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Features
Going Fishing for a Big Musical Hit - a rumination inspired by the unlucky new musical Big Fish . . . . . .
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Older . . .
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New York-Broadway
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Macbeth - Perhaps the best way to sum up this production is to borrow a phrase from Shakespeare himself: "mingled yarn, good and ill together". . . "macbethlc13.html">Read More
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700 Sundays - Billy Crystal's back on Broadway, old enough to collect Social Security but still a charismaticcharmer. . .
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Betrayal-
While Craig is the ticket selling magnet, and both he and Rachel Weisz are excellent, the truly unforgettable character here is Rafe Spall as Jerry, the man sharing seven years of illicit afternoons with Emma. And Mike Nichols' more lavishly illustrate and , yes, funny production somehow works. . .
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The Snow Geese - Sharr White's Americanized Chekhovian familial drama is underscored by broader world in disarray and marks a welcome return to the stage by Mary-Louise Parker . . .
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The Glass Menagerie - New York theater goers are being bombarded by a veritable blizzard of plays by William Shakespeare this season. But one of the most thrilling revivals is The Glass Menagerie by the contemporary American theater's own Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams. . . . Extended t February 23, 2014!
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Pippin - The Big Tony Winner, with Best Musical Revival just one of its awards . . Read
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Matilda: The Musical - The very, very British musical has landed on Broadway with all its deliciously scary snap, crackle and pop in place--and as of 9/03 a new Miss Trunchbull (Craig Bierko) and Miss Honey (Jill Pace. . Read
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New York Off-Broadway
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What's it All About? Bacharach Reimagined -
What's it all about? It's about dusting off Burt Bacharach's songbook and presenting it to younger audiences with updated arrangements, seven wildly talented musician/singers and a first-rate creative production. . . .
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The Pigeoning - clever puppets and other visually entertaining elements add up to a show that entertains with a well-balanced set of humorous and somber moments. . . .
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Much Ado About Nothing -
This Mobile Unit production is staged with broad strokes, and never overreaches itself. Under Kwame Kwei-Armah's taut direction, it moves in the direction of simplicity. And, in two words, it's simply irresistible.. . .
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Lies My Father Told Me - a gentle musical with something of a rambling plot line. But thanks to the lively musical numbers and memorable characters, it remains interesting and entertaining. . .
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A Christmas Carol - Patrick Barlow's adaptation is an a entrancing and enlightened way to get into spirit of the season. . . .
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And Away We Go - Terrence McNally has clearly had a grand time stuffing his whirlwind romp through centuries of theatrical history with sly allusions and amusing dialogue. . .
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Mary-Kate Olsen Is In Love - Much of Mallery Avidon's play about angsty millenials is cleverand even thought-provoking, but it becomes increasingly jumbled and preachy.. . . .
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The Commons of Pensacola - Amanda Peet's entertaining debut play at MTC's City Center Main Stage deals with much the same issues as those explored in in Dennis Kelly's Taking Care of Baby at the neighboring smaller stage: profeteering from other people's tragedies, what to believe or not believe, and how the central players in a tragedy move on with their lives. . .
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One Night - Charles Fuller's poignant and timely play well staged and performed in
a joint production by the Cherry Lane Theatre and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. . .
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Taking Care of Baby - Dennis Kelly has "Americanized" his play for its off-Broadway premiere which benefits from a top drawer cast. . .
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The Preacher And The Shrink - Good's potentially interesting theme: (as it appears on the program cover) "How far will a father go to save his daughter?" is muddied by plot coincidences and implausible characters.. . .
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This Is My Office -
Our time with Andy in his office is about the non-spectacular, average struggles that life brings to us all. But the honesty and intimacy with which we go on this journey with Andy is what makes it truly special, and far from average. . . .
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Saint Joan -
There is something joyously original in this production. Still, this Saint Joan seems much more about Bedlam than about Shaw. Whether or not this is a good thing is a question members of the audience must answer for themselves.. . .
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Little Miss Sunshine - William Finn and James Lapine have musicalized the movie about the dysfunctional Hoover family. The 2nd Stage production is vastly revamped from its California premiere. . . .
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All That Fall - Samuel Beckett's rarely seen radio play gets a theatricalized treatment and has Dame Eileen Atkins and Sir Michael Gambon aboad to give it star powerered buzz . . .
