Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Broadway Close Up: Party at the Princes' by Wendy Caster

Last night, Broadway Close Up presented yet another lovely night of talented people singing wonderful songs. The evening was devoted to shows that Hal Prince produced and/or directed, which …

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 05:12PM
Tuesday, November 7, 2023

The Frogs by Wendy Caster

The time is the present. The place is Ancient Greece. The fabulous lyrics and music are by the one-and-only Sondheim. The hysterical book is based on Aristophanes' The Frogs, as loosely adap…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 09:02PM
Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Jukebox: The Musical by Wendy Caster

Over the years, the Broadway Close-Up series has featured selections from  musicals-in-development, including discussions with their creators; salutes to established composers and writers o…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 12:13AM
Friday, October 20, 2023

Partnership by Wendy Caster

The fabulous Mint Theater Company is presenting Partnership, the third in their "Meet Miss [Elizabeth] Baker" series. The first, The Price of Thomas Scott (review here), from 1913, movingly…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 02:43AM
Monday, October 2, 2023

Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch by Wendy Caster

It's difficult to decide where to begin discussing the wonders of Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch. The incredibly funny, smart, musical writing; the extrao…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 08:55PM
Saturday, September 16, 2023

alt-Hamlet by Wendy Caster

What do you get if you stir together abortion rights, cancel culture, and Hamlet, throw in hints of Becket and Brecht, and add sharp writing, excellent acting, and fabulous make-up and cost…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 09:37PM
Tuesday, August 29, 2023

How to Steal an Election by Wendy Caster

In this sad time of theatres' laying off staff, shortening seasons, and disappearing altogether, there is at least one bright spot: the York Theatre Company's Musicals in Mufti are back!! Mu…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 02:37AM
Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Wendy Caster

If I were forced to name one favorite show, it might well be Sweeney Todd. (Actually, it would be Sweeney-Night Music-Follies, but that's cheating.) Sweeney's size, wit, pathos, beauty, and …

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 04:19PM
Monday, August 14, 2023

Orpheus Descending by Wendy Caster

Tennessee Williams’s play Orpheus Descending (recently at the Theatre for a New Audience) was the first of his works to be produced. While it is not one of his masterpieces, it is still ri…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 09:43PM
Thursday, August 10, 2023

Once Upon a One More Time by Wendy Caster

Once Upon a One More Time is not a show I would usually see. The only thing I know about Britney Spears is that she's in the news a lot and has had some tough times. And I don't care much a…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 08:19PM
Saturday, June 3, 2023

Tony Predictions, Because, Why Not? by Sandra Mardenfeld

Well, it is that time of year again. The 76th Tony Awards will recognize theatrical achievements on Broadway for the 2022-23 season. Who will win? Below are Show Showdown's guesses. Clip fr…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 12:32AM
Thursday, May 18, 2023

Blanche: The Life and Times of Tennessee Williams's Greatest Creation (book review) by Wendy Caster

I reviewed Blanche: The Life and Times of Tennessee Williams's Greatest Creation at Talkin' Broadway: Blanche: The Life and Times of Tennessee Williams's Greatest Creation, by Nancy Schoenb…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 07:42PM
Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Assassins by Wendy Caster

The Gallery Players production of Assassins is unfortunately not up to its usual standards. I admire the ambition of attempting Assassins, with its non-plot, odd politics, long swaths of sp…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 07:06PM
Friday, May 5, 2023

Iolanthe by Wendy Caster

Once again, MasterVoices has provided an evening of charm, joy, and fabulous music. In this case, it was Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe, not one of their best, but still great fun. (There a…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 09:12PM

Some Numerical Thoughts on the Tonys by Wendy Caster

Entertainment awards are silly and they're also endlessly fascinating. Part of the allure is the fashion, pomp, and party atmosphere. A bigger part, for me, is the speeches--at least, those …

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 09:12PM
Friday, April 28, 2023

