Despite its seemingly unsophisticated vibe, Shucked is an extremely polished, well-crafted musical. After all, the show is directed by Jack O’Brien (Hairspray, Full Monty, Porgy and Bess, Invention of Love.) Most importantly, it is loads of fun. Audi …Read more

I’ve seen my fair share of plays about racism, but I’ve never seen the struggle between a facist government and its oppressed citizens dramatized as a puppet show. In We, Puppets, presented by Associazione Campania Danza at the Casa Italiana Zerilli- …Read more

Shakespeare is the indisputable dominating figure on stages around the world—delivered in many languages.  But, no where does he seem to get more nuanced interpretations than in hometown New York City.  This more recent example is a move from The Pub …Read more

I am a native New Yorker, and I honestly love NYC. Although I know the city has its many flaws, I will defend it against all comers. Yet I cringed at the rosy ‘melting-pot’ version of the city painted in the new musical “New York, New York” in the 19 …Read more

There’s a fine line between satire and silliness, and “The Thanksgiving Play” crosses that line too often. Playwright Larisa Fasthorse takes shots at well-meaning, naive white people trying to be ‘woke.’ When her aim is true, she makes her point, hol …Read more

Sometimes performers are so good at their roles that they become forever identified with that part. For many, Sean Hayes will always be Jack on television’s “Will and Grace,” kooky, egocentric, and outrageously flamboyant. Those people would be surpr …Read more

The last time I saw “Sweeney Todd,” it was as a barebones production of 10 performers, including Patty Lupone and Michael Cerveris. Each performer even played an instrument, and the show was wonderful. The most recent revival, featuring a 26 piece or …Read more

I had such high hopes for the revival of Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot at Lincoln Center Theater this season. The music was a known quantity- glorious, lush and romantic. The title song had become a symbol of a young president JFK and the New Frontier h …Read more

Some of my favorite theater moments have come when something unexpectedly went wrong onstage. Alan Bates caught a picture falling off the wall and ad libbed about poor housekeeping. Faith Prince continued to type even as her typewriter table collapse …Read more

The real stars of the show “Life of Pi” are puppets: a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a 450 pound Royal Bengal tiger. Although animated by skilled puppeteers who make them move, purr, whine and growl, those creatures become so incredibly real, that …Read more