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Domesticated - Bruce Norris's take on the political adulterer's confessional is enlivened by a terrific cast and dialogue . . .
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La Soiree -
All the world's a stage and at the Union Square Theatre where La Soiree proves it can be a sexy, screwy, spell-binding stage of circus, cabaret, and burlesque. . .
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The Jacksonians - Murder and drugs (more unusually imbibed than you're likely to have ever seen) heighten the macabre shenanigans of Beth Henley's new play at the New Group . . .
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Murder For Two -The piano playing duo's Agatha Christie spoof gets a second life at New World Stages . . .
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Disaster - This musical knows exactly what it is, and it happens to be a lot of fun. Disaster? Anything but.
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Becoming Dr. Ruth -
Welcome to New York, Dr. Ruth-- wasn't forthcoming-- the solo play is headed to an early grave December 22nd!. . .
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Juno And The Paycock - The chaos or "chassis" that according to Jack Boyle has the world in a terrible state in Sean O'Casey's 1924 play has all too many more recent counterparts in other countries and families. . . .
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Bad Jews - Extended again 12/29! You definitely don't have to be Jewish to find plenty to laugh at and — if you're unlucky enough to have a sanctimonious, razor-tongued relative like Daphna Feygenbaum — to identify with. Even without a Daphna on the family tree, there are plenty of problems likely to cause bad feelings and even long lasting hostilities in families of all faiths. . .
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London
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Gastronauts - This is an evening that turns theatre critics into food critics but there is plenty of food for thought . . Read
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Strangers On a Train - We know there is an ongoing audience demand for crime genre plays with the success of The Mousetrap and An Inspector Calls but in Strangers on a Train the audience will experience and be immersed in state of the art design.
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Mojo -
For those expecting to see a repeat from the Jerusalem team of director Ian Rickson and writer Jez Butterworth, there may be disappointment . . . Read
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Twelve Angry Men -For a period piece, Reginald Rose's Twelve Angry Men delivers a classic drama full of impassioned debate. . . Read
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The Scottsboro Boys - If you can overcome the satirical delivery of these very sad story, you will be blown away by this last collaboration between Kander and Ebb, by the exhilarating dance and wonderful singing in this thrilling production. . . Read
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From Here to Eternity - hopefully word of mouth will encourage people to make the trek to the far end of Shaftesbury Avenue to see this evocative wartime musical with its realistic edge. . . Read
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The Djinns of Eidgah - Abhishek Majumdar's play is complex and at points obscure because of its many characters, but the theme is clear about how youth are radicalised by the brutality of repressive regimes and torture. . . Read
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The Commitments - Set in the council estates and unemployment of Dublin in the mid 1980s, this show illustrates how music can provide the escape route both at a personal level of sinking into the music and at an economic one as the unemployed make a living from their band. . . Read
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Berkshires
New Jersey
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Oliver - the purpose of this show is to entertain rather than embrace the social ills existing in 19th century London during Dickens's days.Read More |
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Clever Little Lies - Thomas holds forth with a disarming charm, artful glibness and with a flair for motor-mouthed repartee speaks well of her as it does for the assertively amusing character she portrays and as devised by DiPietro. Read More |
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California
Wait Until Dark Watching Alison Pill's star turn should prove an effective remedy for the end of daylight savings time's darker afternoons. She lights up the stage. .. . .
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Humor Abuse
Lorenzo Pisoni may bring a clinical approach to his adept clowning, but he makes a
tremendous master of ceremonies to the scintillating circus of his life. By all means,
step right up. .. . .
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Connecticut/Hudson Valley
Irving Berlin's White Christmas - This much done holiday favorite gets a fine revival at the Westchester Broadway Theatre,. . .
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Washington - DC
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Love in Afghanistan -
Roya and Duke come from very different parts of the globe and very different backgrounds. That's what makes their meeting at Bagram Air Force Base in Kabul, Afghanistan so interesting. . . .
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New & Noteworthy
Top of List
Philadelphia
Cock - In Mike Bartlett's play, onstage at Theatre Exile, spatial choreography reveals isolation, influence, and alliances. . . .
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Hamlet -
Quintessence Company's Hamlet ditches connective tissue in favor of action
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