T. Charles Erikson

Off-Broadway Review: “The Monsters” at New York City Center Stage II (Through Sunday, March 22, 2026)

Life can be compared to a fighting match, where once you step into the ring you are alone. You become a monster defending themselves and fighting for their life, suffering from cuts and bruises but still determined to stay alive and win, not for fortune and fame, but just to survive. The new play “Monsters,” penned and directed by Ngozi…

Broadway Review: “JUNK” at the Vivian Beaumont in Lincoln Center Theater

The highly anticipated new play by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Ayad Akhtar entitled “JUNK” – referring to the bonds sold in the 1980s by Machiavellian inside traders – does tend to sacrifice intrigue for the sake of entertainment. The plot centers around the fictional junk bond king Robert Merkin (played with unscrupulous charisma by Steven Pasquale), as he manipulates his…