity, a new musical that opened recen…
By ALAN SMASON While the Academy Awards buzz was mostly about "Oppenheimer" and "Poor Things," a smaller film starring Anthony Hopkins " "One Life" " was distributed a few weeks ago and is s…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") While the Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival has ended this year's presentations and its famed Scholars Conference, seri…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic ("Steppin' Out") New Orleans audiences have long been enamored of local comedy genius Ricky Graham, but thanks to the regional premiere of The Prom, th…
