All stories by Juan A. Ramírez on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

‘Sunset Baby’ Review: Don’t Let Nina Be Misunderstood by Juan A. Ramírez

Moses Ingram makes her New York stage debut in Dominique Morisseau’s love poem to Nina Simone.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:36PM
Friday, January 12, 2024

Three Festival Shows Explore Toxic Society by Laura Collins-Hughes, Naveen Kumar and Juan A. Ramírez

“Queens of Sheba” and “Volcano” at Under the Radar, and “Bacon,” at International Fringe Encore Series, expound on identity, captivity and violence.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:12PM
Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Review: This ‘Night of the Iguana’ Is Williams Without the Excess by Juan A. Ramírez

A new revival directed by Emily Mann and starring Tim Daly leans into its flailing characters’ confusions.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:06AM
Monday, November 20, 2023

‘Gardens of Anuncia’ Review: The Broadway Star and the Women Who Molded Her by Juan A. Ramírez

Michael John LaChiusa’s beautifully sung tribute to sisterly admiration, starring Priscilla Lopez, was inspired by the early life of the show’s director, Graciela Daniele.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:36PM

Danielle Brooks and Sam Jay on Confidence and ‘The Color Purple’ by Juan A. Ramírez

Two creative people in two different fields in one wide-ranging conversation. This time: the actress and the comedian.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:54AM
Friday, October 27, 2023

‘Covenant’ Review: When Inner Turmoil Is Its Own Ghost Story by Juan A. Ramírez

The playwright York Walker makes a promising New York debut at Roundabout Underground.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:03PM
Friday, September 22, 2023

‘Job’ Review: A Stress Test That Feels Like It’s Life or Death by Juan A. Ramírez

In Max Wolf Friedlich’s nimble play, a crisis therapist tries to connect with a tech worker who is broken by her profession.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:55AM
Wednesday, August 16, 2023

This Evil Stepmother Has Perfect Comedic Timing by Juan A. Ramírez

In “Once Upon a One More Time,” Jennifer Simard finds value in seeing “how small you can make something and achieve a big result.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:19PM
Monday, August 7, 2023

‘Toros’ Review: Why Are We Still Friends? by Juan A. Ramírez

Old relationships bend, then break, in Danny Tejera’s finely detailed character study of languishing jet-set twentysomethings.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:19PM
Tuesday, August 1, 2023

‘The Half-God of Rainfall’ Review: Basketball Under the Heavens by Juan A. Ramírez

Borrowing its powers from Greek and Yoruba mythologies, Inua Ellams’s play tells the story of a demigod who becomes an N.B.A. superstar.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:04AM
Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Ato Blankson-Wood on Playing a Hamlet Who ‘Leads With Love’ by Juan A. Ramírez

The actor is starring in a modern-dress production of the play through Aug. 6 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:25PM
Sunday, June 18, 2023

‘Lizard Boy’ Review: Comic Book Adventures by Juan A. Ramírez

Justin Huertas’s indie-rock musical, in which he also stars, follows a young misfit whose first date spirals into a comic book adventure.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:19PM
Tuesday, May 16, 2023

‘King James’ Review: We’ll Always Have LeBron by Juan A. Ramírez

Two men’s kindred obsession with a basketball player is the scaffold for Rajiv Joseph’s examination of male friendship at the Manhattan Theater Club.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:12PM
Thursday, May 11, 2023

Onstage in Brooklyn, ‘Monsoon Wedding’ Tries to Capture the Film’s Spirit by Juan A. Ramírez

Mira Nair’s long-gestating musical, based on her 2001 hit indie film, arrives at St. Ann’s Warehouse.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:48PM
Wednesday, April 19, 2023

A Dancer’s Life: Chita Rivera on Working Hard and Learning From the Best by Juan A. Ramírez

A new memoir traces the three-time Tony Award winner’s life and career working with Balanchine, Robbins and Fosse.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:06AM
Thursday, April 13, 2023

‘Television’ Review: Small-Screen Dreams by Juan A. Ramírez

A new show at the Wild Project in Manhattan imagines how a small 1950s community weathers the arrival of the mass media age.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:02PM
Friday, March 24, 2023

