Standing Room Only

Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” is considered a ‘problem’ play with its ambiguous tone, shifting from humor to dark elements in the person of one of the central characters, the Jewish Shylock. No matter what Shylock does, he is teased and mocked, hated and detested until someone needs money from him. Antonio borrows money to […]

It’s the weekend before Christmas and the airports are crowded with folks heading home for the holidays. But Not everyone is looking forward to getting together with the family. Despite the Christmas rituals and music, the grown up Dahl children in “Cult of Love” seem to be dreading Christmas. In fact, when Jonny, the youngest […]

So much theater is about family dynamics where we often recognize ourselves and our families on stage. However, sometimes we are relieved that it is NOT our family or your marriage. In “Blood Quilt” at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center, playwright Katori Hall uses the metaphor of the quilt to explore a family’s […]

How far would you go to retain your youth? Theater and film are replete with tales of women attempting to stay young. If the woman is Maddy Ashton, an egotistical narcissistic performer, one of the two main characters in the new musical “Death Becomes Her,” she’ll risk it all. It took years before the 1992 […]

With his raspy gravelly voice and broad smile, trumpet-player Louis Armstrong has become an iconic figure. Yet his story is much more complex than that. The new Broadway bio-musical, “It’s A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical,” with the book by Aurin Squire, tells the story of the man through his music and his four […]

When people need to recharge, they take a nap or have a cup of coffee or a piece of chocolate. When the charming Helper Bots in the different quirky new musical, “Maybe Happy Ending” need a recharge, they plug their batteries into the wall. Oliver (Darren Criss) is a HelperBot 3 living in a one […]

Is there anyone who doesn’t know the story of Romeo and Juliet, the young star-crossed lovers? The challenge for a director, then, is how to retell the story to appeal to a younger audience. Director Sam Gold’s staging of “William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet” at Circle in the Square seems to have done just that. […]

The chemistry between Julianna Margulies and Peter Gallagher is charming, and that’s the most compelling reason to see the new play “Left on Tenth”. The autobiographical play by novelist, screenwriter, and essayist Delia Ephron is based upon her memoir. It is about second chances and finding love again. After losing her husband of many years, […]

In “Gypsy” three strippers explain the key to success by singing “You Gotta Get a Gimmick.” Lately that seems to be the theme of Broadway revivals. The goal is to differentiate the show from the original. And true to form the recent revival of “Sunset Blvd” directed by Jamie Lloyd is a musical filled with […]

Vladimir Putin is an intriguing figure and last spring, he was one of the two main characters in playwright Peter Morgan’s play “Patriots.” This season, a second show by Erika Sheffer called “Vladimir” also features the Russian leader. Presented by Manhattan Theater Club, the show bears his name, but he never appears. Like Voldemort, his […]