All stories by Sarah Downs on BroadwayStars

Monday, February 12, 2024

Jonah by Sarah Downs

Jonah, by Rachel Bonds, is an exciting, absorbing drama about a young woman navigating that difficult transition from teenager to independent adult, hampered by more than her fair share of d…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 11:56AM
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Primordial by Sarah Downs

In the inventive, heartfelt and entertaining piece Primordial by Lillian Isabella, playing at the Tank through February 24th, six  actresses speak the words of real women and people involve…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 03:43PM
Friday, February 2, 2024

White Rose by Sarah Downs

White Rose tells story of an idealistic young woman who with her brother and two friends braved danger by daring to speak out against Fascism in the form of a pamphlet of anonymous origin wh…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 12:05PM
Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Formidable! Aznavour by Sarah Downs

At the Town Hall on Saturday Jauary 14th, Jules Grison sang his heart out, sharing his  love of the great composer and singer Charles Asnavour with an audience who deserved neither his time…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 04:21PM
Sunday, December 17, 2023

Christine Ebersole with Billy Stritch: I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Sarah Downs

Joy to the world!  Christine Ebersole is performing at 54 Below!  Together with partner-in-music Billy Stritch, Ebersole shows us How. It's. Done. In her pitch perfect holiday cabaret "I'…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 04:31PM
Wednesday, December 13, 2023

You and I – The Words and Music of Leslie Bricusse by Sarah Downs

Dianne Fraser kicked off the release of her album You and I – The Words and Music of Leslie Bricusse with a cabaret of the same name at Don't Tell Mama.  What an exciting moment for any a…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 12:18PM
Monday, December 11, 2023

Peter and the Wolf by Sarah Downs

Reason 4,723 to visit in New York City:  Peter & the Wolf , directed and narrated by Isaac Mizrahi.  What an absolute delight.   Appearing annually at the Guggenheim Museum since 201…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 03:24PM
Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Shadows by Sarah Downs

Relationships are never easy.  For the five women in Shadows, written and directed by Anthony M. Laura it is ever so.  Alas, we don't really learn why.  The actresses do their best, but b…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 12:36PM
Friday, December 1, 2023

‘Til Death by Sarah Downs

In her play, 'Til Death, Elizabeth Coplan examines the less attractive aspects of death - less attractive in that as we watch a loved one reach the end of his or her life, feelings we would …

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 01:16PM
Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Jungle Book reimagined by Sarah Downs

With next level production design, evocative score and extraordinary dancing,  Jungle Book Reimagined is, well..., extraordinary.  The piece recontextualizes the original narrative of aban…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 12:53PM
Monday, November 13, 2023

Arcadia by Sarah Downs

I had one of those tingly New York theater experiences last Friday night.  You know the kind -- you walk into an unprepossessing theater space, not sure what to expect, and witness some ast…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 05:05PM
Saturday, November 11, 2023

November 1918: The Great War and The Great Gatsby by Sarah Downs

In November 1918: The Great War and The Great Gatsby, John Monsky has brought what is clearly a labor of love to the stage in an apt and timely Veterans Day homage to the soldiers who served…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 10:37AM
Tuesday, October 31, 2023

#Ugly Cry by Sarah Downs

In her startling one woman show #UglyCry, Katie Mack, a veritable dynamo of a woman, meditates on the meaning,  nay, the very nature of existence.  This is no quiet Shakespearean soliloquy…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 03:10PM
Friday, October 13, 2023

The Fabulist Fox Sister by Sarah Downs

The Fabulist Fox Sister is an absolute delight.  Intelligent, sardonic, deep-down human with just enough edge to keep you on your toes, the show cracks open the origin story of séances, a…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 01:50PM
Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Under Heaven’s Eyes: The Systemic and Systematic Unjustified Killing of Black Lives  by Sarah Downs

An admirable goal and lofty subject matter, Christopher Tajah's's solo show about systemic racism and violence takes on a difficult, timely subject but alas doesn't help us to shed any parti…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 11:06AM
Monday, September 18, 2023

