Marc J. Franklin

Broadway Mini Review: “Becky Shaw” at Second Stage’s Helen Hayes Theatre (Through Sunday, June 14, 2026)

April 6, 2026 | Broadway > | Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw, costume designer Kaye Voyce, David Roberts, Gina Gionfriddo, Helen Hayes Theatre, Lauren Patten, lighting designer Stacey Derosier, Linda Emond, Madeline Brewer, Marc J. Franklin, New York Theatre Reviews, Patrick Ball, scenic designer David Zinn, sound designer M.L. Dogg, Theatre Reviews, Theatre Reviews Limited, Trip Cullman

For six scenes, “Becky Shaw” unfolds in shadows – David Zinn’s dark grays, Stacey Derosier’s moody shafts of light illuminating secrets and lies. Then, in scene seven, everything floods with brightness: whites, creams, merciless clarity. It’s a design choice that mirrors Gina Gionfriddo’s thematic strategy – dragging uncomfortable truths into the light. “Unless you’re Gandhi or Jesus, you have a…

Read More Buy Tickets

Off-Broadway Review: “You Got Older” at the Cherry Lane Theatre (Extended through Sunday, April 26, 2026)

In her program notes for “You Got Older,” playwright Clare Barron shares her “optimistic belief that there is profound comfort in just living privately together. Life and desire can persist even if all we can muster up is the courage and time to sit together with something unspeakable between us.” It’s a beautiful articulation of what this 2014 play—now receiving…

Read More Buy Tickets

Off-Broadway Review: “My Joy is Heavy” at the New York Theatre Workshop (Extended through Sunday, April 12, 2026)

March 17, 2026 | Off-Broadway > | "My Joy is Heavy", Aaron Bahr on Trumpet/Voice, Abigail and Shaun Bengson, Ashley Baier on Drums/SPD/Voice, David Roberts, Marc J. Franklin, Matt Deitchman on Keyboard/Accordion/Voice, New York Theatre Reviews, New York Theatre Workshop, Nicole DeMaio on Tenor Sax/Baritone Sax/Flute/Clarinet/Voice, Noga Cabo on Guitar/Bass/Voice, NYTW, Rachel Chavkin, Reginald Chapman on Trombone/Tuba/Voice, The Bengsons, Theatre Reviews, Theatre Reviews Limited

Abigail and Shaun Bengson welcome the audience to New York Theatre Workshop for “My Joy is Heavy.” They introduce themselves, the band, the crew. They explain this is a relaxed house performance—you can do whatever is good for your body and nervous system, there are access tables in the back, and if you have to get up and pee, they…

Read More Buy Tickets

Off-Broadway Review: “Saturday Church” at New York Theatre Workshop (Closed Friday, October 24, 2025)

September 24, 2025 | LGBTQ+, Off-Broadway, Queer > | "Saturday Church", Anania, B Noel Thomas, Bryson Battle, Caleb Quezon, Chris Penny, Costume Design by Qween Jean, Damani Van Rensalier, Damon Cardasis, Dava Huesca, Dave Anzuelo/Unkle Dave's Fighthouse, Deah Love Harriott, Erica Hart, features scenic design by David Zinn, Fernell Hogan, hair & wig design by Darius Thomas, J. Harrison Ghee, J'Quay Gibbs, Jackson Kanawha Perry, James iJames, Jhanaë K-C Bonnick, Joaquina Kalukango, Joseph Verlezza, Kareem Marsh, Kelsey Rainwater, Kristolyn Lloyd, LGBTQ, LGBTQ+ Youth, lighting design by Adam Honoré, Marc J. Franklin, Michael Samarie George, New York Theatre Reviews, New York Theatre Workshop, Nicholas Petrovich, NYTW, Oyoyo Joi, Primo Thee Ballerino, sound design by Gareth Owen, Theatre Reviews, Theatre Reviews Limited, Veyonce Deleon, Wade Watson, Whitney White

The new musical “Saturday Church” which is now playing at NYTW, is based on the 2017 film written and directed by Damon Cardasis, who also co-wrote the book for this production alongside James Ijames. This quasi-jukebox musical attempts to weave the music of Sia into the storyline, but it is also only quasi-successful in this endeavor. Too often the music…

Read More Buy Tickets

Off-Broadway Review: “Prince Faggot” at Playwrights Horizons (Closed Sunday, August 3, 2025)

Currently running at Playwrights Horizons and co-produced with Soho Rep, “Prince Faggot” is a story within a story within a story about a fictional British Prince George/Pips (a hapless John McCrea) who is queer and meets and falls in love with Dev (a riveting Mihir Kumar) a South Asian Brit from a colonized nation George meets at Oxford. Performers 1…

Read More Buy Tickets

Broadway Review: “Purpose” at the Hayes Theatre (Currently On)

Currently running at the Hayes Theatre, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s “Purpose” joins the important pantheon of plays about families, dysfunctional families in particular. These plays, including Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s recent “Appropriate,” focus on the behavior patterns and the social practices that undermine and often destroy the integrity of family systems. Sometimes there is confession, forgiveness, and redemption in these narratives. Far too often…

Read More Buy Tickets

Off-Broadway Review: “Wine in the Wilderness” at Classic Stage Company (Closed Saturday, April 19, 2025)

The themes explored in Alice Childress’s “Wine in the Wilderness” currently running at Classic Stage Company include classism and economic struggles; the resilience and strength of communities and individuals navigating challenges in the economic, social and personal environments; identity; and the role of the arts in interpreting and influencing societal norms. And although these themes resonate in every community, Childress…

Read More Buy Tickets

Off-Broadway Review: “Three Houses” at Signature Theatre’s Linney Theatre (Closed on Sunday, June 9, 2024)

Dave Malloy’s “Three Houses currently running at Signature Theatre’s Linney Theater is a retelling/interpretation of the classic fairy tales “The Three Little Pigs” and “Red Riding Hood” (among other cautionary folklore narratives) in which The Big Bad Wolf appears. Stand-ins for Little Red Riding Hood and those Three Little Pigs are Susan (a manic and hedonistic Margo Seibert), Sadie (a…

Read More Buy Tickets

Broadway Review: “Some Like It Hot” at the Shubert Theatre (Currently On)

“Some Like It Hot” a modern day, good old-fashioned musical has arrived on Broadway at The Shubert Theatre, and it delivers on all levels, making for a very enjoyable evening of musical comedy. It is based on the motion picture of the same title, but the book by Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin is clever, witty, and updated to reflect…

Read More Buy Tickets

Broadway Review: “Topdog/Underdog” at the Golden Theatre (Through Sunday, January 15, 2023)

In the current 20th anniversary production of “Topdog/Underdog,” Suzan Lori-Parks reminds the audience that when one does not receive unconditional and nonjudgmental love and chooses to disconnect from one’s cultural and family histories, things can and will go terribly wrong. From the first scene of the play currently running at the John Golden Theatre, it is evident that there is…

Read More Buy Tickets