All stories by Barry Gordin on BroadwayStars

Sunday, January 21, 2024

Broadway Babe by Barry Gordin

Nostalgic finds from Broadway Babe include the original “Merrily We Roll Along,” Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson and more. January 21, 2024:  Randie Levine-Miller, Broadway Babe, has come…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 11:19AM
Saturday, January 20, 2024

Stephen Flaherty by Barry Gordin

By: Alix Cohen January 20, 2024: The Alumni Tribute and Benefit for University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, was one of the best musical theater presentations I’ve seen t…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 04:39PM
Friday, January 19, 2024

Prayer for the French Republic ****, All the Devils Are Here: **** by Barry Gordin

By: David Sheward January 19, 2024: In the two years since it premiered at Manhattan Theater Club’s City Center stage Off-Broadway in 2022, Joshua Harmon’s moving, funny and challengi…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 09:34AM
Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Broadway Update by Barry Gordin

Stereophonic Transfers, Harmony Closes, Gatsby Musical By: David Sheward January 17, 2024: As reported in an earlier update as a rumor, the Broadway transfer for Stereophonic, David Adjm…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 09:05PM

Mateo Lizcano @ 54 Below by Barry Gordin

Those Who Have Found Me By: Iris Wiener July 18, 2024: “If I keep coming back here I may make myself an A-list celebrity,” joked Mateo Lizcano as he returned to 54 Below with his sec…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 10:25AM
Monday, January 15, 2024

The Sweet Spot **1/2 by Barry Gordin

By: Isa Goldberg January 14, 2024: An evocative set design (Robert Dutiel) places Alice Jankell’s new play, The Sweet Spot, in a dated New York City apartment, like those tucked away in…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 10:45AM
Saturday, January 13, 2024

Royal Family by Barry Gordin

WOMEN ON FIRE: FAIR IS FOUL @ Royal Family Arts Performance Space/145 West 46th Street January 19-29. January 14, 2024:  Royal Family, a spunky group of seasoned professions attracting inv…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 01:42PM
Friday, January 12, 2024

Prayer For The French Republic ***1/2 by Barry Gordin

By: Samuel L. Leiter [Note: some of what follows is adapted from my review of the Off-Broadway production of this play in 2022.] January 12, 2024: If there’s one thematic word that sums…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 05:58PM
Thursday, January 11, 2024

Bryce Edwards by Barry Gordin

Bryce Edwards- At 23, The 20s and 30s Are His Bailiwick By: Alix Cohen January 9, 2024: Attending The Bryce Edwards Frivolity Hour feels like going back in time. The artist inhabits 1…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 05:12PM

Appropriate ***1/2 by Barry Gordin

By: Samuel L. Leiter [Note: some of what follows is adapted from my review of a 2014 production.]  January 10, 2024: Greeting the audience before the curtain rises on Branden Jacob-Jenk…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 08:10AM
Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Broadway Update by Barry Gordin

Roundabout and Purple Rain By: David Sheward January 10, 2024: Roundabout Theater Company has announced major productions for its 2024-25 Broadway and Off-Broadway seasons and the new na…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 09:43PM
Monday, January 8, 2024

Broadway Babe by Barry Gordin

Nostalgic finds from Broadway Babe include Leonard Bernstein, Anything Goes, Damn Yankees and Elaine Stritch. January 8, 2024: Broadway Babe, Randie Levine-Miller has some great nostalgic …

SOURCE: theaterlife at 10:23AM
Sunday, January 7, 2024

Southampton Arts Center by Barry Gordin

Center Stage @ SAC will present THE GLASS MENAGERIE on Saturday & Sunday, January 27 & 28. January 7, 2024:  A staged reading of Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie produced…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 07:17PM

The People vs. Lenny Bruce  by Barry Gordin

By: Alix Cohen January 6, 2024: Terrific. Timely.Attorney Martin Garbus has argued cases involving the First Amendment, Constitutional, criminal, copyright and intellectual property law.…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 10:56AM
Thursday, January 4, 2024

Broadway Update by Barry Gordin

Sunset Boulevard to Transfer; Smash Workshop; Best Play Contenders By: David Sheward January 4, 2024: The minimalist revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard which is about to…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 06:53PM

Paulanne Simmons Unscripted by Barry Gordin

The Journey of a Seder Plate or The Road to Broadway June 4, 2024: Many years ago my mother-in-law, Adele, gave me a seder plate she had purchased in Israel. My mother-in-law placed great …

