Monday, March 25, 2024

Toby Stephens Returns to the New York Stage to Investigate the Media In ‘Corruption’ by Harry Haun

Toby Stephens talks about 'Corruption,' the new play about the UK phone hacking scandal. “We’re still living in the aftermath of all the stuff that came out," he says.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 04:55PM
Thursday, March 21, 2024

‘Water for Elephants’ Theater Review: “I’ve Never Hated Any Show More” by Rex Reed

Everything is so exaggerated and phony that it’s hard to believe the director is the same Jessica Stone responsible for the charming, imaginative Tony Award winner 'Kimberly Akimbo'

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:00PM

John Patrick Shanley Is This Theater Season’s King Dramatist by Harry Haun

The playwright talks about the revival of his Pulitzer Prize winning 'Doubt' on Broadway and his new show Off Broadway.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 02:54PM
Wednesday, March 20, 2024

‘Illinoise,’ a Newish Kind of Musical, Is Headed to Broadway by Caedra Scott-Flaherty, Caedra Scott-Flaherty

Justin Peck first suggested a staged adaptation of 'Illinois' in 2014, but it took several years for Sufjan Stevens to agree to it.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 03:26PM
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Theater Review: Broadway’s ‘The Notebook’ Is Shallow, Boring and Slow by Rex Reed

Maryann Plunkett and Dorian Harewood deserve a better showcase.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 02:29PM
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Review: Volunteers In A Drug Trial Just Say Yes In ‘The Effect’ by David Cote

Is it love or a side effect? Lucy Prebble’s 2012 play interrogating the difference between spontaneous emotions and drug-induced moods is given a cool, minimalist makeover in a revival at …

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:01PM
Monday, March 11, 2024

Review: New Drama About the Murdoch Phone Hacking Scandal by David Cote

This ripped-from-the-headlines story has a strong cast and a worthy message. But it ought to be more thrilling than it is. 

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:01PM
Thursday, March 7, 2024

Review: A Priest and a Nun Walk into a War in Contemporary Classic ‘Doubt’ by David Cote

'Doubt,' one of the top ten American dramas of this century, is now back on Broadway in an impressive revival.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:01PM
Monday, March 4, 2024

Review: It All Comes Out in the Wash at John Patrick Shanley’s ‘Brooklyn Laundry ‘ by David Cote

The veteran playwright-director tosses together two soiled souls—played by Cecily Strong and David Zayas—adds softener, and gives ’em a whirl.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 06:09PM
Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Spring Theater Preview: Navigating a Flood of Shows on Broadway and Off by David Cote

Between now and the end of April a whopping 18 plays and musicals will open on the Great White Way. Here's the best of what's coming, both on and Off Broadway.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:00AM
Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Review: Unwinnable Wars Lead to Impossible Debates in ‘The Ally’ by David Cote

Page-filling blocks of strong words are unfurled in this campus drama, as playwright Itamar Moses articulates—passionately and eloquently—each side of weighty issues of the moment, from …

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:01PM
Monday, February 26, 2024

Cynthia Nixon On Playing Eight (Out of 10) Roles In ‘The Seven Year Disappear’ by Harry Haun

The "And Just Like That..." and "Gilded Age" star talks about playing a performance artist (and seven other roles) in the Off Broadway show "The Seven Year Disappear."

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 01:37PM
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer Puts the Pop Diva In ‘Spamalot’ by Harry Haun

In 'Spamalot,' Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer pays homage to—or shamelessly satirizes—pop icons. “They change every night,” she says. “I do a little Celine Dion—although there are some…

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:14AM
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Review: Second Stage Theatre’s ‘The Apiary’: Stinging or Sweet As Honey? by David Cote

Set 22 years from now — as climate change has doomed the bees and thus humanity — this high-concept play mixes sci-fi with black comedy.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:01PM
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Review: Fake News Makes Musical Headlines in ‘The Connector’ by David Cote

This musical about a fabulist at a magazine draws on the Stephen Glass scandal of the ‘90s, but it’s more than a bit of stretch itself.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 07:01PM
Monday, February 5, 2024

David Cromer Juggles Directing and Acting In Some Of This Season’s Most Exciting Work by Harry Haun

"I learn more about directing while acting and more about acting while directing," says David Cromer, who directed 'Prayer for the French Republic' on Broadway and is currently appearing in …

