All stories by Brittani Samuel on BroadwayStars

Monday, December 30, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘All In: Comedy About Love’ is the safest comedy special around by Brittani Samuel

A John Mulaney-led crew of swanky comedic talent brings several of Simon Rich’s tidy, funny stories to Broadway. 

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 04:50PM
Friday, December 20, 2024

The Broadway Review: A ‘Gypsy’ completely beholden to its beaming star by Brittani Samuel

Audra McDonald’s historic turn as the thorny Mama Rose unveils a deeper tragedy of the esteemed character.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 08:30AM
Thursday, December 12, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Cult of Love’ could use a leader by Brittani Samuel

Leslye Headland’s go at living-room drama is Broadway’s latest conventional bowl of familial mush.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 11:59PM
Thursday, November 21, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Death Becomes Her’ slays by Brittani Samuel

Director Christopher Gattelli’s production of the musical black comedy is an instant hit, dazzling audiences with lush creative design and enchanting leads.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 11:57PM
Wednesday, November 20, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Swept Away’ — A boating disaster set to bluegrass by Brittani Samuel

A new musical weds intimate direction with records from the Avett Brothers’ oeuvre to tell a sweeping, but sleepy, tale about men lost at sea.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 12:25AM
Monday, November 18, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Elf’ — The beloved film wrapped up in a serviceable Broadway bow by Brittani Samuel

Grey Henson leads a cheerful cast in this sugary revival of the Christmas classic.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 01:10AM
Friday, November 15, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Tammy Faye’ underplays Tammy Faye by Brittani Samuel

A retro-style musical uses original songs from Elton John to tell an unfocused story about one of America’s most infamous television couples. 

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 04:25AM
Tuesday, November 12, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ is assuredly enchanting by Brittani Samuel

Will Aronson and Hue Park’s adorable show, imported from South Korea, is a golden example of impactful, engaging, original musical theater.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 10:36PM

The Broadway Review: ‘A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical’ keeps the rhythm, cuts the rigor by Brittani Samuel

The jazz-fueled new musical breaks the legendary artist’s life down into four, overly neat beats, anchored by four wives. 

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 12:09AM
Friday, October 25, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Romeo + Juliet’: a trendy take on a timeless story by Brittani Samuel

Sam Gold directs a revival of Shakespeare’s tragedy that leverages the popular fashions and ethics of today.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 12:41AM
Thursday, October 24, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Left on Tenth’ never leaves the page by Brittani Samuel

The thrill-free theatrical mounting of Delia Ephron’s memoir is a disappointing regurgitation of its source material. 

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 12:17AM
Wednesday, October 23, 2024

‘Franklinland’ Review: A Founding Father, but Not the Best Dad by Brittani Samuel

Lloyd Suh’s nimble period comedy about Benjamin Franklin examines a timeless struggle: the unmet expectations that divide parents and children.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:24AM
Monday, October 21, 2024

The Broadway Review: A brutalist ‘Sunset Boulevard’ sets Broadway ablaze by Brittani Samuel

Jamie Lloyd’s remarkable staging is a defining new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s mid-century-set musical.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 08:00AM
Friday, October 11, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Our Town’ measures life in a series of small moments by Brittani Samuel

Director Kenny Leon’s slightly modernized revival of the American paragon finds its divine core, but lacks connection.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 07:00AM
Wednesday, October 2, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Yellow Face’ is the only valid reason to perform race by Brittani Samuel

Playwright David Henry Hwang holds a mirror to his nation, his industry and, most searingly, himself in the remounted mockumentary. 

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 02:41AM
Tuesday, October 1, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘McNeal’ is digitally dressed up with nowhere to go by Brittani Samuel

Pulitzer-winner Ayad Akhtar’s latest play is a blurry meditation on artificial intelligence and authorship.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 01:38AM
Monday, September 30, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘The Hills of California’ is an excellent if overburdened new play by Brittani Samuel

Jez Butterworth’s largely excellent new melodrama boasts powerful performances but sings too familiar a tune. 