The Knight of the Burning Pestle by Wendy Caster

The rollicking, deeply silly, remarkably funny production of the The Knight of the Burning Pestle currently at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, brought to us by Red Bull Theater and Fiasco Theat…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 12:24AM
Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Smart by Wendy Caster

 I review Smart over at Talkin' Broadway:  Elaine is committed to taking care of her mother, but it's far from easy. Ruth had a stroke, and she frequently has difficulty speaking, occasio…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 07:18PM
Friday, March 31, 2023

Vanities by Wendy Caster

The York Theatre Company's production of Vanities, running through April 22, has many strong points. The main strength is the cast. The story of three friends from roughly age 18 (in 1963) …

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 03:12AM
Thursday, March 16, 2023

Arden of Faversham by Wendy Caster

Red Bull's fabulously entertaining production of Arden of Faversham, directed with a wry hand by Artistic Director Jesse Berger, tells the story of Alice (the terrific Cara Ricketts), a you…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 11:40PM
Friday, March 10, 2023

Dark Disabled Stories by Wendy Caster

I reviewed this show for Talkin' Broadway. The review can be accessed here. I have very mixed feelings about this review, just as I had mixed feelings about the show. 

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 02:59PM
Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Crumbs from the Table of Joy by Wendy Caster

In 1995, Lynn Nottage had her first professional production: Crumbs from the Table of Joy, at Second Stage in New York. The Keen Company is now presenting Crumbs' first New York revival, w…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 07:00PM
Friday, March 3, 2023

The Trees by Wendy Caster

An odd and lovely play is opening at Playwrights Horizons on March 5th and running through March 19th. Written by Agnes Borinsky and directed by Tina Satter, The Trees is the story of a bro…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 12:34PM
Tuesday, February 28, 2023

She's Got Harlem on Her Mind by Wendy Caster

When Eulalie Spence died in 1981 at age 86, her obituary noted that she was a retired school teacher but didn't mention that she was also an award-winning playwright of the Harlem Renaissanc…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 05:38PM

Becomes a Woman by Wendy Caster

While Betty Smith is famous today for her novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, her great love was playwrighting; she wrote over 70 one-act and full-length dramas, some of which were performed in …

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 02:21AM
Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Sunday in the Park With George by Wendy Caster

As made clear in James Lapine's must-read Putting It Together (review here), the development of his and Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park With George was hectic, odd, and messy. In man…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 04:55PM
Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Audience by Wendy Caster

Among Václav Havel's extraordinary traits--talent, bravery, more bravery--his compassion is in some ways the most impressive. In his one-act play Audience, Havel's stand-in, Ferdinand Vaně…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 03:59PM
Thursday, January 19, 2023

Ain't No Mo' by Wendy Caster

It was sad to see Ain't No Mo' come and go so quickly, but was Broadway the right place for it? I get the attraction of Broadway. It's the place. But was there ever a chance that Ain't No M…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 03:56PM
Monday, January 2, 2023

Hadestown by Wendy Caster

My third viewing of the amazing Hadestown was from third row mezz on a Wednesday matinee. Although I have an aversion to Wednesday matinees going back to the 1970s, I was pleasantly surpris…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 12:27PM
Sunday, January 1, 2023

1776 by Wendy Caster

Here's the amazing thing: the musical 1776 is so solid, so excellent, that the creators of the current Roundabout production didn't manage to completely ruin it. Though they did try.  W…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 11:34PM
Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Merrily We Roll Along by Liz Wollman

  Merrily We Roll Along was and shall always remain a hot mess of a musical. Based on a longer-running if also financially unsuccessful 1934 play of the same name by Kaufman and Hart, Merr…

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 11:12AM
Sunday, December 11, 2022

Ain't No Mo' by Liz Wollman

Closing notices have been posted for Jordan E. Cooper's wonderful Ain't No Mo', which is a  shame: the show, which only opened on Broadway three weeks ago, richly deserves to connect with …

SOURCE: Show Showdown at 04:32PM

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
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