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 05:06PM
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

‘The Animal Kingdom’ Review: This Family Therapy Weepie Is a Flat Zoo Story by David Cote

Set entirely at group therapy sessions, this 80-minute exploration of psychodynamics and healing may leave you wishing for characters with more interesting problems.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:01PM
Saturday, January 27, 2024

Review: Don’t Sleep on Splendiferous Sutton Foster in ‘Once Upon a Mattress’ by David Cote

Foster generates waves of zany ecstasy in this delightful concert version of this fractured fairytale for City Center Encores.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 06:25PM
Friday, January 26, 2024

Michael Urie Gets Medieval (And Musical) In ‘Spamalot’ and ‘Once Upon a Mattress’ by Harry Haun

In 'Maestro,' Michael Urie played choreographer-director Jerome Robbins. He now finds Robbins’ spirit haunting the rehearsal spaces at New York City Center, where he's performing in 'Once …

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:19AM
Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Review: Tania El Khoury’s ‘Cultural Exchange Rate’ Tells a Living Tale of Exile and Migration by Farah Abdessamad, Farah Abdessamad

The performance metaphorically and physically draws us into the many strands of a multifaceted quest.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:01AM
Friday, January 12, 2024

‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ Review: Thrilling And Immersive Theater by Emily Zemler, Emily Zemler

The London stage version of 'Stranger Things' is a prequel with impressive practical effects that provoke gasps and screams, and producers say it's Broadway bound.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 12:10PM
Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Review: ‘Prayer for the French Republic’ Is One of Broadway’s Best New Plays by David Cote

A Jewish family — shaken by a recent rise in European antisemitism — uproots itself in Joshua Harmon's passionately argued play.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:00PM
Monday, January 8, 2024

Patrick Page Brings a Dirty Dozen Shakespeare Villains To The Stage by Harry Haun

After playing the devil himself in 'Hadestown,' Patrick Page keeps it on the dark side with 'All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain'

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:44AM
Tuesday, December 26, 2023

David Ives On Collaborating With Sondheim On His Final Work, ‘Here We Are’ by Harry Haun

"I’ve got this idea for a musical, and I wondered if you wanted to work on it with me,” Sondheim said to David Ives. Thus began the collaboration that resulted the adaptation of two Luis…

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:15AM
Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Review: ‘Appropriate’ Is a Family Album of White Supremacy  by David Cote

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s slow-burning satire of white privilege arrives on Broadway in an impeccable production with a dream cast, led by Sarah Paulson.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:03AM
Monday, December 18, 2023

Review: Cuba’s Past Sings Out in ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ by David Cote

This jukebox musical alternates passionate renditions of Afro-Cuban son, danzón, and bolero with scenes in English that chart the lives of musicians across four decades of love and loss.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:21PM
Monday, December 11, 2023

Chip Zien Counts His Broadway Blessings in ‘Harmony’ by Harry Haun

“My character didn’t exist a year ago," Broadway veteran Chip Zien says of his role as the Rabbi in Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman's long gestating musical. "It’s a real gift.”

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:53AM
Sunday, December 10, 2023

Review: ‘How to Dance in Ohio’ Welcomes Autistic Youth Under the Disco Ball by David Cote

'How to Dance in Ohio' was clearly made with love, but this musical adaptation of an HBO documentary about autistic people learning to dance tries to balance good intentions and razzle-dazzl…

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:00PM
Friday, December 8, 2023

‘Adrift: A Medieval Wayward Folly’ Review: Demons, Dulcimers, and Dancing Strawberries by Annie Levin, Annie Levin

Using music, dance, puppets, miming, and physical comedy, the Happenstance Theater brings late medieval paintings to life.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:26AM
Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Review: An Earnest Yet Awkward Land Acknowledgement for ‘Manahatta’ by David Cote

Mary Kathryn Nagle’s play shifts between the Dutch colonization of Manhattan and the subprime mortgage crisis, a concept that looks good on paper but diminishes the characters and their ch…

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:00PM
Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Irish Rep Is Having A Friel Day by Harry Haun

'Translations' is the first of three Brian Friel plays that Irish Rep is staging this season. "It has a kind of politics, but it’s so embracing of human life," director Doug Hughes says.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:44AM

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