When we first meet Ralph, the main character in “Angry Alan,” the 85 minute play by Penelope Skinner at the intimate Studio Seaview, he isn’t angry. Portrayed by John Krasinski who played the genial Jim on tv’s “The Office,” how could he be? Jim was …Read more

Comedy is an art, and it isn’t easy. What some find amusing, others barely snicker at. Humor comes from wordplay and language, action, innuendo and exquisite timing. We can all agree on the universality of drama- loneliness, illness, depression and d …Read more

It’s December 17, 1957, and we are in the audience for the taping of the last Nat King Cole show. Cole was the first African-American to host a variety show and it was groundbreaking. Although the show had some local sponsors like Rheingold Beer, it …Read more

Set in a struggling barbershop in Harlem,in the 1950’s, “Ceremonies in Dark Old Men” by Lonnie Elder III focuses on the family of Russell B. Parker (a fine Norm Lewis) and his adult children. Parker’s business was unsuccessful so his wife worked to s …Read more

Composer-lyricist Jonathan Larson died before achieving success. He posthumously received three Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his groundbreaking musical “Rent”. The musical began Off- Broadway in 1996, but tragically, Larson died f …Read more

“It’s really hard to do anything when you don’t have much to look forward to. Because then you’re just stuck in the present. There’s nothing to do in the present. It’s here and then it’s gone. The present can be so… empty. So random. Something to loo …Read more

It’s hard to imagine our mothers’ lives when they were young women. What were their plans, goals, dreams? Do they have regrets? This is the premise of Bess Wohl’s new play, Liberation, presented by Roundabout Theatre Company, as the playwright envisi …Read more

Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” is considered a ‘problem’ play with its ambiguous tone, shifting from humor to dark elements in the person of one of the central characters, the Jewish Shylock. No matter what Shylock does, he is teased and mock …Read more

Photo by Julieta Cervantes So much theater is about family dynamics where we often recognize ourselves and our families on stage. However, sometimes we are relieved that it is NOT our family or your marriage. In “Blood Quilt” at the Mitzi Newhouse Th …Read more

Vladimir Putin is an intriguing figure and last spring, he was one of the two main characters in playwright Peter Morgan’s play “Patriots.” This season, a second show by Erika Sheffer called “Vladimir” also features the Russian leader. Presented by M …Read more