Swing State by Sarah Downs

Swing State is unique in that it is a political play that is not overtly political.  Focusing on the human, the play sets out the emotional terrain on which ideologies and preconceptions ca…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 06:28PM
Friday, September 1, 2023

A Will to Live by Sarah Downs

Masha King takes on the role of Helena Weinrauch in this astonishing one-woman show.  She is riveting in her portrayal of a woman reliving the dreadful years of World War II during which sh…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 11:45AM

The Tempest by Sarah Downs

In the Public Theater's musical adaptation of The Tempest, currently running at the Delacorte Theater, Shakespeare’s convoluted story of betrayal, revenge and love has been condensed into …

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 11:41AM
Tuesday, August 1, 2023

The Half-God of Rainfall by Sarah Downs

I don't know if it's the direction or the writing -- or both, but The Half-God of Rainfall does not fare well, despite a fine cast and brilliant set design. The material is so clearly in lo…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 12:01PM
Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Flex by Sarah Downs

Flex, at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater, is a play about friendship, ambition and hope, as played out in the fiercely competitive world of sport. It is 1997 and the nascent WNBA has given femal…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 03:31PM
Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Ballet Hispánico by Sarah Downs

Ballet Hispánico, where have you been all my life?  Where have I been? This is a true blue dance company, and future performances are on my ‘must see’ list. The Company demonstrates …

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 09:01AM

Fallen Angels by Sarah Downs

Fallen Angels, written in 1925, centers on the competition of two women over the same old flame.  (scandale!)  Each is not-so-silently convinced that she was the one he loved more.  A Cow…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 08:57AM
Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Wet Brain by Sarah Downs

I saw Wet Brain and lived to tell the tale.  A story of one family’s relationship to addiction, the play barrels its way through a tangle of emotional damage in a claustrophobic marathon …

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 05:03PM
Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Monsoon Wedding, the Musical by Sarah Downs

Monsoon Wedding, the Musical is an absolute delight. Bursting with color, dance and lots and lots of marigolds, it's the kind of musical that reminds you why it's so much fun to go to thea…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 12:50PM
Friday, May 19, 2023

Women’s Voices, presented by Danse Lumière by Sarah Downs

Women's Voices" paid tribute to the work of women in the arts, including excerpts from ballets created by women, and a panel discussion, in which Artistic Director and choreographer Kathryn …

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 07:32AM
Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Cecil Beaton’s Diaries by Sarah Downs

In his diaries Beaton bares his teeth more than his soul, choosing to belittle lesser mortals and excoriate in private those whom he had to endure in public. He maintains the façade of the…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 01:51PM
Thursday, April 20, 2023

Temple University Orchestra – Jazz at Lincoln Center by Sarah Downs

In a flurry of energetic percussion, daring brass and beguiling strings, the various ensembles shone, performing in several styles, from a pure classical sound, through old school jazz with …

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 01:55PM
Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Yes, I Can Say That! by Sarah Downs

In her one woman show Yes, I Can Say That!, Judy Gold shoots from the hip, right across our collective bow, in an impassioned wake-up call to remind us what 'free speech' means. And of how …

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 04:53PM
Tuesday, March 7, 2023

The Rewards of Being Frank by Sarah Downs

First there was Ernest, now there is Frank.  The Rewards of Being Frank, at the ART/New York Theatre, a sequel to Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest, is a delightful and much need…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 11:02AM
Monday, February 27, 2023

black odyssey by Sarah Downs

black odyssey at the Classic Stage is a brilliant voyage into a world of myth and mystery.  At once epic and intimate, the play follows the hazardous journey of Ulysses as he searches for a…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 02:31PM
Friday, February 17, 2023

Cornelia Street by Sarah Downs

I wanted to like Cornelia Street more than I did, especially because I loved the actual café.  Alas, the musical left me a little cold.  It feels clumsy, as if it is trying to be too many…

SOURCE: thefrontrowcenter.com at 03:43PM

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