A Mensch for All Seasons By RUTH R. WISSE

This season marks 150 years since the birth of Sholem Aleichem, whose appeal to "something more cheerful" made him the most popular Yiddish writer at a time when more Jews spoke Yiddish than…

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Brush With the Bard by Michelle Kung

Audra McDonald is a veteran of theater, film, music and TV shows such as "Private Practice," but she still has a few holes in her acting résumé.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

A Remodeled 'Doll's House' by Paul Levy

Zinnie Harris updates Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" from late 19th-century Norway to the Edwardian political classes in 1909 London.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Popcorn and a Play By ELLEN GAMERMAN

Opera, sports and now a London theater's Greek tragedy, broadcast to screens around the world

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Improving on Perfection

Terry Teachout on the masterly staging of Horton Foote's great play "Dividing the Estate" in Hartford, Conn. Plus, a revival of the all-black '70s take on "The Wizard of Oz" in New York.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Clever Little 'Coraline' By TERRY TEACHOUT

Despite a self-assured score, casting missteps keep this new Off-Broadway musical from becoming a true hit.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Sinatra vs. 'My Way' By WILL FRIEDWALD

Frank Sinatra loathed singing "My Way," quite possibly the most popular number from the final act of his career.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Broadway, His Way By ELLEN GAMERMAN

Neil Patrick Harris is a star of satire and sendups-but he's serious about theater

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Broadway's No-Hitter, by Terry Teachout

Unlike some highbrow critics, I love musicals—and not just old ones, either. But the new shows that opened in the season just past illustrate my belief that the Broadway musical is suf…

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Stoppard Staged Shakespeare-Style By TERRY TEACHOUT

"Arcadia" and "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" are performed by two theater companies on stages modeled after those of the Elizabethan period.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

An American Classic Shines in Texas

Terry Teachout reviews a Houston performance of Clifford Odets's "Awake and Sing!" and a Dallas staging of Kurt Weill's "Lost in the Stars."

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Double Threat By ELLEN GAMERMAN

Broadway director Matthew Warchus is facing off with himself for a Tony Award.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

A 'Godot' Worth Waiting For

Sean Mathias's new production of "Waiting for Godot" at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London emphasizes the work's comic, even playful aspects.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

A Really, Really Big Show By TERRY TEACHOUT

"Giant," Michael John LaChiusa's musical version of Edna Ferber's 1952 novel, succeeds with a rich score and spare staging.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Echoes of Berlin By JOHN JURGENSEN

Cabaret singer Ute Lemper draws on Germany's past as she looks to make her songs more personal.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Branagh on Mystery and Mythology By CANDACE JACKSON

Actor-director Kenneth Branagh talks about his new detective series "Wallander," and coming superhero film "Thor."

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

'Glee' as the Anti-'High School Musical' By JAMIN BROPHY-WARREN

Ryan Murphy, the creator of the series "Nip/Tuck," takes a winking look at singing students in the new show "Glee."

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

'Idol' Hands by Ellen Gamerman

Constantine Maroulis, a 6th-place finisher on "American Idol," scores a Tony nod for his performance in "Rock of Ages."

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

The 'Boys' Are Back, but Different

Terry Teachout reviews "The History Boys" in Chicago and "The Merchant of Venice" in Brooklyn.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

'X-Men' Looks Back, Shouldn't Have By JOE MORGENSTERN

Nemeses clash, cutlery clanks, Jackman suffers; 'Girlfriends Past' is dumbed-down Dickens

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

From Classics to Comics By MICHELLE KUNG

Tony winner Liev Schreiber on his villainous role as Victor Creed, aka Sabretooth, in the new "X-Men" film.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Filmmaker Coen's Next Stage By ELLEN GAMERMAN

After Oscar for 'No Country,' comedy Off-Broadway

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

The End of a Long Wait By TERRY TEACHOUT

The Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of "Waiting for Godot" is beautifully simple and straightforward -- and very, very funny.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Roll Over, Rodgers and Hammerstein By ELLEN GAMERMAN

U2, Green Day, Bob Dylan and other rockers are churning out new Broadway musicals.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Eugene O'Neill, Master of Mirth By TERRY TEACHOUT

Robert Falls's revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Desire Under the Elms" masks the grim tale of passions with unintentionally comedic dialogue.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Subscription at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