Joan Marcus

Off-Broadway Review: “Mies Julie” at Classic Stage Company (Through Sunday March 10, 2019)

August Strindberg’s naturalism and themes transfer brilliantly from his “Miss Julie” to Yaël Farber’s adaptation of Strindberg’s classic. Farber’s “Mies Julie” is currently running at Classic Stage Company in repertory with the Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Strindberg’s “The Dance of Death.” Like the 1985 stage version of “Miss Julie” at Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre, Mr. Farber’s 2012 adaptation takes place…

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Broadway Review: “The Ferryman” at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

December 14, 2018 | Broadway, harmony, the ferryman, to kill > | "The Ferryman", Amy Ball CDG, Bella May Mordus, Benjamin Endsley Klein, Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, Brooklyn Shuck, C.S.A and Jillian Cimini C.S.A., Campbell Young Associates, Carla Langley, Carly Gold, Charles Dale, Colin McPhillamy, Conor MacNeill, Cooper Gomes, Dean Ashton, Dearbhla Molloy, Deborah Hecht, Fionnula Flanagan, Fra Fee, Genevieve O’Reilly, Gina Costigan, Glenn Speers, Glynis Bell, Griffin Osborne, Holly Gould, Jez, Jez Butterworth, Jim Carnahan, Joan Marcus, Justin Edwards, Laura Donnelly, Majella Hurley, Mark Lambert, Matilda Lawler, Michael McArthur, Niall Wright, Nick Powell, Paddy Considine, Peter Bradbury, Peter Mumford, Rafael West Vallés, Rob Howell, Rob Malone, Sam Mendes, Scarlett Mackmin, Sean Frank Coffey, Stuart Graham, Terry King, Theo Ward Dunsmore, Thomas Schall, Tim Hoare, Tom Glynn-Carney, Trevor Harrison Braun, Will Coombs, William Berloni

If you are a fan of Irish plays you will most likely recognize the characters and may recall hearing similar stories as you listen and watch the epic family drama “The Ferryman” by Jez Butterworth now playing at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. That is where the familiarity stops, allowing the brilliant dialogue of Mr. Butterworth and the sagacious, meticulous…

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Broadway Review: “The Cher Show” at the Neil Simon Theatre

Anyone who is or was a fan of Cher during the past six decades will find it difficult to resist the urge to see the new Broadway musical based on her fascinating life and intriguing career that is now playing at Neil Simon Theatre. It would be wise to follow that urge and see for yourself how the beat still…

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Broadway Review: “The New One” at the Cort Theatre

December 3, 2018 | birbiglia, Broadway, LGBTQ+, mike birbiglia > | "The New One", Aaron Copp, Beowulf Boritt, Jennifer Hope Stein, Joan Marcus, Leon Rothenberg, Mike Birbiglia, Seth Barrish, The Cort Theatre

When he walks onto stage to applause at the Cort Theatre to begin his show “The New One,” It is evident that Mike Birbiglia has a huge following and some dedicated fans. The one-man show recently transferred to Broadway after a successful off-Broadway run at The Cherry Lane Theater. Mike Birbiglia is casual, an everyman, as he proceeds to mic…

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Off-Broadway Review: “Thom Pain (based on nothing)” at The Pershing Square Signature Center’s Irene Diamond Stage

In this revival of “Thom Pain (based on nothing)” at The Pershing Square Signature Center’s Irene Diamond Stage, Will Eno steps over, under, and in between the resting places – and the writing desks – of the literary canon’s most prominent surrealist writers of the past and present. Eno seems to stop there to chat, listen, tremble (who wouldn’t), and…

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Broadway News: “Once On This Island” at Circle in the Square Theatre to Close Sunday January 6, 2019

“Once On this Island” was certainly an enchanting and memorable visit twenty-seven years ago and that may in fact cloud the opinions expressed when recently returning to this island and commenting on what had changed. Some audience members may have experienced finding an unknown out of the way place that had a simple and charming ambience, with friendly locals that…

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Broadway Review: “King Kong” at the Broadway Theatre

November 26, 2018 | Broadway, king kong, the collaboration > | "King Kong", Broadway Theatre, Christiani Pitts, David Caddick, Drew McOnie, Eddie Perfect, Eldad Guetta, Erik Lochtefeld, Gavin Robins, Jack Thorne, Joan Marcus, Marius de Vries, Peter England, Peter Hylenski, Peter Mumford, Roger Kirk, Sonny Tilders, Tom Watson, William Morris

It is difficult to imagine that anyone would not know the story of “King Kong” since the first film release was in 1933 and many new versions being released with the most recent in 2017, as well as being broadcast on television for the first time in 1956. In 1998, The American Film Institute ranked it as #43 on the…

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Off-Broadway Review: “India Pale Ale” at Manhattan Theatre Club’s New York City Center Stage I

Jaclyn Backhaus’s “India Pale Ale” currently running at Manhattan Theatre Club’s New York City Center Stage I has a collection of “teachable moments.” Some of the lessons are rather unimportant though interesting. The audience learns the history of IPA (India Pale Ale), the hops and alcohol content of the iconic enhanced pale ale, and how at least one white hipster…

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Off-Broadway Review: “What the Constitution Means to Me” Reopened at The Greenwich House Theater

After greeting the audience at New York Theatre Workshop, playwright Heidi Schreck introduces her play “What the Constitution Means to Me” as follows: “When I was 15 years old, I travelled the country giving speeches about the Constitution at American Legion halls for prize money. This was a scheme invented by my mom, who was a debate coach, to help…

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Off-Broadway Review: “Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties” at MCC Theater’s Lucille Lortel Theatre

By agreeing to carefully examine the sex-role stereotypes attributed to women, five disparate women named ‘Betty’ cautiously approach self-acceptance and self-understanding in Jen Silverman’s “Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties” at MCC Theater’s Lucille Lortel Theatre. Their collective rage about their loneliness, their fears, their submission, and their dismissions by men is a welcomed examination of gender and sexual…

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