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 01:08AM
Friday, September 13, 2024

The Broadway Review: Jen Silverman’s ‘The Roommate’ is bolstered by its stars by Brittani Samuel

Megawatt performers Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow sprinkle stardust on playwright Jen Silverman’s hollow comedy about 60-something roommates.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 01:36AM
Tuesday, August 13, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Once Upon a Mattress’ makes a case for the simple spectacle by Brittani Samuel

Director Lear deBessonet’s Broadway revival leans into the family-friendly joviality of the musical comedy staple, led by a reliably wacky Sutton Foster.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 12:33AM
Wednesday, July 31, 2024

The Broadway Review: Anxiety-riddled ‘Job’ is a thriller of combatting mindsets and morals by Brittani Samuel

Playwright Max Wolf Friedlich warns about the horrors of being chronically online in this intense, intimate two-hander.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 12:39AM
Wednesday, July 24, 2024

‘Inspired by True Events’ Review: True Crime Thriller Riddled With Clichés by Brittani Samuel

The actor Ryan Spahn makes his Off Broadway playwriting debut with an immersive, psychologically shallow dark comedy.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:24AM
Friday, July 12, 2024

The Broadway Review: In ‘Oh, Mary!’, Cole Escola is a tour-de-farce by Brittani Samuel

The runaway First Family spoof continues its agenda of delirious, deranged and undeniable fun on Broadway.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 01:34AM
Friday, May 24, 2024

Review: In ‘The Fires,’ a Triptych of Stories About Gay Men and Love by Brittani Samuel

Raja Feather Kelly makes his playwriting debut with a spellbinding story of three generations of Black men at Soho Rep.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:36AM
Saturday, April 27, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Illinoise’ is a rapturous album tenderly brought to life by Brittani Samuel

Director-choreographer Justin Peck’s unique dance-theater-concert hybrid is a commendable, imaginative rendering of Sufjan Stevens’ concept album.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 12:54AM
Friday, April 26, 2024

The Broadway Review:  With ‘The Great Gatsby,’ a production that’s more pyrite than treasure by Brittani Samuel

Director Marc Bruni mounts a sumptuous musical adaptation of the American classic that represents how dazzling theater can look, but now how impactful it can be.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 02:54AM

The Broadway Review: ‘Mother Play’ — Paula Vogel’s mother of a memory play by Brittani Samuel

Vogel’s nuanced exploration of her own family sets the stage for a profound and humorous new American play. 

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 12:34AM
Thursday, April 25, 2024

The Broadway Review: An amorphous ‘Uncle Vanya’ straddles different times and genres by Brittani Samuel

Heidi Schreck pens a comedy-bolstered but disorienting translation of Chekhov’s seminal play.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 01:14AM
Wednesday, April 24, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘Mary Jane’ — a heart-shattering drama that puts care at its core by Brittani Samuel

Amy Herzog’s play about a mother and her ill son is an expertly-crafted exploration of allegiance and love.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 12:00AM
Monday, April 22, 2024

The Broadway Review: ‘The Heart of Rock and Roll’ is a greatest-hits album of Broadway cliches by Brittani Samuel

Jonathan A. Abrams’s offering is a rote but still rollickin’ musical scored to Huey Lewis and the News’ nostalgia-inducing discography. 

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 11:40PM

The Broadway Review: ‘Patriots’ is a bullish new play that doesn’t reach its epic ambitions by Brittani Samuel

In Peter Morgan’s latest, cartoonish versions of the red-blooded Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky and his political puppet, Vladimir Putin, go head-to-head.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 10:35PM

The Broadway Review: ‘Cabaret’ a carnal, queer hotbed of thrills by Brittani Samuel

Director Rebecca Frecknall’s creepy interpretation of the legendary classic pulls you in with fantasy, then crushes you with reality.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 01:00AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime