Saturday, March 2, 2024

Jelly’s Last Jam – Hopefully Not Truly The Last by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander  The trick when presenting a biographical vehicle is to make sure the audience is able to relate to the subject in question. Especially if that subjects happen t…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 12:54AM
Friday, February 2, 2024

Once Upon A Mattress - Sheer Perfection by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Every once in a great while, all the elements in a theatrical production align perfectly. So it is with the Encores! Production of the 1959 musical comedy, Once U…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 09:06AM
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

A Matter of Faith - Where Just Having Conviction Is Not Enough by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander The question of faith and what it represents can be found at the core of Ian Richard Barnes' very intense and sometimes talky drama, A Matter of Faith. Presented b…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 02:18PM
Tuesday, November 21, 2023

SCENE PARTNERS - It's Never Too Late, or Is It? by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander “The past isn’t as frightening with one foot in the present.” So says a character in Scene Partners, the new comedy-drama by John J. Caswell, Jr., now at th…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 07:42PM
Saturday, September 23, 2023

The Writing on the Stall - Potty Humor of the Highest Caliber by Byrne Harrison

Review by Byrne HarrisonPhoto by Arin Sang-Urai Caitlin Cook provides an evening of bathroom humor and touching truth in her show The Writing on the Stall, currently running at the SoHo Play…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 11:07PM
Sunday, September 10, 2023

Back to the Future: The Musical - An Unnecessary Trip by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander The Broadway graveyard is filled with musical efforts that sprang from movies. Groundhog Day, Mrs. Doubtfire, Rocky and Pretty Woman among some of the more recent…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 12:55AM
Sunday, May 7, 2023

Camelot - Where ideals and human nature collide by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Some people will always be resistant to change. Though if said changes are truly worthwhile, one should never stop trying to make them a reality. This is the mess…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 10:24PM
Thursday, April 27, 2023

Shucked - A down-home treat by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Shucked, the new musical comedy at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre has far too many corn-related puns, references, and innuendos to count. It’s also corn-popp…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 12:18AM
Monday, April 17, 2023

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart - A Wondrous Journey of the Soul by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander The aim of immersive theatre is to have the audience feel they’re actually a part of the story. So it is with the National Theatre of Scotland’s funny, poign…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 09:36PM
Thursday, April 13, 2023

Grief: A One Man ShitShow by Judd Hollander

 Reviewed by Judd Hollander The hard truth is that every one of us will someday be ripped apart by the unspeakable pain of losing someone near and dear. That is, if it hasn’t to you hap…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 01:54AM
Saturday, April 8, 2023

Bad Cinderella - Well, Yes It Is; But Only Mostly by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander  Bad Cinderella, the new musical at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre, is the latest effort from composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. While the show boasts a very appealing…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 06:24PM
Tuesday, March 7, 2023

The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window - When Dreams Die by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander There's a line in the 1939 film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" about lost causes being the only ones worth fighting for. This also proves to be the ultimate truth …

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 07:13PM
Sunday, February 12, 2023

Some Like It Hot- A Rollicking Good Time by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander The classic 1959 film "Some Like It Hot" gets the Broadway treatment and comes out running on pretty much all cylinders. Thanks in no small part to an excellent sc…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 09:18AM
Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Heaven – What Does It Mean To You? by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander  When it comes to Eugene O’Brien’s drama Heaven, the story begins and ends with the play’s final line. Presented by Fishamble, this intriguing work about p…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 07:22PM
Sunday, December 25, 2022

A Child's Christmas in Wales - The Power of Memories by Judd Hollander

Review by Judd Hollander Vivid recollections of a time long ago often strike a poignant note. Especially to those who never experienced them but wish so much that they could. Such a case i…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 04:12AM
Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Nothing But Thunder - Gods Behaving Badly by Byrne Harrison

Review by Byrne HarrisonPhoto credit: Duncan Pflaster Photography and Graphic Design Dionysus.  God of theatre and wine.  Son of Zeus.  A man who can drive women to the heights of ecstasy…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 01:43AM
Monday, June 13, 2022

Belfast Girls - Hope, Hypocrisy and Grim Reality by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander In the late 1840's the colonial government of Ireland, in the face of a severe famine and resulting economic crisis, came up with the Orphan Emigration Scheme. Cap…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 09:12PM
Saturday, November 27, 2021

The Lehman Trilogy - A complex tale made breathtakingly clear by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Told in what can best be described as a continual stream of consciousness, the Broadway play The Lehman Trilogy recounts the rise and fall of what would become a g…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 08:03PM
Saturday, November 28, 2020

"Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon" - An Enlightening Journey Into Darkness by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander In the closing narration of the classic Twilight Zone television episode "Where is Everybody?" series creator Rod Serling talks about isolation, the barrier of lo…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 07:06PM
Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Book Review: The Understudy by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd HollanderIf you're looking for a complicated dissertation on what it takes to be an actor, then The Understudy, a novel by Ellen Tovatt Leary, is not for you. Though if you …

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 02:42PM
Friday, March 20, 2020

The Woman in Black - Where Innocence Meets The Unexplainable by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander (Originally scheduled to run through April 19th, The Woman in Black, as well as all other live performances at the McKittrick Hotel have been suspended until fu…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 02:12AM
Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Dana H - Portrait of A Real-Life Nightmare by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Playwright Lucas Hnath unveils a very personal tale which examines one of humankind's deepest fears. Being held captive by another person while you pray for your…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 12:48AM
Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice - Trying Too Hard To Be What One Is Not by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Such is the message of the new musical Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice. Presented by The New Group at …

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 12:24AM
Sunday, February 23, 2020

Mack & Mabel - The Perennial Bridesmaid by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Watching Douglas Sills sing “Movies Were Movies”, the opening number in the recent Encores! production of the 1974 Broadway musical Mack & Mabel, one can …

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 04:54PM
Saturday, February 15, 2020

Medea - Hell Still Hath No Fury... by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Director Simon Stone has staged his new adaptation of Euripides' classic revenge story Medea, now at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, on a white background. Bob …

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 02:03AM
Friday, February 7, 2020

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake - Finding The Freedom To Be Yourself by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander One of the basic tenets of people everywhere is the need to express who they are inside. This is the underlying principle beautifully expressed in the absolutel…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 02:54AM
Monday, January 6, 2020

Judgment Day - The Degrees of Responsibility by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander The idea that every person is responsible for their own actions is a basic tenet in most societies. However, when those actions are called into question, uncoveri…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 10:06PM
Friday, January 3, 2020

Greater Clements - Starting Over Is Not For Everyone by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Just about everybody has wished for a second chance at least once in their lives. The opportunity to undo a certain decision, change the direction of one's life o…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 12:06PM
Wednesday, December 11, 2019

The Gospel of John - An Enlightening Tale, Masterfully Told by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander The key to telling a story, no matter how old it may be, is the ability of the one doing the telling to imbue it with passion from the here and now. A particular…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 10:18PM
Saturday, November 23, 2019

Slava Snowshow - A Wonderful World to Visit by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander Clowns exist in their own pocket universe. A point from which they can project everything from a childlike innocence to a bit of misguided whimsy, a can-do attit…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 04:18PM
Friday, November 8, 2019

Big Apple Circus - Thrills and Fun for All! by Judd Hollander

Reviewed by Judd Hollander The most important element of any circus is the ability to instill feelings of joy and amazement in its audience. Something Big Apple Circus, now beginning its 4…

SOURCE: Stage Buzz at 08:48PM

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