The new musical “Redwood,” which recently opened at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway, certainly lives up to the title, featuring the magnificent giant redwood tree that seamlessly moves on and off-stage as needed. In fact, it may be one of the best characters, given the name Stella, in this long, tedious and banal musical which was conceived by its star…
The full title of “The Antiquities” currently running at Playwrights Horizons is “A Tour of the Permanent Collection in the Museum of the Late Human Antiquities.” The title contains two important pairs of words: “Permanent Collection” and “Late Human.” The play begins at some point in the far distant future with two museum docents W1 (Aria Shahghasemi) and W2 (Amelia…
The widely anticipated revival of “Gypsy “on Broadway has finally arrived, along with the reopening of the Majestic Theatre after a healthy renovation, requiring the theatre to be closed for nearly eighteen months. Most of the excitement was generated by the return of the renowned Broadway star Audra McDonald to the stage who would take on the iconic role of…
The title of Leslye Headland’s “Cult of Love” at the Helen Hayes demands attention. The Dahl family cult began in childhood: Diana (Shailene Woodley), Evie (Rebecca Henderson), Johnny (Christopher Sears), and Mark (Zachary Quinto) attended church faithfully with conservative Christian parents Ginny (Mare Cunningham) and Bill (David Rasche), vacationed annually at Big Meadows Lodge in Shenandoah National Park, never slept…
What could go wrong at a private school whose five-member board of directors makes all decisions based on consensus and has what benefitted the community at heart as their guiding principle. A board so committed to inclusion that The Eureka Day School in Berkeley, California’s cultural identity drop-down menu for prospective parents offers eleven choices. And if Eli (an oblivious…
Abby (Marisa Tomei) has co-produced records with Gus (Arliss Howard) for thirty-two years. She had been his right hand, but her name never appears on the album as co-producer. She finds talent. Gus takes the credit. Recognition is not the only problem. Gus is a misogynist and a prime example of toxic masculinity in the workplace and elsewhere. Abby colludes…
Families of any number, age, or culture often meet for special occasions, some more special than others. Depending on the mix of those above descriptors, these get-togethers result in quite different outcomes ranging from collegial to catastrophic. These gatherings can be around any number of holidays or around some specific tradition. Those celebrating a specific tradition are often annual events….
The charming new musical, “Maybe Happy Ending,” now playing at the Belasco Theatre, with music composed by Will Aronson and the book and lyrics penned by Mr. Aronson and Hue Park, will certainly make an audience leave the theatre smiling and thinking. Unlike many of the big, bombastic musicals arriving on the Great White Way, this is small and quiet,…
Gone are the turban, the grand staircase, the jewels, the chandeliers, the drapes, and the viewing of Norma Desmond’s monkey in the reimagining of “Sunset Blvd.” currently running at the St. James Theatre. Norma Desmond (an incandescent Nicole Scherzinger), Max Von Mayerling (a devoted and doting David Thaxton), Joe Gillis (a failed and still failing Tom Francis), and Betty Schafer…
As the characters are pressured into having their dirty laundry aired in the new play “Shit. Meet. Fan.” which is now in an extended run at MCC Theater, the list of reasons why the show does not work becomes longer than the clothesline. The cast may be the one reason the show is worth seeing, but that is not enough…