Chang is an agile performer, and his quick shifts among characters recall the early solo work of urban shapeshifters who built entire neighborhoods out of voice and posture. Yet here the gal…
The opening gesture of Dante Alighieri's "Inferno""that immortal confession of midlife disorientation in which a wanderer finds himself astray from the "straight road" and deposited in a "da…
Despite the admirable commitment to historical accuracy, Lackey's script is littered with flimsy side characters, muddled messages, and awkward dialogue. The result is a thematically incoher…
The afterlife has always enjoyed a sturdy tenancy on the musical stage, but "High Spirits""Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray's tuneful graft onto Noël Coward's "Blithe Spirit""has, until now, …
For Heartbeat Opera's presentation of Massenet's exquisite "Manon," the co-adaptors Rory Pelsue, who also directs, and Jacob Ashworth, the company's artistic director, take a scalpel to Mass…
After a several year hiatus, The Storm Theatre, one of the last classical theater companies left in New York, is back with an elegant and polished production of Oscar Wilde's rarely seen com…
The company of Elevator Repair Service's production of "Ulysses" in partnership with 2026 Under the Radar Festival at The Public Theater (Photo credit: Joan Marcus) Unlike the Elevator Repai…
Spit & Vigor Theatre Company has an interesting approach to stagecraft at least with its return engagement of Nick Thomas' Anonymous, now at their new home at the Tiny Baby Black Box The…
Not quite as old as its title suggests, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" premiered off and then on Broadway in 2005. The Tony Award-winning musical wears that age well in a reviv…
Joe White's "Blackout Songs" direct from London with its original cast is a tour de force for two actors. It is also a challenge for the audience both because its single topic is addiction a…
I spoke with set designer Andrew Robinson and writer/director Sherry Stregack Lutken about how the porch came into being"not as an object, but as a way of thinking. What follows is a focused…
By loosening the moorings that usually tether one actor to one role, director and adaptor Karin Coonrod peers, with unusual intimacy, into Lear's psychic weather. The choice to distribute hi…
Mathew Libby's riveting "DATA" is drawn from tomorrow's headlines " or is this frightening story depicting events that are already happening? As directed by Tyne Rafaeli, this techno-thrille…
I've been passionate about theater for over 60 years. I love the performing arts, and want them to prosper. But everywhere I look, I see developments that are worrisome. Let me tell you abou…
Anne Gridley begins "Watch Me Walk" by taking its title at punishingly literal face value. She introduces herself, grips her walking stick"never a cane, a semantic correction that quickly re…
Watching these creative people misbehave is part of the fun though a great deal must be taken on faith: Julie's tremendous talent, Raf's inordinate fame and highly emotional depth, Ben's gen…
Floyd Vivino honed his comic skills working everywhere from circuses to burlesque shows. When his "Uncle Floyd Show" ended its 24-year run, it was the longest-running New Jersey-base…
Eric Faris' "Cimino's Defeat" seems under researched while attempting to make a play from a few salient facts. At times the play seems endless, at others repetitious with all the arguments t…
Seen first Off Broadway in 2004, Tracy Lett's "Bug" has now reached Broadway via the Steppenwolf Theatre Company production being presented by Manhattan Theatre Club. While "Bug" has the rep…
Hailey McAfee in a scene from Rosie Glen-Lambert and McAfee's "and her Children" at SoHo Playhouse (Photo credit: courtesy of the production) Plays tend not to offer unsympathetic protagonis…
Legendary composer Burt Bacharach died in 2023 and it has taken until now for there to be a fitting stage tribute to his 1,000 song output (mainly written with lyricist Hal David) which incl…
Review by Jack Quinn, publisher Amelia Grace Beckham and Gavin Cole in a scene from Josée Klein's "Falling Out" at UNDER St. Marks (Photo credit: Seana E. Rogovin) Falling Out is a rock mus…
The choreography by Toran X. Moore is exquisitely attuned to both context and cast. Moore's steps and motifs create a full canvas of movement that breathes with the beat and bends to the dem…
What "Dream Feed" does is evoke feelings, and images, and hopefully dreams. Most effective are the times when what I assume are actual dreams are recited, in one case through a voice changer…
While ABBA's "Chess" is receiving its first revival on Broadway, a delightful new musical about chess has come to Off Broadway's Players Theatre. "The Opening," billed as "The Second Most Fa…