23,021 stories from Variety
Scottish Enlightenment is principal theme
ACT forges ahead with pricey production
'Met: Live in HD' gets theater orgs' attention
There are no ills, musical-theater-wise, that can't be cured by sending a cornucopia of bounteous melody mixed with irrepressible twinkle-eyed wit cascading across the footlights. That's the…
Douglas Hodge's purposeful production makes a sincere case for its revival, notably via a vigorous, fiercely controlled Jonathan Pryce in the title role. But even Pryce in top form cannot di…
Necessarily but imaginatively reduced in scale for touring purposes, this fully satisfying roadshow version of "Mary Poppins" flies into Chicago with air under its wings (or, rather, its umb…
The play's relevance is secondary to the virtuoso work of its lead actor, who unleashes a dazzling arsenal of mime, clowning and physical techniques to swerve in an instant between comedy an…
Agent promoted in legit department
There are many pitfalls to adapting George Orwell's dystopian nightmare "1984," and playwright Alan Lyddiard has encountered most of them in his double-plus-bad adaptation, playing at 59E59.
Dynamite production, developed under the Cherry Lane Theater's laudable Mentor Project, makes an auspicious opener for the Cherry Pit, the company's new Off Broadway space in the West Villag…
In initial production and its previous revivals (in 1983 and 1994), the play was declared incendiary, if problematic and occasionally flat. Now, unfortunately, it's problematic, flat and no …
The play is a dud, as thin on humor as it is on emotional rewards.
Actress, singer to perform on Wednesday
Added plot points and additional characters amplify the history of this duo, but do little to bolster the true strength of this show: Broder's and Smith's soaring reenactment of Louis Prima …
Despite flashes of insight and intrigue, and some commanding performances in Anna D. Shapiro's production for the Goodman Theater, in its present form "Magnolia" is a mostly leaden work, eff…
Three weeks after history buff Frank Wildhorn's egregiously overwrought tuner "Rudolf" limped onto the stage of Vienna's Raimund Theater, the German-language premiere of "Spring Awakening" o…
Play's difficult subject and mercurial moods are mostly respected by Kate Whoriskey ("Ruined"), who helms a tight ship in this Playwrights Horizons premiere, and by a sterling cast that seem…
Nature Theater of Oklahoma, which has forged a sharp, witty and utterly distinctive performance style from elements charitably called garbage, has hit the mother lode in Rambo Solo. Conceived and made flesh by company founders Pavol Liska and Kelly Copper, the idiosyncratic one-man piece is performed with hilarious conviction by Zachary Oberzan, whose maniacally funny (and quite touching) obsession with the story of Rambo: First Blood inspired the show. A snug fit at SoHo Rep, which collects all kinds of artistic oddities, the lunatic creation is enhanced by a meticulously filmed chronicle of Oberzan's Odyssean efforts to explain himself.
With all the anger in the air in these dark days for the nation, there's a certain schadenfreude in watching Yasmina Reza's acid-dipped takedown of smug self-interest in God of Carnage. Examining how the straitjacket of civilized society can barely contain the primitive beast within, the fanged comedy picks an easy target in the complacent bourgeoisie. But the savagery of its dissection of interpersonal politics—marital, sexual, and civic—is played to perfection by a scorching cast in Matthew Warchus' pungent production.
Road grosses
Olivier-winng designer prepping multiple shows
Flood of new shows tests uncertain market
New Cherry Pit will become its third stage
Monologist Mike Daisey is a commanding, captivating presence as he addresses the state of live theater in this country. He just doesn't know when enough is enough, holding forth for more tha…
