All stories by Laura Cappelle on BroadwayStars

Friday, March 8, 2024

Dominique Blanc, at 67, Is in Her Prime by Laura Cappelle

After roles dried up, Dominique Blanc reclaimed her artistic agency by taking a one-woman play on the road. Now she’s making a rare appearance in Manhattan.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:06AM
Wednesday, March 6, 2024

‘Bérénice’ Review: Crushed by Isabelle Huppert’s Star Power by Laura Cappelle

Romeo Castellucci’s production of the classic play by Jean Racine is all about the lead performer — and that’s it.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:48AM
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

‘Hors Pistes’ Is an Arts Festival About Sports, for People Who Don’t Like Sports by Laura Cappelle

A series of events in preparation for the Paris Olympics explores a paradox, since arts and sports rarely mix in France.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:02AM
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

‘Passport’ Review: A Master of Comedy in a Migrant Camp by Laura Cappelle

The new show by Alexis Michalik, a star of commercial theater, wades into political battles in France, where immigration restrictions have been at the forefront of the government’s agenda.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:32AM
Tuesday, January 16, 2024

‘The Emigrants’ Review: A Troubled Show Finally Debuts by Laura Cappelle

Krystian Lupa’s latest work had its premiere in Paris after an earlier attempt collapsed. The delay would have been a good time to rethink the four-and-a-half-hour show.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:54AM
Friday, January 12, 2024

Review: In ‘Cosmos,’ Female Astronauts Dance Toward the Stars by Laura Cappelle

A new show in Paris by Maëlle Poésy tells the story of the Mercury 13 space program, with choreographed movement and acrobatic sequences.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:12PM
Thursday, December 7, 2023

‘Our Life in Art’ Review: Stanislavski’s Work and Times by Laura Cappelle

In Paris, a new production from Richard Nelson imagines a day on tour with Konstantin Stanislavski’s theater company in 1923, but misses the historical context.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:48PM
Saturday, December 2, 2023

In a Gender-Flipped Production of Cinderella, a Princess Rescues by Laura Cappelle

For the Scottish Ballet production of Cinderella, titled “Cinders!,” some performances flip the traditional gender roles. The dancers “were all kind of like: ‘OK. How does that work?…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:01AM
Friday, December 1, 2023

A Play About Black Women’s Experiences, Met With Violence by Laura Cappelle

Rébecca Chaillon’s “Carte Noire Named Desire” provoked harassment in France this summer, leading one actor to pull out of a new run in Paris.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:48AM
Monday, November 6, 2023

Review: In Milo Rau’s ‘120 Days of Sodom,’ Sadism Gets in the Way by Laura Cappelle

The provocations in Milo Rau’s stage adaptation, featuring actors with Down syndrome, confuse the production as it grapples with weighty issues.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:42PM
Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Théâtre de la Ville Reopens After 7 Years of Renovations by Laura Cappelle

The Théâtre de la Ville, now named for Sarah Bernhardt, reopened after a seven-year renovation. But its once-radical approach to dance is now less of a calling card.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:43AM
Monday, October 9, 2023

‘Holidays,’ a Madonna Musical, Pays Tribute to the Star by Laura Cappelle

“Holidays,” the first musical to include the pop icon’s songs, arrives just days before her “Celebration” tour starts. But matching the star’s talents is a challenge.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:55PM
Wednesday, October 4, 2023

‘The Confessions’ Review: A Mother’s Tale, Told With Empathy and Care by Laura Cappelle

A new play by Alexander Zeldin recreates his mother’s winding, painful path to a life of her own.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:07PM
Wednesday, September 20, 2023

GENEVA by Laura Cappelle

The American choreographer has 46 engagements this year, including a monthslong retrospective of his work in Paris. But he is making plans for a “second act” away from the dance world.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:02AM
Thursday, July 13, 2023

A French Festival Focuses (Timidly) on English by Laura Cappelle

The Avignon Festival’s new director wants to spotlight drama in a different language each year. This year’s first installment had some conventional choices.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:33PM
Wednesday, July 12, 2023

