6,908 stories from Stage and Cinema
BUILT ON SHAKY GROUND The direction dazzles, the acting impresses, but the writing falls short It doesn’t help Mud Row that it’s the second Dominique Morisseau play performed on a Chicag…
FROM CARNEGIE WITH LOVE Lena Hall brings power, style, and versatility to a celebration of six decades of James Bond music The James Bond franchise includes twenty-five films produced in six…
A TALE OF TWO PLAYS A gripping first act gives way to overplayed comedy before Edward Hall finds an enchanting, bittersweet finale The Winter’s Tale has long been considered one of William…
THE TROUBLE WITH AFTERMATH David Zax’s drama about a journalist’s return from Taliban captivity raises more questions than it answers There are many plays about war and what happens afte…
A HOUSE NOT QUITE WORTH LOSING Antaeus assembles a superb cast for Shaw’s comedy of a doomed society, but the production lacks the grandeur and dread to make its downfall devastating In 19…
DAZZLED IN THE DESERT A star-studded revival of Jon Robin Baitz’s family drama impresses even as its political conflicts feel increasingly distant Have you ever felt dazzled and detached…
THREE NIGHTS, ONE GRAND SONGBOOK A generous feast of cabaret favorites, delivered with warmth, wit, and occasional excess FIRST NIGHT—ONCE IN A BLUE MOON: A TRIBUTE TO MABEL MERCER Years h…
WHO COULD EVER HAVE DREAMED UP YOU? Yeston and Kopit’s alternative to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical gives familiar characters new depth and humanity Growing up singing along to Andrew Ll…
An Enjoyable Journey Into the Woods Be careful what you wish for. It’s the enduring lesson at the heart of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods, the Tony Award-winning musi…
INKBLOTS AND FLAT LINES Strong performances and striking visuals cannot disguise the shortcomings of Kelly Younger’s predictable new play What do you see when you look into an inkblot? In …
HER SIDE OF A VERY OLD STORY A woman’s perspective on an ancient classic of Indian literature The Sitayana (or, “How to Make an Exit”), written by the late, beloved, and influential Ch…
A PARTY WITH TOO MANY UNINVITED GUESTS Insightful, hilarious, and ultimately undone by its own ambitions Phanésia Pharel’s Dead Girl’s Quinceañera, now being performed at the Goodman T…
AN ADDRESS TO REMEMBER Billy Crystal finds humor and humanity after a terrible year Home is not simply the place where people live but the emotional world they create together. When fire tak…
NO CATHARSIS, NO COMPROMISE A fearless musical refuses easy answers Could we compel Raven Theatre to mount at least one unconventional musical every season? After the smashing success of the…
ELEVEN PERFORMERS, ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES A production so enchanting it wins over this skeptic The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which recently opened at The Public Theater, is a cross bet…
LOVE, LIES, AND ALGORITHMS Deft direction and strong performances elevate an inventive premise If you could build the perfect romantic companion, made exclusively to make you happy, would yo…
THREE VOICES, A LIFETIME OF SHOW BUSINESS Broadway, Hollywood, and LA theater come together for a two-night concert Soap operas, Broadway musicals, Shakespeare, and This Is Spinal Tap don’…
A DICKENS OF A DELIGHT A few shortcomings scarcely diminish this tuneful Dickens adaptation It’s a long story. It began in the mid-1800s as writer Charles Dickens’s lengthy episodic tale…
A POLITICAL CONVENTION IN SEARCH OF DIRECTION An ambitious recreation of the 1944 Democratic National Convention gets the atmosphere right but leaves even a knowledgeable observer bewildered…
A PORTRAIT PAINTED IN DANCE A luminous ballet of love and loss The Australian Ballet, founded in 1962, is now the largest classical ballet company in Australia. The company recently toured N…
NEEDS A STRONGER DOSE There’s heart and humor in this solo show, but not enough theatrical vitality The Best Medicine, now at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, is a well-meaning, sympathetic tale …
LITTLE ADO ABOUT NOTHING Everyone talks, nobody listens, and the results are wonderfully funny In a time of newspeak, disinformation, and alternate facts, Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist play,…
A ROOM WITH A FEUD A hilarious cast makes David Lindsay-Abaire’s roommate rivalry irresistible Why grow old gracefully when you can do it on your own terms? Ripcord, David Lindsay-Abaire…
THE COST OF CONVICTION Marilu Henner and Shannon Purser face off in a provocative debate that takes too long to get started Matthew Freeman’s new play, The Ask, now running at Off-Broadway…
BRINGING A DEAD MAN TO LIFE A brilliantly directed tale of brilliant misdirection The Tony and Olivier award-winning Operation Mincement: A New Musical, like the wartime operation it depicts…
