All stories by Mike Hale on BroadwayStars

Monday, January 1, 2024
Monday, June 10, 2019

Review: As Broadway Gets Bigger, the Tonys Get Blander by Mike Hale

CBS’s broadcast of the 73rd annual ceremony was a safe, unsurprising show that even James Corden couldn’t liven up.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:42AM
Monday, February 25, 2019

John Mulaney and Seth Meyers Fondly Send Up Sondheim. He’s Amused. by Mike Hale

The tribute to a 1970 documentary about the musical “Company” is part of the third season of IFC’s “Documentary Now!”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:14PM
Friday, December 14, 2018

Critic’s Notebook: ‘Springsteen on Broadway,’ and This Time It Isn’t Sold Out by Mike Hale

This Netflix film gives a straightforward, unadorned, up-close experience of Bruce Springsteen’s solo show, and it doesn’t cost a month’s rent.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:48PM
Monday, June 11, 2018

Review: Hope and Restraint at the Tonys. Then Came Robert De Niro. by Mike Hale

The broadcast didn’t ignore the national unrest, but the show’s overall tone was ingratiating and its words restrained. Mr. De Niro changed that.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:36AM
Friday, April 6, 2018

Review: Al Pacino Stars in HBO’s ‘Paterno,’ a Tragedy Without a Hero by Mike Hale

Barry Levinson directed this film about the Penn State sex-abuse scandal and the downfall of the university’s legendary football coach, Joe Paterno.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:55PM
Tuesday, August 8, 2017

7 Shows for President Trump to Watch on His Vacation by Neil Genzlinger, Mike Hale, Margaret Lyons and Ben Brantley

The president is spending 17 days in New Jersey and New York. A few of our critics weigh in with recommendations of shows to watch (besides the news).

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:12AM
Friday, August 12, 2016

Review: ‘The Get Down’ Is ‘West Side Story’ With Rappers and Disco Queens by Mike Hale

“The Get Down” takes the strivers, spitfires and gang bangers of that film and repurposes them in a tale of the origins of hip-hop.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:07AM
Monday, June 13, 2016

Critic's Notebook: The Tonys: A Polished Night of Selling Broadway, With Nods to a Tragedy by Mike Hale

The host, James Corden, began the show with a short tribute to the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., and a salute to the inclusiveness of the theater world.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:25AM
Wednesday, March 16, 2016

David Tennant, a Former Doctor Who, Dons a Monarch’s Crown by Mike Hale

Mr. Tennant plays the lead in “Richard II,” part of a tetralogy of Shakespeare historical plays coming to the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:20AM
Friday, November 6, 2015

Review: ‘Flesh and Bone,’ a Ballet Drama With Strippers by Mike Hale

This Starz series features Sarah Hay as a newcomer ballerina with a shady second job, and Ben Daniels as the dance company’s artistic director.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:02PM
Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Clive Owen Brings His Suave Rogue Rhythm to ‘Old Times’ on Broadway by Mike Hale

Mr. Owen, who stars in “The Knick” on Cinemax, will take the stage for the first time in 14 years in the Broadway revival of Harold Pinter’s “Old Times.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:25AM
Friday, August 21, 2015

Review: On ‘Blunt Talk,’ Patrick Stewart Is Far From Home and Caught With His Pants Down by Mike Hale

Mr. Stewart’s character, Walter Blunt, is having a late-life nervous breakdown, but neither Blunt nor the show takes his crisis very seriously.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:37PM
Sunday, June 28, 2015

Review: ‘Larry Kramer in Love & Anger,’ Portrait of the Rebel as Gay Activist by Mike Hale

A documentary examines the playwright, a founder of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, and a man noted for the passion of his convictions.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:52PM
Monday, June 8, 2015

Critic’s Notebook: Critic’s Notebook: The Tonys Show Celebrates the Stage Without Any Real Theater by Mike Hale

No one said or did anything excessively moving or embarrassing, if you don’t count the person who picked the lavender shorts suit Alan Cumming wore in the show’s opening.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:37AM
Monday, May 25, 2015

Newly Invigorated, Facing Adversaries by MIKE HALE

With his cancer in remission, Michael C. Hall is back as the sympathetic serial killer on the Showtime series “Dexter.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Movie Review | 'My Soul to Take': Death Reclaims His Fractured Psyche by MIKE HALE

"My Soul to Take" has the comic pop-culture references and dreamy shocks of a Wes Craven film, but the director's heart does not seem to be into it.

SOURCE: movies.nytimes.com at 05:58PM
Thursday, April 2, 2015

Review: ‘Wolf Hall,’ the Mini-Series, Unspools Its Power Plays on PBS by Mike Hale

Mark Rylance stars in this television adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize-winning novels.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:40PM
Wednesday, December 17, 2014

After ‘The Affair,’ Ruth Wilson Hits Broadway in ‘Constellations’ by Mike Hale

Ruth Wilson, an established presence in Britain, is poised to conquer America, making her Broadway debut in “Constellations” just as her first season on Showtime’s “The Affair” com…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:00AM
Friday, May 16, 2014

Known for Films Like ‘Ran,’ a Japanese Actor Turns to the Stage by Mike Hale

Tatsuya Nakadai, in New York for a screening of his 1966 film "The Face of Another," says he no longer enjoys watching Japanese movies as much as he used to.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:56PM
Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Television Review: ‘Kirstie,’ a TV Land Sitcom, Stars Kirstie Alley by Mike Hale

TV Land has added “Kirstie,” featuring Kirstie Alley as a narcissistic Broadway actress, to its lineup.    

SOURCE: tv.nytimes.com at 05:05PM
Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Watchlist: Years after the Headlines, the Documentary Arrives by Mike Hale

Four years after its director was arrested in Nigeria and charged with spying, "Delta Boys" arrives.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:00PM
Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Watchlist: Falling (or Flying) With Neil Patrick Harris by Mike Hale

Checking out a new Web video series starring Neil Patrick Harris and Muppets.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:44PM
Sunday, June 17, 2012

ArtsBeat: A 'Ulysses' For Those Unable to Make 'Bloomsday on Broadway' by Mike Hale

A new radio adaptation, with Stephen Rea as the narrator and Henry Goodman among those lending their voices, is available to American listeners on the BBC Web site.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:10PM
Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Eagle-Cam: Cuteness and Danger in Equal Measure by Mike Hale

The appeal of the broadcast probably lies largely in the sentimental reading we bring to it, but there's wildness and a palpable undercurrent of danger, too.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:38PM
Thursday, February 17, 2011

'Whale Wars' Waits on Japanese Government by Mike Hale

In the unlikely event that the Japanese give up whaling for good, "Whale Wars" could be over, but the Sea Shepherd society has recently begun monitoring the hunting of dolphins.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:21PM
Monday, January 24, 2011

'Medium' Ends With Emotional Farewell by Mike Hale

For seven seasons, first on NBC and then on CBS, "Medium" offered a blend of outlandish story lines and a believable marriage.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:44PM
Friday, January 14, 2011

WatchList: Web Series With Polish by Mike Hale

In the WatchList column in this weekend's Arts & Leisure section, we take a look at some Web series at the higher end of the food chain.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:30PM

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