All stories by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

‘Bronx Bombers’ brings Yankees legends to life by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Eric Simonson’s created a niche market for himself: He writes plays about sports icons. “Lombardi” was about the inspirational Green Bay Packers coach, “Magic/Bird” about friendly …

SOURCE: The New York Post at 04:26AM
Tuesday, October 8, 2013

‘Anthem’ nothing to sing about by Elisabeth Vincentelli

In her 1938 sci-fi novella “Anthem,” Ayn Rand envisioned a groupthink society in which individualism has been forcefully eradicated. “We are nothing, mankind is all,” a member of thi…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 04:57AM
Monday, October 7, 2013

Bridgewater carries clunky Billie Holiday biomusical by Elisabeth Vincentelli

As its title indicates, the new musical “Lady Day” involves a whole lot of Billie Holiday songs. And since it’s an off-Broadway show rather than a regular tribute concert, a dusting of…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 06:02AM
Sunday, October 6, 2013

Hack score undermines Broadway version of ‘Big Fish’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There’s a huge gap between what you see and what you hear in “Big Fish.” Visually speaking, this new Broadway musical is inventive, playful and often downright magical. But then, w…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 08:49PM
Thursday, October 3, 2013

For a chosen few, feuding is fun by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Let the games begin! “Bad Jews” is packed with so many vicious arguments that sometimes you want to press your hands over your ears and block out the bickering. Luckily, those fights are…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 11:44PM
Wednesday, October 2, 2013

‘Film Society’ revival falls flat by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Jonathan Balton, the key figure of “The Film Society,” is an easygoing soul who tries to placate everybody. Don’t make waves — that could be his motto. But that’s not easy when you…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 04:08AM
Friday, September 27, 2013

Rare revival of ‘Natural Affection’ misses play’s hysterical violence by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Sexual dissatisfaction, loneliness, frustrated small-town dreams, alcoholism, tortured identity: In the 1950s, William Inge turned those unlikely themes into the Broadway hits “Come Back, …

SOURCE: The New York Post at 06:34PM
Thursday, September 26, 2013

Style counts more than words in ‘Glass Menagerie’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli

This revival of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” arrives on Broadway from Cambridge, Mass., with the excitement usually reserved for “Breaking Bad” and cronuts: It’s gen…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 10:39PM
Wednesday, September 25, 2013

‘Arguendo’ debates the right to dance naked by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The reenactment of Supreme Court oral arguments, verbatim — sounds like an evening of fun theater, right? OK, maybe not for everybody. It helps that the new play “Arguendo” is based on…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 12:30PM
Sunday, September 22, 2013

1930s comedy goes forth, does not prosper by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Some people are convinced that they’re destined to be artists despite all evidence to the contrary. If they and their enablers drive you nuts, you may want to drop by the off-Broadway com…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 08:15PM
Friday, September 20, 2013

‘Blue Dragon’ a cinematic show on an intimate scale by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Canadian director Robert Lepage has been in the news a lot here in the past three years — though maybe he didn’t get the kind of coverage he wanted. Mostly he got flak for his staging of…

SOURCE: The New York Post at 07:47PM
Tuesday, September 3, 2013

‘Ours’ is a surreal dream by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Before anyone’s spoken a word, you know Nikole Beckwith’s new comedy, “Everything Is Ours,” is going to be unusual. Just take a gander at the set, a brightly colored living room out …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:53PM
Thursday, August 29, 2013

A little right music for everyone to fall into by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It’s autumn: Do you feel a song coming on? Broadway sure does — and this season’s new musicals have something for every taste. Those craving a big ol’ traditional tuner can look forw…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:08PM
Monday, August 26, 2013

Once, twice, still a success by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There are two ways to score a Broadway hit: Load up on name stars and make a mint during a limited run, or bank on good bones that can get through years of cast changes. Anything involving …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 08:19AM
Thursday, August 22, 2013

Top ‘American Idol’ contestants take their acts to Broadway by Elisabeth Vincentelli