‘Arden of Faversham’ Review: An Elizabethan Noir Lost in the Fog by Juan A. Ramírez

Red Bull Theater’s attempt to update this 1592 true-crime story falls flat.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:42PM
Thursday, March 16, 2023

Review: In ‘Dear World,’ Donna Murphy Leads a Righteous March by Juan A. Ramírez

John Herman’s rarely seen 1969 musical is revived in an Encores! production at New York City Center.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:14PM
Friday, March 3, 2023

‘Hercules’ Review: An Underpowered Hero in a Far From Perfect Package by Juan A. Ramírez

A new production of the Disney musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse falls short of inspiring awe.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:25PM
Thursday, March 2, 2023

Review: ‘Public Obscenities’ Pushes Far Beyond One Field of Study by Juan A. Ramírez

The new work from Shayok Misha Chowdhury creates a strong enough center for the rest of its disparate parts to hold, and leaves the audience craving more.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:54AM
Wednesday, January 25, 2023

‘Modern Swimwear’ Review: The Designer and the Murderer by Juan A. Ramírez

Depicting the final hours of a young fashion designer’s life, Caitlin Saylor Stephens’s play lacks the sturdiness to make its connection to real events believable.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:48PM
Sunday, January 22, 2023

Review: In ‘Field of Mars,’ a March Toward Oblivion by Juan A. Ramírez

Presented by Richard Maxwell’s New York City Players as part of this year’s Under the Radar Festival, the two-act play tries to measure humanity’s progress.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:09PM
Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Jim Parsons Takes the Romantic Lead by Juan A. Ramírez

The Emmy-winning “Big Bang Theory” actor “could’ve done anything he wanted.” Now starring in the tear-jerker film “Spoiler Alert,” he’s forging his own path.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:54PM
Friday, December 16, 2022

Review: ‘Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust Road’ Takes the Path Too Well-Traveled by Juan A. Ramírez

The York Theater Company’s production is enthusiastically performed by a cast of seven. But the nostalgic revue pushes the limits of its case for the songwriter’s music.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:24AM
Thursday, November 10, 2022

‘Catch as Catch Can’ Review: Caught in a Tangle by Juan A. Ramírez

An overcomplicated one-act play addresses anti-Asian racism and mental illness at a Christmastime family reunion.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:36PM
Wednesday, November 2, 2022

‘Parade’ Review: The Trial and Tragedy of Leo Frank by Juan A. Ramírez

City Center’s gala production delves further into America’s history of violence and delivers the best-sung musical in many a New York season.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:18PM
Monday, October 31, 2022

Review: Star-Crossed Lovers in Need of a Divine Assist by Juan A. Ramírez

Andrew Rincón’s play about reigniting passions in the heavens and the bedroom is a jumble of genres at 59E59 Theaters.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:54PM
Wednesday, September 28, 2022

‘Bold Enough to Go Full-Tilt’: Gabby Beans Is Playing to the Balcony by Juan A. Ramírez

The actress, a Tony nominee for “The Skin of Our Teeth,” is bringing her sharp eye for comedy to Atlantic Theater Company’s production of “I’m Revolting.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:33PM
Friday, September 2, 2022

Jane Krakowski Cherishes ‘Chorus Line’ Merch and Old Tonys Tapings by Juan A. Ramírez

The “Schmigadoon!” actress explains the things that keep her in a Broadway state of mind: her Vespa, Lizzo’s music and French Fries.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:43PM
Monday, August 22, 2022

Review: Without Bloodshed, the Ingénue Takes the Lead by Juan A. Ramírez

Sophie McIntosh’s new play gathers five women in a college production for an exercise in youthful ambition and the corrupting clashing of egos.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:33PM
Sunday, August 7, 2022

In Defense of ‘Diana,’ the Show We Didn’t Deserve by Juan A. Ramírez

On the eve of a concert with three of the flop musical’s talented stars, time to celebrate a production that thrilled loyal fans — and at least one critic.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:07AM

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