‘A Noiva e o Boa Noite Cinderela’ Review: A Performer Drugs Herself by Laura Cappelle

In an ethically murky show at the Avignon Festival, the Brazilian performer Carolina Bianchi opens up about how she was drugged and abused, then knocks herself out with a spiked cocktail.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:55AM
Thursday, July 6, 2023

French Choreographer Bintou Dembélé Opens the Avignon Festival by Laura Cappelle

The French choreographer Bintou Dembélé brings her desire to create “a fair ecosystem” to the Avignon Festival, which she opened with “G.R.O.O.V.E.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:18PM

At Glamorous French Festivals, Poverty is Only Onstage by Laura Cappelle

The opening productions of the Avignon and Aix-en-Provence Festivals brought tales of the down-and-out to well-heeled spectators. It got awkward.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:19PM
Tuesday, June 13, 2023

At the Holland Festival, Many Shades of Strange by Laura Cappelle

Some of the action onstage at the Amsterdam event is so bizarre that following the action can be tough.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:33AM
Friday, June 9, 2023

At Départ d’Incendies, Young Theater Makers Swing Big by Laura Cappelle

Ariane Mnouchkine, a grande dame of French theater, helped to set up a new festival where emerging companies can try out ambitious stagings.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:04AM
Monday, May 15, 2023

‘Antigone in the Amazon’ Review: The Drama Is Brazil’s Land War by Laura Cappelle

The Swiss director Milo Rau drapes a traumatic episode of Brazilian history with a Greek tragedy on a Belgian stage.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:42AM
Thursday, May 11, 2023

‘Daddy’ Review: Deeper Into the Internet’s Darkest Corners by Laura Cappelle

In Marion Siéfert’s much-anticipated new show, the French director explores the dynamics of online grooming.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:18AM
Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Review: In ‘Amours (2),’ Love Hurts by Laura Cappelle

The French director Joël Pommerat has created an intimate chamber work examining love from many angles, all of them laced with pain and misunderstanding.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:06PM
Sunday, March 26, 2023

‘Nemesis’ Review: A Philip Roth Adaptation Resonates by Laura Cappelle

The American writer’s last novel becomes surprisingly effective theater in the hands of Tiphaine Raffier at the Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:20PM
Thursday, March 9, 2023

For France’s Protesters, the Streets Are the Ultimate Stage by Laura Cappelle

The country has a long history of demonstrations, which often feature overtly theatrical elements. Our Paris theater critic marched along on Tuesday to soak up the spectacle.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:28PM
Monday, February 27, 2023

Review: In ‘With No Fanfare,’ Things Fall Apart by Laura Cappelle

The play, a hit at the Avignon Festival, explores the twists and turns of a breakup through a whimsical mix of musical numbers and dreamlike vignettes.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:46PM
Tuesday, February 7, 2023

In Russian Plays, Don’t Mention the War by Laura Cappelle

Paris productions of Chekhov, Turgenev and Ostrovsky avoid current events and focus on profound truths. But the plays’ message is clear: If you rebel, you will be crushed.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:35AM
Thursday, January 19, 2023

Review: A Far-From-Revolutionary ‘Danton’s Death’ by Laura Cappelle

A passé take on Georg Büchner’s 1835 play about the French Revolution leans into the worst instincts of the Comédie-Française, our critic writes.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:43PM
Tuesday, January 10, 2023

A Paris Cabaret Makes Way for ‘Cabaret’ by Laura Cappelle

The 1966 American musical has opened at a venue that for decades hosted one of the city’s most famous revue troupes.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:14AM
Thursday, December 15, 2022

The Best (and Worst) Theater in Europe in 2022 by Matt Wolf, Laura Cappelle and A.j. Goldmann

The Times’s three European theater critics pick their favorite productions of the year — plus a turkey apiece for the festive season.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:18AM
Thursday, December 1, 2022

In Paris, First-Person Trauma Jumps from Page to Stage by Laura Cappelle

Several intimate literary accounts of pain and suffering have been adapted for the theater recently — with varying success.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:06AM

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