All stories by Laura Cappelle on BroadwayStars

Thursday, November 11, 2021

On Paris Stages, Black Directors Forge a New Course by Laura Cappelle

Representation for dramatic artists of color is improving, but few Black creators get to be their own bosses. Two recent productions show what France’s mainstream theater is missing.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:18PM
Thursday, October 21, 2021

The Moment of Death, Live Onstage by Laura Cappelle

The Swiss provocateur Milo Rau’s latest work explores the ethics of voluntary euthanasia with real footage of an assisted suicide.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:54AM
Friday, October 1, 2021

He Speaks Theater’s Language (and Many Others, Too) by Laura Cappelle

Tiago Rodrigues, the newly appointed director of the Avignon Festival, will make his American debut, in English, with a work he has also performed in French, Greek, Portuguese, Russian and S…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:24AM
Thursday, September 30, 2021

Young Women Set the Tone for a Paris Theater Season by Laura Cappelle

The directors staging the most ambitious premieres are all female millennials.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:42AM
Friday, September 24, 2021

‘Andy,’ Gus Van Sant’s Warhol Musical, Is a Surprise but Not a Miracle by Laura Cappelle

The film director set himself a steep challenge in his debut stage work. At least for now, he hasn’t quite met it.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:18AM
Thursday, September 2, 2021

This Theater Brings Nature Right Into the Drama by Laura Cappelle

A lush forest makes a spectacular backdrop for the stage of the Théâtre du Peuple, in western France.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:54AM
Thursday, August 12, 2021

Finding a New Theater Audience, Far From France’s Cities by Laura Cappelle

In rural gardens, forests and public squares, young stage artists fed up with the country’s rigid scene are striving for diversity and spontaneity.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:42AM
Thursday, July 22, 2021

Avignon Festival Forges Ahead, Despite Virus Restrictions by Laura Cappelle

The French theater festival’s Fringe offering is giving some respite from the pandemic, even as new rules to stop coronavirus transmission are making it harder to get to the shows.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:24AM
Thursday, July 8, 2021

At the Avignon Festival, a Bleak Start by Laura Cappelle

Grief. Rising fascism. Utopias gone wrong. The plays were grim in the early days of the annual theater event in France.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:32AM
Friday, July 2, 2021

For Angélica Liddell, Each Performance is About Survival by Laura Cappelle

Angélica Liddell says she doesn’t care about looking good onstage. Instead, her visceral works give her catharsis that she says keeps her alive.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:24AM
Thursday, June 24, 2021

In Paris, Brexit Takes to the Stage by Laura Cappelle

“Exit,” a new musical production, uses the political drama both as a metaphor and as a backdrop for a cross-continental love triangle.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:42AM
Thursday, June 10, 2021

Free of Protesters, Paris Theaters Reopen With Little Imagination by Laura Cappelle

After more than two months of occupation by arts workers, the Odéon Theater returned to business with a prepandemic production that feels out of step with the current moment.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:36AM
Thursday, May 13, 2021

In This Trippy Family Drama, Trauma Runs Deep by Laura Cappelle

After two canceled Paris runs, a highly awaited production of Robert Walser’s “The Pond,” starring Adèle Haenel, finally made it to the stage in Switzerland.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:33AM
Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Rediscovering France’s Early Female Playwrights by Laura Cappelle

A growing movement within French theater is reclaiming the work of forgotten female artists, and reviving a lost concept: le matrimoine.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:12AM
Thursday, April 8, 2021

Poems! Songs! Demands! It’s Not Theater, but It’s … Something by Laura Cappelle

Performing-arts protesters locked out by the pandemic have occupied playhouses across France, but drama is not allowed. Cue the “agoras.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:54AM
Thursday, March 18, 2021

Theater Review: 'Yellow' in the 'Sorrows of Belgium' Trilogy by Laura Cappelle

Theaters have been closed in Belgium since October. An on-camera production was born out of necessity, but its look at Nazi history offers a fascinating blend of theater and cinematography.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:36AM
Thursday, March 11, 2021