SOURCE: theaterlife at 08:19AM
Sunday, December 31, 2023

Death, Let Me Do My Show ****1/2, Less Lonely ****1/2 by Barry Gordin

By: Isa Goldberg December 31, 2023: Today's comedy routines and standup are tragic affairs - self-involved and monotonous. They can be a real downer, especially if you enjoy your own lau…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 03:33PM
Thursday, December 28, 2023

The Night of the Iguana ** by Barry Gordin

By: David Sheward December 27, 2023: The revival of Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana from La Femme Productions at the Pershing Square Signature Center sounded so promising (N…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 08:24AM
Sunday, December 24, 2023

BroadwayHD by Barry Gordin

Give the gift that Buzzfeed, New York Magazine, Playbill and TheaterLife are raving about, BroadwayHD. December 23, 2023: Not finished with your Holiday shopping or do you want something ex…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 01:20PM
Saturday, December 23, 2023

The Gardens of Anuncia **, Manahatta ** by Barry Gordin

By: David Sheward December 23, 2023: Two Off-Broadway productions meld the past and the present with mixed results. Michael-John LaChiusa’s musical The Gardens of Anuncia at Lincoln Ce…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 03:01PM

Buena Vista Social Club ***** by Barry Gordin

By: Isa Goldberg Buena Vista Social Club @ The Atlantic December 23, 2023: Aged walls, stained with cigar smoke, sing the tale of Buena Vista Social Club. A tale about two sisters torn a…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 09:35AM
Friday, December 22, 2023

PhysFest NYC!  by Barry Gordin

A Festival of Physical Theater - January 5-14-23 By: Alix Cohen December 22, 2023: What IS Physical Theater? Its most obvious definition includes mime/pantomime, dance, circus/clowning,…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 10:02AM
Thursday, December 21, 2023

Broadway / Off-Broadway Update by Barry Gordin

Sign of the Times, Stranger Things, The Effect, Etc. By: David Sheward December 20. 2023: Yet another jukebox musical is headed our way. A Sign of the Times will feature music from 1960s…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 08:47AM
Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Broadway Babe by Barry Gordin

Nostalgic picks from Broadway Babe: Kismet, She Loves Me, Joan Rivers, and Frank Sinatra December 19, 2023: Broadway Babe, Randie Levine-Miller, has come up with some nostalgic treasures. …

SOURCE: theaterlife at 04:06PM

Ruth Stage’s Lone Star ** by Barry Gordin

Joe Rosario’s staging of James McLure’s dark comedy mines the pathos over the comedy. By: Patrick Christiano December 18, 2023:  James McLure’s dark comedy Lone Star, a tale about…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 01:21PM

How To Dance In Ohio **** by Barry Gordin

By: Isa Goldberg December 19, 2023: “We all like to socialize,” is a challenging premise to the new Broadway musical, How to Dance in Ohio. Challenging because many adults have yet to…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 09:46AM
Monday, December 18, 2023

Appropriate ***** by Barry Gordin

By: David Sheward December 18, 2023: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate premiered at the Actors Theater of Louisville in 2013 and subsequently opened Off-Broadway at the Signature Thea…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 11:10PM

Buena Vista Social Club ***** by Barry Gordin

By: Samuel L. Leiter December 18, 2023: Two recently opened shows raise the question: how do you turn a popular documentary film into a successful stage musical? The creators of Broadway�…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 10:36PM

Buena Vista Social Club *** by Barry Gordin

By: Paulanne Simmons This is going to be a short review. The material does not need acute analysis. December 18, 2023: Buena Vista Social Club, developed and directed by Saheem Ali, has…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 01:54PM

Fools Mass – Unexpected Solace by Barry Gordin

By: Alix Cohen December 19, 2023: The Trickster and The Fool are alive within all of us. The Fool is an archetype that holds universal wisdom, crosses mutable boundaries, and speaks trut…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 10:22AM
Friday, December 15, 2023

Christine Ebersole @ 54 Below **** by Barry Gordin

Two-time Tony Winner, Christine Ebersole, shines at 54 Below with Billy Stritch. By:  Patrick Christiano December 15, 2023:  Performing together for 20 years, Christine Ebersole and Bill…

SOURCE: theaterlife at 02:12PM