What do Fantasia Barrino, Constantine Maroulis and Clay Aiken have in common? “American Idol,” of course — but also Broadway: They’re just three of the former contestants who have su…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:09PM
Thursday, August 15, 2013

Journey from temple to tempo by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Much like its subject, the new Broadway musical “Soul Doctor” is terminally earnest and relentlessly sunny. Both also share a fish-out-of-water quality. The show’s central character w…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:27PM

‘Einstein’ a no-brainer by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Aptly enough, “Einstein” — the inept new drama about the father of the relativity theory — makes time slow to a crawl. When it finally ends, you’re not sure if you’ve been at the…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:26AM
Tuesday, August 13, 2013

A lovely ‘Labour’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli

‘it’s the first time together and I’m feeling kinda horny/Conventional methods of makin’ love kinda bore me.” You may have guessed this lyric — crooned, R&B-style, in “Love’s…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:15AM
Saturday, August 10, 2013

Untangling the Fringe by By  elisabeth Vincentelli and Barbara Hoffman

Every summer, like a relative with too much luggage, it arrives on our doorstep: the New York International Fringe Festival, the ungainly cousin to the Edinburgh original. By the time Fringe…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 01:12AM
Thursday, August 8, 2013

It’s a mismatch made in heaven by Elisabeth Vincentelli

By the end of Broadway’s “First Date,” Zachary Levi has won over the entire audience — you can feel everybody, women and men, young and old, swooning. If someone happened to smuggle …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:13PM

Riveting to the end by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Part of Young Jean Lee’s appeal is that you never know what she’s going to do. The downtown playwright’s recent works include a look at African-American stereotypes (“The Shipment”…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:20PM
Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Play is a winner of our discontent by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Timing is everything in this free “Richard III.” The show runs 2 1/2 hours without intermission, which means you may want to hit the bathroom before it starts. Which in turn means a trip…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:48PM

Cold waters run deep by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Donna, of the new dramedy “Harbor,” gabs like one of the cool kids. She tosses off insults as if they were cute and endearing, and pleads, “Come on, don’t be a biatch.” Except that…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:48PM

Animating the stage by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It’s hard to believe there isn’t a metaphor lying around under “Rubble” — a comedy about a TV writer stuck in a pile of debris after an LA earthquake. After all, it’s by TV write…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:44PM
Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Troubled waters run deep in 'Harbor' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Donna, of the new dramedy “Harbor,” gabs like one of the cool kids. She tosses off insults as if they were cute and endearing, and pleads, “Come on, don’t be a biatch.” Except Donn…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 07:00PM
Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Tragedy, sped up by Elisabeth Vincentelli

‘Shida” may last just over an hour, but it’s so action-packed, you feel you’re watching it in fast-forward. This could actually be fun, except that this new solo musical vaults from …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:12PM
Tuesday, July 30, 2013

A nail in need of cutting by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The most distinctive thing about “Dancing on Nails” is how old-fashioned it is. It’s as if playwright Paul Manuel Kane had never heard of modern theater trends. You’re not going to f…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:07AM
Sunday, July 28, 2013

Hot on Sigourney’s tail by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It takes a strong woman to step into Sigourney Weaver’s boots. But that’s what Julie White’s about to do tomorrow, when she debuts in “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” the Ton…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:45PM
Friday, July 26, 2013

Two men and a baby (grand) by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Cozy mysteries in the Agatha Christie mold don’t require hard-boiled suspense. What they need is kooky characters — and the new off-Broadway musical “Murder for Two” has plenty of th…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:57PM
Thursday, July 25, 2013

Nostalgic ‘Road’ a real trip by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Seeing “I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road” is like stepping into a hot-tub time machine. Under Kathleen Marshall’s direction, this Encores! Off-Center presentatio…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:19PM

Vintage musical transports us back to the feminist 1970s by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Seeing “I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road” is like stepping into a hot-tub time machine. Under Kathleen Marshall’s direction, this Encores! Off-Center presentatio…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 03:50PM

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