Protesters Occupy French Theaters, Demanding Reopening by Laura Cappelle and Alex Marshall

The pandemic is still raging, but arts workers in France want to know when cultural life can restart.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:24PM
Thursday, February 25, 2021

With 'The Father,' Florian Zeller Pivots From Stage to Screen by Laura Cappelle

Florian Zeller has found success in the theater and as a novelist. Now, his first movie as a director is nominated for four Golden Globe Awards.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:18AM

When an Actor Calls With a Poem to Share by Laura Cappelle

A Paris playhouse has developed a program of one-on-one “consultations,” delivered by its artists while the theater is closed.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:36AM
Thursday, February 4, 2021

With French Theaters Closed, Puppetry Takes Center Stage by Laura Cappelle

The art form, usually on the fringes of French theatrical culture, finds itself at a sudden advantage: Puppet shows’ young audiences are still allowed to watch live performances.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:33AM
Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Basil Twist in Paris: When Puppets Meet Baroque Opera by Laura Cappelle

Before his directorial debut in France, with Mondonville’s “Titon et l’Aurore” at the Opéra Comique, the virtuoso puppeteer discussed the challenges of working in a pandemic.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:24PM
Thursday, January 14, 2021

Behind Closed Doors, Paris Theaters Carry On by Laura Cappelle

Rather than let finished productions go to waste in the locked-down city, exasperated artists are continuing with closed performances for others in the industry. If everyone’s “working,�…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:18AM
Thursday, December 10, 2020

With Paris Theaters Closed, Church Is the Only Show in Town by Laura Cappelle

Coronavirus restrictions have shut playhouses and concert halls. So our critic went to Mass to get her fix of music, choreography and drama.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:03PM
Thursday, November 19, 2020

Lockdowns Aren’t Funny. But You’ve Still Got to Laugh. by Laura Cappelle

In theaters before the second shutdown, and online once playhouses were closed, actors and comedians have tried to cheer up France.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:54AM
Friday, October 30, 2020

In Avignon, Snatching Theater From the Jaws of New Lockdowns by Laura Cappelle

Delayed from the summer, France’s biggest stage celebration was further curtailed as restrictions again hit the country. That made the moments of grace that were possible all the more powe…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:48AM
Thursday, October 8, 2020

In Paris, a Proust Adaptation for the Ages by Laura Cappelle

“The Guermantes Way” at the Comédie-Française sets contemporary concerns aside to carve out a place in the theater’s repertory.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:24AM
Monday, October 5, 2020

Jérôme Bel: 'Dance is going through drastic change – we must stay in sync' by Laura Cappelle

When the choreographer decided to stop flying, it raised eyebrows. But a year and a pandemic later he has become a master at virtual rehearsals Jérôme Bel may be the only choreographer who…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:03AM
Thursday, September 17, 2020

‘Hidden or Niche’ Productions Shine at Venice Theater Biennale by Laura Cappelle

This year’s edition of the festival, held under social distancing measures, is devoted to works made on a limited budget by under-the-radar Italian theater-makers.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:54PM
Thursday, September 3, 2020

The Joy of Just Good Enough Theater by Laura Cappelle

Most plays aren’t masterpieces. As audiences emerge from lockdown and return to normal, there’s comfort in seeing a show that may not be great, but isn’t bad, either.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:18AM
Tuesday, September 1, 2020

In Europe’s Theaters, Outsiders Tread a Tricky Path by Laura Cappelle

The firing of the British artistic director of one of Paris’s most famous venues exposes fault lines between globalization and local tradition.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:48PM
Thursday, August 20, 2020

In France, Live Theater Calls for Masked Actors and Creative Solutions by Laura Cappelle

The company Les Tréteaux de France has been meeting the challenges of social distancing with a variety of measures, including voice-overs and unusual settings.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:32AM

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