SUN, SAND & SCROOGE, DICKENS IN THE GASLAMP The Old Globe is presenting Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, reshaping the classic short novel into a parody titled Ebenezer Scrooge's BIG …
"TOWN OF NASTY" AND OTHER THINGS WE BLURT OUT FOR FREE SPEECH Immersive pulp fiction where the audience writes the filth The world premiere of Dirty Books is an immersive play written and di…
MISERY LOVES COMPANY " BUT WE DIDN'T BUY TICKETS FOR THAT A solo show so full of angst it forgets to entertain. I mean, there's baring your soul… and then there's burying the comedy Since …
DON'T JEW HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO? {From the Archives " Back in 2010, when Facebook was still fun and Broadway still flirted with stereotypes like they were going out of style (which they…
THE KEYS OF KNOWLEDGE What can I say about a show that offers one moment of delight after another while holding the anguish of parental narcissism, the joy of discovering one's own identity,…
A TRAGEDY FORETOLD " AND STILL SHOCKING Blood Brothers exposes the cruel divide of class and destiny I walked into the BCA Plaza Theatre in the South End neighborhood of Boston " and left sh…
MOTHER OF EXILES BAFFLES AT BERKELEY REP Jessica Huang's world premiere Mother of Exiles has posted a closing date of December 21. The lengthy run may not be a blessing for a disjoi…
POIROT TRIES STANDUP " CAN HE FIND THE LAUGHS? Hercule Poirot, Belgium's preeminent detective, makes a bold and comic appearance at Austin Playhouse in Steven Dietz's Peril in the Alps, a fo…
A BRIDGE TO UNDERSTANDING There may have been, at some point in human history, an evolutionary advantage to sorting other people into "us" and "them." But with modern weapons technology, wha…
THE PAST IS NEVER DEAD " IT RINGS THE DOORBELL Priestley's prophetic 1945 masterpiece glows with fierce clarity at Theatre 40 Masquerading as one of those staid drawing room mysteries Agatha…
THE NUTCRACKER: NOW WITH 69% MORE CRACK Because sometimes holiday spirit comes in fishnets and a martini glass While The Nutcracker graces stages worldwide, Brooklyn's Company XIV continues …
Steppenwolf's in-the-round production of Amadeus, directed by Robert Falls, takes a sparse approach to design, perhaps by necessity, or perhaps to highlight the juxtaposition between the cou…
THE RED-HEADED OPTIMIST IS BACK Just in time to nudge everyone into the holiday spirit, The Berkeley Playhouse is presenting Annie through most of December. This classic musical has been par…
Rainbow Entertainment Group's production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch opened with a bang at the Palm Springs Cultural Center tonight, delivering a performance that left the audience on their…
BEAUTY GETS MORE THAN SKIN DEEP Beauty's Daughter is a one-woman play by Dael Orlandersmith that centers on Diane, a young Black woman growing up in East Harlem, as she navigates a world mar…
THE MARATHON OF MAKING ART A process piece that asks as much of the audience as the ensemble Perhaps the title of Nazareth Hassan's new play Practice, which opened at Playwrights Horizons to…
CUTE MEETS CUTE, AGAIN Rendered with a rom-com frame around a night of emotional archaeology, Douglas Lyons's Table 17, briskly staged by Zhailon Levingston, wants to be irresistible, and fo…
A RIPPING GOOD YARN WITH A JOLLY GOOD CAST OPERATION MINCEMEAT EXTENDS ON BROADWAY When I first encountered Operation Mincemeat at Riverside Studios in London back in 2022, it was a scrappy,…
A HOLIDAY CAROL THAT HITS ALL THE RIGHT NOTES If you're looking for a holiday treat, look no further than the delightful production of A Sherlock Carol at the Lyric Stage. Brilliantly direct…
SPECTACULARLY CONFUSING You don't need me to tell you that J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series has tapped into something deeply elemental for many people. Her stories about a young wizard an…
FROM CALLING CUES TO TAKING THEM Ruth Sternberg on her unexpected return to The Public" this time as an actor For nearly two decades, Ruth Sternberg was one of the steady, unseen engines of …
A SHTETL REBUILT IN THE ROUND Douglas Sills leads Signature's spare, deeply felt Fiddler on the Roof that puts Anatevka's communal heartbeat at the center The beauty of tradition, Tevye the …
HELL'S ON FIRE Hell's Kitchen, a jukebox musical featuring the music of R&B superstar Alicia Keys (with several new songs) and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, took Broadway by storm in 2024, …
TWO WOMEN, ONE MATCH" STRIKE CAREFULLY Jen Silverman's combustible roommate saga kicks off Desert Ensemble Theatre's last lap Jen Silverman's The Roommate is a stunning opener for Desert Ens…
CALLOUS CALLAS CASTS A CAPTIVATING CHARACTER Maria Callas (1923-1977) was unquestionably one of the finest opera singers of the twentieth century. The mix of her great talent with her being …