All stories by Clifford Lee Johnson Iii on BroadwayStars

Monday, May 25, 2015

The Altoona Dada Society Presents 'The Velvet Gentleman' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Ambition overreaches ability in Jon Steinhagen's split-personality comedy about the backstage tribulations of a theater company attempting to perform a Dadaist biography of Erik Satie.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

Headscarf and the Angry Bitch by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Zehra Fazal's warm, wise, and very funny one-woman play with music is a welcome addition to the ongoing, often contentious conversation between Muslim and non-Muslim America.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

Marilyn Monroe: Wouldn't It Be Fascinating by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Writer-director Erik Zambrano's rumination on the cost of fame, the loss of identity, and the mystery of desire loses itself in a nontraditional style of presentation that never connects wit…

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

NY Review: 'Picture Incomplete' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

By the time Trent Armand Kendall's one-man musical ends, he is wrung out and we are infused with the kind of glow that only a superlative performance can kindle.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

Picture Incomplete by Clifford Lee Johnson III

By the time Trent Armand Kendall's one-man musical ends, he is wrung out and we are infused with the kind of glow that only a superlative performance can kindle.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

Sex in Mommyville by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Anna Fishbeyn says little about mothers and sexuality that we haven't heard before, but she speaks with such gusto, wisdom, and sexual frankness that we're content to stop and hear it again.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto by Clifford Lee Johnson III

In a masterful display of acting and storytelling, Anna Khaja rivets the audience to its seats with her depiction of the events leading up to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the former …

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

John McMartin, Justina Machado & More Join A Free Man of Color by Clifford Lee Johnson III

<p>Five-time Tony Award nominee John McMartin and <i>In the Heights</i> vet Justina Machado have joined the cast of John Guare&rsquo;s <i><a href="http://www.b…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 05:58PM

Through the Night by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Daniel Beaty's thrilling play conjures a community of African Americans whose lives intertwine in a series of epiphanies, narrow escapes, and tragic accidents on a single summer night.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

Jay Alan Zimmerman's Incredibly Deaf Musical by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Though this autobiographical musical about a composer losing his hearing is flawed, it deserves to be seen.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

NY Review: 'POPart' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

The authors of this overly familiar tuner show great promise, but, apart from a rousing gospel number, this is a routine coming-of-age story.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

The Deep Throat Sex Scandal by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Is this a slyly subversive comedy or cheesy, amateurish theater with plenty of naked bodies? Hard to say, but its message of tolerance is worth hearing.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

Gibraltar by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Patrick Healey's two-person adaptation of James Joyce's "Ulysses," though not perfect, is rewarding theater for those who enjoy standout acting, a searching exploration of the human heart, a…

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

NY Review: 'That Hopey Changey Thing' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Playwright Richard Nelson lobs a grenade with this hyper-timely play about the midterm elections. Performed by a sterling ensemble, it should give everyone, right or left, pause to reflect.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

NY Review: 'Notes From Underground' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

"Notes From Underground" is a harrowing evening of theater that will appeal to those who delight in profound but difficult thought and exhaustive emotional venting.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

Ghosts in the Cottonwoods by Clifford Lee Johnson III

The Amoralists use this early Adam Rapp play to strike a blow against sclerotic modes of presentation and received attitudes in the minds of audiences and critics. I had a blast.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

The Extraordinary Ordinary by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Why anyone would want to see a mild musical is beyond me, but if you're in the mood for one, pay a visit to "The Extraordinary Ordinary."

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

NY Review: 'Jomama Jones: Radiate' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Though the show's roots as a concert are always on view, Daniel Alexander Jones' heartfelt performance in the title role, offbeat and delicious, grounds this entertaining musical as theater.SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

Connect Five by Clifford Lee Johnson Iii

These four one-acts from the Common Tongue theater company make up an evening of mediocre theater weighed down by the trite theme of connectedness.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM

Touch by Clifford Lee Johnson Iii

In theater, a revival is the bringing back to life of a play that has not been performed recently. "Touch," the 41-year-old musical, strains the definition of revival, because it is in no …

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:58PM
Sunday, August 12, 2012

NY Review: 'Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness!' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Fringe show "Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness!" delivers an hour of insightful comedy before becoming a tired academic debate about theater.

SOURCE: Backstage at 01:19AM
Saturday, August 11, 2012

NY Review: 'Saharava: A Ritualized Dance-Opera' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Spellbinding Fringe entry "Saharava" combines inventive choreography and Eastern-flavored music to trace the birth, life, and rebirth of a young everywoman.

SOURCE: Backstage at 10:57AM
Tuesday, July 31, 2012

NY Review: 'Shelter' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

A few stirring songs sandwiched among uninspired playwriting comprise "Shelter," a NYMF show about the plight of women and families in homeless shelters.

SOURCE: Backstage at 01:13AM
Thursday, July 26, 2012

NY Review: 'New Girl in Town' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Uneven casting and wrong-headed revisions sink Irish Rep's revival of "New Girl in Town," a 1957 musical adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie."

SOURCE: Backstage at 08:00AM
Sunday, July 1, 2012

NY Review: 'Captain Crash vs. the Zzorgwomen: Chapters 5 & 6' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

An amateurish book and a nondescript score fail to animate "Captain Crash vs. the Zzorgwomen: Chapters 5 & 6," a parody of Saturday afternoon movie serials.

SOURCE: Backstage at 07:10AM
Sunday, June 10, 2012

NY Review: 'The Lathe of Heaven' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Untitled Theater Company #61's adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin's classic science-fiction novel, "The Lathe of Heaven," is entertaining but flawed.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:00AM
Wednesday, June 6, 2012

NY Review: 'The Empress of Sex' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Duncan Pflaster's "The Empress of Sex," in the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, is an amusing exploration of the relationship between love and sex.

SOURCE: Backstage at 06:35AM
Sunday, June 3, 2012

NY Review: 'A Dance for Rylie' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Ingratiating performances can't rescue "A Dance for Rylie," a naive musical in the Planet Connections Festivity about the death of an HIV-positive gay man.

SOURCE: Backstage at 06:09AM
Thursday, April 19, 2012

NY Review: 'The Bachelors’ Tea Party' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

“The Bachelors’ Tea Party,” a unique amalgamation of a five-course afternoon tea service and a historical comedy, is more filling than fulfilling.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:28AM
Friday, March 16, 2012

NY Review: 'My Life With Men…and Other Animals' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

Author-actor Maria Cassi's delightful one-woman show "My Life With Men…and Other Animals" blends charming patter, hilarious clowning, and poignant songs.

SOURCE: Backstage at 05:05AM
Sunday, February 12, 2012

NY Review: 'The Threepenny Opera' by Clifford Lee Johnson III

This production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's classic 1928 show turns out to be an accessible entertainment and one of the most enjoyable musicals around.

SOURCE: Backstage at 09:23AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards