Saturday, January 10, 2026

OLD BOTTLE, NEW WINE: KINOSHITA KABUKI’S KANJINCHŌ by Eyal Solomon

By Samuel L. Leiter... This unusual reimagining deftly expresses the play's inherent drama even as its historic visual and aural attractions have been replaced or pared away.

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 06:53PM

Matthew Morrison: Rhythms & Revelations at 54 Below by Melissa Griegel

By Melissa Griegel… Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography Matthew Morrison (Hairspray, The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific), made his debut on Broadway in Footloose and then went on to …

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 04:00PM
Friday, January 9, 2026

‘Bug’- Alarmingly Topical or Sci-Fi? by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen 40ish Agnes White (Carrie Coon) lives in a low end motel room on an interstate highway in Oklahoma. A bar waitress, she seems to spend the rest of her time high. Today, ex-husb…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:13AM
Thursday, January 8, 2026

MATTHEW MORRISON: RHYTHMS & REVELATIONS AT 54 BELOW by Ron Fassler

By Ron Fassler . . . A cabaret show that's the perfect way to start the New Year off with optimism and heart.

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 02:08PM

‘Marjorie Prime’- Are We Our Memories? by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen When Jordan Harrison wrote Marjorie Prime, (a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize), the play emerged among a succession of dramatic pieces concerning analog vs. digital. A.I.,…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:36AM
Tuesday, January 6, 2026

“Tartuffe” at New York Theatre Work Is a Raunchy, Raucous Rendition of the Immortal Classic by Eyal Solomon

Review by Carol Rocamora... This raucous revival reaffirms Moliere’s immortality as a satirist of society and human foibles.

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:31PM
Monday, January 5, 2026

‘Charles Kirsch’s Backstage Babble Live!’ by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen On winter vacation from Harvard, Charles Kirsch returns to 54Below with 15 Broadway notables, most interviewed on his inimitable podcast. Once again, selections are wide, many …

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 12:34PM
Friday, January 2, 2026

‘The Porch at Windy Hill’ by Alix Cohen

A New Play with Old Music- Returning to Urban Stages January 25- February 22, 2026 By Alix Cohen Mira (Tora Nogami Alexander), a biracial, Korean American, classical violinist, and her boyfr…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:41AM
Wednesday, December 31, 2025

‘Thank You, Tom Lehrer’ by Alix Cohen

“Nonsense wakes up the brain cells…If you can see things out of whack, then you can see how things can be in whack.” Dr. Seuss By Alix Cohen Tom Lehrer (1928–2025) was a New York–b…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:19AM
Monday, December 29, 2025

LEITER LOOKS AT BOOKS: John Doyle’s OPENING DOORS: REIMAGINING THE AMERICAN MUSICAL by Eyal Solomon

Book review by Samuel L. Leiter... Casual notes on show-biz books, memoirs and studies, dust gatherers, and hot off the presses.

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 04:05PM
Friday, December 26, 2025

New York Pops: A Place Called Home by Andrew Poretz

By Andrew Poretz . . . The New York Pops, under the direction of Maestro Steven Reineke, presented its annual holiday concert on December 19 and 20 at Carnegie Hall. Performed before a full …

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:52PM
Wednesday, December 24, 2025

NORM LEWIS PULLS HIS SLEIGH INTO TOWN IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . It’s that time of year and Broadway stalwart Norm Lewis is back at 54 Below with “Christmas Lives Here.”

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:44AM
Monday, December 22, 2025

Dream Music Puppetry Program’s 26th Annual Puppet Parlor by Alix Cohen

A Vaudeville By Alix Cohen Imagination, theatrical skill and physical puppet craft has had a home at HERE Arts Center’s Dream Music Puppetry program since 1999. Endowed by his grandmother …

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:26AM

Duke Ellington’s Shakespearean ‘Such Sweet Thunder’ by Alix Cohen

“If music be the food of love play on.” Orsino, Twelfth Night By Alix Cohen In August 1956, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn were performing in Canada when they crossed paths with the …

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:35AM
Sunday, December 21, 2025

‘Alice presented by MOMIX’ by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Moses Pendleton’s 2022 Alice, aka this Alice in Wonderland-ish dance/theater piece, is a visual feast: wildly imaginative, impressionistic and allusive, rather than depicting…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 04:45PM
Saturday, December 20, 2025

“Guys and Dolls” Sparkles in a Capital Production by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . As musicals go, Guys and Dolls is a show I’ve seen productions of in more venues than any other. Over the years, I’ve sat through versions by elementary, mi…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 04:01PM
Friday, December 19, 2025

Mia Vassilev: Keys on Fire! by Andrew Poretz

By Andrew Poretz . . . Mia Vassilev, who goes by her first name, made her 54 Below debut with her retro, high-energy Keys on Fire! on December 9. The pianist extraordinaire has performed thr…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:53PM

First love, Second Love and More in the Delightful “If We Kiss” by Eyal Solomon

By Stewart Miller... Rachel Vail’s adaptation of her YA novel brings a deft comic touch to high school relationships.

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:37PM
Tuesday, December 16, 2025

‘The Bryce Edwards Frivolity Hour’ by Alix Cohen

A pick me up for the weary soul. By Alix Cohen For those of you sadly unfamiliar, throwback Bryce Edwards plays and sings 1920s/30s songs as they would’ve been performed at the time, often…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 02:16PM

“Cast of Characters”: The Lyrics of Michael Colby by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . Here in New York City, the non-profit Urban Stages has been championing the work of playwrights, composers, and lyricists for decades. Its modest home on West 30t…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 12:02PM
Monday, December 15, 2025

‘Joe Iconis’s 15th Annual Christmas Extravaganza’ by Alix Cohen

Buckle your seat belts! By Alix Cohen The Hellzapoppin’ holiday spectacle Pied Piper Joe Iconis annually engineers is wry, raunchy, subversive, sprawling, shamelessly exuberant fun. Though…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 02:25PM
Saturday, December 13, 2025

TYRA BANKS LAUNCHES “HOT ICE CREAM” IN NEW YORK CITY by Melissa Griegel

By Melissa Griegel… Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography Multi-month Culinary Activations Kick-off December 15 through February, with New NYC Locations Weekly Tyra Banks is bringing her g…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:57AM
Thursday, December 11, 2025

“Diversion” – Nurses Under Pressure, Forgotten Heroes in Crisis by Carole Di Tosti

Diversion' by Scott Organ is about ICU nurses under intense pressure when their team leader tells them they are being investigated for "diverting" opioids. The post “Diversion” – Nurse…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 03:54PM
Tuesday, December 9, 2025

“Gruesome Playground Injuries” is a Moving Duet on the Playground of Life by Eyal Solomon

By Carol Rocamora... What is it about these intimate, small-cast plays that are stealing our hearts this season? The post “Gruesome Playground Injuries” is a Moving Duet on the Playgroun…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:08PM

Cooler Than the Fonz: Russell Moss—A Night of Christmas Cool by Andrew Poretz

Every December, New York City overflows with holiday entertainment, from intimate cabaret shows to the full-scale spectacle of Radio City. Having seen more than my share—some mawkish, some…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:40PM

‘The Lovers,The Dreamers & Me: The Songs of Paul Williams’ by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Paul Williams (1940) is an American songwriter, composer, singer, and actor whose career spans six decades. Known for penning enduring hits such as “We’ve Only Just Begun�…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 03:56PM

Marieann Meringolo Welcomes in the Season at Chelsea Table + Stage by Melissa Griegel

By Melissa Griegel… Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography The holiday season is upon us with Marieann Meringolo’s 19th Annual Holiday Show “In the Spirit” cabaret taking place at a s…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:00AM
Monday, December 8, 2025

‘Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense’ by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Love and Lunacy; Erroneous Conclusion, Blackmail, and Marriage or Not By Alix Cohen The thing begins when Bertie Wooster’s chum, Gussie Fink-Nottle begs him to come to Totlei…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 04:16PM

THE SIEGEL COLUMN – Looking Back at the Best of 2025 by Eyal Solomon

By Barbara & Scott Siegel... Best Performances of the Year - So Far The post THE SIEGEL COLUMN – Looking Back at the Best of 2025 appeared first on Theater Pizzazz.

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:51AM
Saturday, December 6, 2025

Leiter Looks at Books: Barbara Wallace Grossman’s A Spectacle of Suffering: Clara Morris on the American Stage by Ron Fassler

Book review by Samuel L. Leiter Casual notes on show-biz books, memoirs and studies, dust gatherers, and hot off the presses. Barbara Wallace Grossman, A Spectacle of Suffering: Clara Morris…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 06:00PM

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater- Premiere Night by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Under the leadership of Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack, an Ailey dancer and Judith Jamison mentee 2005 – 2014, the company begins a chapter with fresh energy. “This mon…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:14PM

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