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

“The number of effective antibiotics to treat him keeps decreasing….With every infection his lung function is getting worse and worse.” Such is the plight at the center of Lifeline, the new musical playing the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at the …Read more

Orthodox Jews won’t work on the Sabbath. Work includes simple tasks, such as turning on air conditioners and lights. Over the years they have enlisted the aid of a Shabbos Goy, a non-Jew who helps by performing some of these chores. Some famous peopl …Read more

Can two extremely talented female performers overcome their history of unhappy relationships and learn to love again? Zoe Sarnak and Rachel Bonds’s rock musical, The Lonely Few, is a lesbian romance about moving on from the past and taking a chance t …Read more

Brian Friel’s play “Molly Sweeney” directed by Charlotte Moore is staged in the simplest form imaginable. The three major characters are seated in chairs on stage. They speak directly to the audience and never to one another. The staging works partic …Read more

It’s estimated that there are over 5 million people who belong to book clubs and 80% of the participants are women. Some of the clubs are organized and have a paid leader while others are more informal. Some organize themes around their selections an …Read more

The NYTW production of “Here There Are Blueberries” in a co-production with Tectonic Theater Project, begins with a single object onstage. It is a Leica camera and the narrator explains how it changed culture. And although pictures capture images, we …Read more

The revision of “Uncle Vanya” at Lincoln Center is notable for two reasons. One is that it has been modernized by Heidi Schreck (“What the Constitution Means to Me”) making it more relatable to the audience. More significantly, the show marks the Bro …Read more