Jessica Chastain is undeniably one of the finest actresses performing in the movies today. When it was announced that she would return to Broadway after an 11 year gap, it was considered an event. Starring in Henrik Ibsen’s “The Doll’s House,” Chasta …Read more

What kind of person can laugh amid the jaws of hell? One who knows his survival depends on it. In Cabaret in Captivity, we become those imprisoned in the Terezin Camp as, in commemoration—not celebration—of one year in residence, a group of performer …Read more

Identity is a tricky, complicated thing. That was the main idea I pondered as I left the theatre after Karl O’Brian Williams’ The Black That I Am: a pastiche of monologues, scenes, and movement that traces some of the struggles inherent in being Blac …Read more

Though it seemed a little counterintuitive to leave my Harlem apartment and trek down to the Lower East Side to watch a play about Harlem, I’m glad I did. In She’s Got Harlem on Her Mind, the Metropolitan Playhouse presents three one-acts by Eulalie …Read more

“You have no control who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” If Calamity Jane was a character in Hamilton, I have to think she’d agree with General Washington—probably very vocally, uttering a curse and slamming a bottle of whisky on the table as …Read more

photo by Joan Marcus Historically, the Jewish people have been wanderers, always in search of a homeland. They moved from place to place seeking somewhere to put down roots. Never totally welcomed, often barely tolerated until they were chased out. A …Read more

Photos by Julieta Cervantes Today most celebrities are on social media, so everything they do is shared with the public. It was quite different years ago when celebrities like Neil Diamond performed. If they chose to keep their lives private, they st …Read more

Photo Credit Monique Carboni I love comedians who are skilled at wordplay. Some relate stories; others deliver one liners, generally without the gratuitous use of foul language. They make you laugh and then give you something to think about after the …Read more

Photo by Russ Rowland The theme that runs through Anthony Rapp’s one man show at the New World Stages is loss. Known for originating the role of Mark the videographer in “Rent,” Rapp wrote his memoir entitled “Without You” and uses segments of it for …Read more

photo by Jeremy Daniel Andy Warhol is as famous for his iconic look as for his silkscreen paintings such as Campbell’s Soup Cans and Marilyn Diptych and his experimental films. Before seeing the Manhattan Theater Club’s latest offering “The Collabora …Read more

photo by Joan Marcus It’s hard to imagine a show by Stephen Sondheim that wasn’t an immediate hit; yet “Merrily We Roll Along,” first produced in 1981, left the critics and audiences unimpressed. It was not the success that previous collaborations by …Read more

Sometimes one performer in a small cast stands out among the rest. That’s one of the problems with the revival of “Between Riverside and Crazy,” the 2015 Pulitzer-Prize winning play by Stephen Adly Guirgis. Stephen McKinley Henderson, theatrical jour …Read more

Those who adore Audra McDonald for her magnificent singing voice often forget what a fine actress she is. The six-time Tony Award winner once again puts her talents on display in Adrienne Kennedy’s “Ohio State Murders.” Although the 92 year old autho …Read more

photo by Matthew Murphy How would you define an old-fashioned musical? Maybe a show with non-stop singing and dancing, storylines that we accept even when implausible, a love story or two and a happy ending. Those of you who love shows like “Music Ma …Read more

Ingrid Michaelson and Christmas were made for each other. The indie pop singer-songwriter proved this with the release of her wistfully gorgeous 2018 album Songs for the Season, and again last weekend at The New York Pops’ annual Christmas concert. I …Read more

photo by Joan Marcus The day before I attended “Ain’t No Mo’,” a new comedy by Jordan E. Cooper, the show posted a closing notice for December 18. It is a unique satirical show that played to sold-out audiences Off-Broadway but only filled 47% capaci …Read more

‘Tis the season for one-person Dickens shows. While Jefferson Mays performs a one-man version of A Christmas Carol on Broadway, Eddie Izzard is performing her solo version of Great Expectations Off-Broadway at The Greenwich House Theater. Izzard, a d …Read more

Michael Urie is always a delight to watch, so it should come as no surprise that he’s also a delight to talk to. While his most recent Broadway credit was the uproarious comedy Chicken & Biscuits, he’s been busy Off-Broadway and beyond: in the ne …Read more

It was the second week of October, and Mack Wilberg, Music Director of the world-renowned Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, had just been given the green light to proceed with the annual Christmas concert after a year off for the pandemic. That mean …Read more

  Between 1910 and 1940, San Francisco’s Angel Island processed somewhere around 250,000 Chinese immigrants. Often detained in a prison-like environment for weeks, months, or even years, Chinese immigrants had to undergo a rigorous series of tes …Read more

photo by Julieta Cervantes Alfie is a quiet, ordinary man who is a ticket-taker on a bus during the day, but by evening he is the director of the players at St Imelda’s Church. The power of the theater transforms Alfie and his loyal company of thespi …Read more

At the end of Shakespeare’s classic play, “Romeo and Juliet,” Juliet awakens to realize that Romeo is dead. Heartbroken, she commits suicide. What if she didn’t kill herself? What if, instead, she leaves Verona with her best friends and her trusty nu …Read more

“Kimberly Akimbo” opens with Kimberly approaching her 16th birthday; and nearing the end of her life expectancy. She is a special teenage girl who suffers from a rare condition that causes her to age at 4 1/2 times the normal rate. So at 16, she has …Read more

It’s probably safe to say that mime theatre is an underappreciated art form. But if you want to see modern miming at its best, look no further than Broken Box Mime Theater. The company’s most recent production, A BKBX Frankenstein, was an entertainin …Read more

There’s nothing like an evening at Carnegie Hall in the company of the New York Pops and four Broadway stars, as charming as they are talented, to put stars in your eyes and a song in your heart. Those four stars are Nikki Renée Daniels, Jordan Donic …Read more

photo by Emilio Madrid Cancer, type two diabetes, death. Hardly the fodder for comedy – Yet In the hands of Mike Birbiglia, this serious subject matter becomes hysterical in his latest one-man show, “The Old Man and The Pool.” As with his other shows …Read more

Halloween may be over, but as long as Radiotheatre’s The Haunting of 85 East 4th Street is playing at The Kraine Theater, spooky season is emphatically not. Written by Dan Bianchi, this sufficiently terrifying show, which opened 16 years ago, returns …Read more

Photo-by-Matthew-Murphy A show about rock music should be loud. So loud that you feel the music going through you! When the cast of “Almost Famous: The Musical ” took the stage and performed “Ramble On,” I felt the vibrations pounding through my ches …Read more

On Sunday, The Lion King celebrates its 25th Broadway anniversary. That will also be a milestone for Ray Mercer, who’s been with the show for 20 years, making him one of the longest-running male dancers in Broadway history. In addition to playing the …Read more

photo-by-Julieta-Cervantes The true star of the revival of “August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson” isn’t Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Brooks or John David Washington. Although the three actors all give fine performances, the true star of the drama is the e …Read more