When I wrote my first review of the fabulous APAC production of Follies, I was short on details. Then someone on the often-infuriating but also often-invaluable All That Chat…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 11:32PMAfter all that's been written about Hamilton, one might think that there's nothing left to say. Turns out there's at least 400 pages' worth, as shown in Historians on Hamilton: How a Blockbu…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 09:48PMHow much did I enjoy the APAC production of Follies? I've already purchased my ticket to see it again.APAC (Astoria Performing Arts Center) has an excellent reputation and many awards, as we…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 09:04PMNo doubt: the York Theatre Company is on a roll. Its last show, Desperate Measures, received a bouquet of nominations for best musical (Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, etc.) and will soon o…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 01:24AMI have identified the problem with the musical Chess. It's bad.You've got Florence, who loves bad boy chess player Freddie and has probably been his lover in the past. Does the show do …
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 10:54PMSo, I could rave about the writing (joyfully wonderful and silly rhymes by David Ives) or the acting (from a strong, talented, attractive ensemble) or the design (charming) or the direction …
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 08:48PMIf there is an afterlife, I hope Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., has had the opportunity to look down and watch the Wheelhouse Theater Company's excellent production of his hilarious, incisive farce, Ha…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 11:54PMEdward Albee was not exactly fond of his mother. The headmaster of a boarding school Albee attended was quoted in the New Yorker as saying, “[He] dislikes his mother with a cordial an…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 08:26PMMy latest essay is up at Art Times. I would love to hear what you all think about the issues discussed.Periodically, old shows with iffy depictions of women are revived on Broadway. Peo…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 05:59PMWhat if the most heroic thing any of us can do is simply to survive?[spoilers, arguably, but this is not a plot-driven show]In Good for Otto, David Rabe gives us a microcosm of a small town-…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 10:00PM[spoilers throughout]Yes, curse words sung operatically by incredibly talented people are startlingly funny. And arguments about who's cheating on who, complete with hair-pulling, are also g…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 07:22PMA year ago, a new cabaret space opened at the Yotel on 42nd Street and 10th Avenue (entrance on 10th): The Green Room 42. My first foray there was on February 14th, its first anniversary, fo…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 04:43PMWhile watching the Gallery Players' highly entertaining production of William Finn's odd but engaging musical, A New Brain, I found my own old brain full of questions. First, about A New Bra…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 05:00PMWho assassinated Malcolm X? The answer remains a matter of debate in some quarters and may never be totally resolved until the New York Police Department releases the files on the case, whic…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 09:21PMMy latest piece is up at Art Times. It's about how we can help women in the arts get more power.Almost as far back as I can remember, people have been labeling various time periods as “The…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 08:03PMSex. It's a tricky thing, is sex.Throughout history, including now, cultures have sought to tame sex's complexity via rigid rules, assumptions, and limitations (particularly for women), with…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 08:00PMYou may have heard of director Gerald Freedman. You may not have. But you've certainly heard of his work: Freedman assistant-directed the original West Side Story and Gypsy. He dir…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 08:02PMRobert O'Hara's new comedy Mankind, which he also directs, doesn't officially open at Playwright's Horizon until January 8, so it's way too early to review it. But I do have a comment o…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 08:24PMIt's that time of the year again. I've limited myself to 10 best shows, since that's the number everyone likes, and I've included "honorable mentions" as well. Shows that I reviewed are link…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 06:33PMThe Public Theater's Mobile Unit is presenting a highly entertaining, streamlined version of The Winter's Tale through December 17. It's a lovely evening in the theater, if not quite Sh…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 04:33PMYou just never know how something is going to hit you. Last night I saw the National Theatre Broadcast of Follies with five friends. Among us, we have easily seen 80 live performances o…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 08:12PMMy latest essay is up at Art Times:Many years ago, I had the magical experience of being there when my nephew Charlie, who was around six years old at the time, saw his first musical. It was…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 08:12PMThere are still some seats left for Nellie McKay: The Big Molinsky--Considering Joan Rivers at Joe's Pub on November 17 at 11:30. They're only $15, with a $12 cover (the fries are delis…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 10:36PMThere's good news and there's bad news.Good news: Shame of Thrones: The Rock Musical: An Unauthorized Parody (what would be the point of an authorized parody?) largely succeeds in getti…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 10:18PMI am excited to introduce Maggie Sulc as our new Canadian reviewer. As you can see from her bio below, she has a great deal of experience in both theatre and writing. Even better, …
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 10:18PMThere are certain humans who seem to be their own species. In the case of circus performers, it would be homo sapiens amazingus. The Big Apple Circus is full of these wondrous folk, flying t…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 05:04PMIn Steven Dietz's two-character play Lonely Planet, Jody (the subtle and smart Arnie Burton) owns a map store. He loves and is comforted by the factual information contained by map…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 04:24AMI didn't stay for the second act of War Paint, and it's closing in early November, so I'll make this brief.My response to Patti LuPone's first solo: "I wish they had closed captioning."My si…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 02:12AMAnyone who regularly reads Show Showdown knows that I am a huge fan of the Flux Theatre Ensemble. The Lesser Seductions of History, Dog Act, Hearts Like Fists, Jane the Plain, and Sans Merci…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 08:48PMIn J.B. Priestley's 1937 play, Time and the Conways, it's 1919 and the Conways are giving a party for daughter Kay's 21st birthday. While the guests enjoy themselves elsewhere, various Conwa…
SOURCE: Show Showdown at 08:33PMThere is a unique satisfaction that comes from watching a solid revival of a well-made play from the early or middle 20th century. This is why I have long been a fan of The Mint Theater Comp…
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