8,501 stories from Backstage
Director Michael Greif seasons the stew with a healthy dose of magic and wonder, and a game cast stirs the pot vigorously, but in the end, well, it's still "The Winter's Tale."
Strong performances from Al Pacino and Lily Rabe as Shylock and Portia dominate director Daniel Sullivan's uneven production of Shakespeare's problematic "comedy."
Like the object of its title, Marcus Gardley's "play with music" attempts to contain an ocean of ideas, characters, and plots, but the foundation is too weak, and the audience winds up getti…
Rich in ideas and beautifully performed, this is a play that's consistently admirable but only sporadically effective or affecting.
The Grand Manner is a touching if slight fable inspired by a 1948 real-life backstage meeting between an 18-year-old A.R. Gurney and theater star Katharine Cornell.
Unless you're a Great American Songbook obsessive, you aren't likely to glean much from this sketchy survey of Harry Warren's early life and compositions, despite a largely talented cast and…
There's a reason Ayn Rand's 1934 play Ideal is just now receiving its New York premiere. Her combination murder mystery and philosophical tract is repetitive, heavy with symbolism, and lacking in drama.
One of the most original and idiosyncratic talents to grace a New York stage, this theatrical legend shows that at 76 she still has what it takes. The lady is one class act.
Despite its campy fun, there just isn't enough to sustain this Memphis drag "evangel-tainment"; after two hours, the comedy ends up going south.
In Michele Willens' new play, well-off middle-class characters battle unhappiness, but a few good performances can't overcome the script's inherent falseness.
James Comtois' new vampire play is fresh and original, but Pete Boisvert's staging lacks theatrical bite.
Ashley Marinaccio creates nuanced characters and only rarely sacrifices story to politics in this tale of a lesbian couple encountering legal discrimination in the Manhattan of the 1980s.
Dietrich & Chevalier: The Musical is strictly for those looking for a quick nostalgia fix. Everyone else will be wise to steer clear of this unimaginative, thuddingly obvious jukebox bio-musical.
The jokes are heavy-handed, the melodies generic, and the lyrics without much wit. And none of it will matter.
The four-time Tony nominee displays her versatility and packs more than a few surprises into this fun, witty songfest.
The clumsy but well-intentioned drama "Reflections of a Heart," from Steppingstone Theatre Company, offers a different perspective on race relations in the 1940s and '50s.
Christopher Stetson Boal's new play wins points for originality, audacious theatricality, and brave and talented playwriting, even as it frustrates us.
This harsh play about quarrelling drug dealers doesn't deliver the goods.
In Lee Blessing's uneasy blend of naturalism and symbolism, it's never clear just what the playwright wants to say.
Though cartoonish in tone and performance, Carlos Ferrari's comedy about a woman who will stop at nothing to see that her daughter wins a beauty pageant is a true crowd-pleaser.
Though Charles Smith's three-hander is never less than engaging, I couldn't shake the feeling that this fascinating story requires a larger and messier canvas.
The topic of this solo drama on a legendary conductor and composer is fascinating, but one of the players is missing.
Though Nancy Anderson is giving a committed and commanding performance at Paper Mill Playhouse as the boy who won't grow up, she is forced by director Mark S. Hoebee's misguided production i…
Director-adapter Glory Bowen has effective ideas for adapting Oscar Wilde's 1891 novel to the stage. If only she didn't repeat them so often.
Wendy Beckett, in recounting the life of Tina Modotti, has been unable to find a suitable theatrical means to capture the essence of this astonishing woman.
