Standing Room Only

Comedy is an art, and it isn’t easy. What some find amusing, others barely snicker at. Humor comes from wordplay and language, action, innuendo and exquisite timing. We can all agree on the universality of drama- loneliness, illness, depression and death. However, it’s not as easy to agree on what is truly funny. Based upon […]

When we first meet Ralph, the main character in “Angry Alan,” the 85 minute play by Penelope Skinner at the intimate Studio Seaview, he isn’t angry. Portrayed by John Krasinski who played the genial Jim on tv’s “The Office,” how could he be? Jim was always playful and smiling and playing gentle practical jokes on […]

At the end of Season 4 of “Hacks,” there’s a rumor that Debra Vance (played by the incredibly funny, talented Jean Smart) is dead. I’m here to report that she isn’t dead. In fact, Smart is alive and well and has just opened the new theater season with her one – woman show “Call Me […]

I rarely go to see a show without having a good sense of what it’s about. Yet that’s exactly what happened recently when I saw the revival of “Heathers The Musical” at New World Stages. I expected a “Mean Girls” where the underdogs win out against the popular cliques. That’s not exactly what I saw. […]

Four privileged young men from an elite school are about to participate in the most important debate of their high school career. They will be competing against the girls from their own school, and their topic is “that feminism has failed women.” The prep time is one hour before the debate with no technology allowed. […]

Rolling Thunder :A Rock Journey How do you describe the horrors of war to an audience through the music of its time? Australian journalist and writer Bryce Hallett undertook the difficult task of conveying the hardships, senselessness and destruction of war by creating a composite of young men using actual letters written by soldiers and […]

JOY A New True Musical The story of Joy Mangano, a single mom from Long Island who through her tenacity and ingenuity, becomes a millionaire, is inspirational. She created household products and made millions. A 2015 film starring Jennifer Lawrence gave a fictionalized version of her life.Now Joy’s story, directed by Lorin Latarro, has become […]

Four men gather in a small Irish pub. One is the young owner and the other three are regulars with a long history together. Jack (an impressive Dan Butler) regrets choices he made as a young man, leaving him alone and single which is why he urges Brendon, the pub owner (Johnny Hopkins) to marry. […]

According to magician Jamie Allan in Amaze Magic, New York, his transplanted show from London’s West End, there are two types of people when it comes to magic -dreamers and skeptics. I am a dreamer. I don’t want to know how the magic works. I just want to be astounded, and Allan’s show provides some […]

What makes you laugh? For me, it’s often recognizing a familiar situation that ends with a surprise twist.I wasn’t familiar with the work of comedian Jeff Ross, except that he’s called “The Roastmaster” and he has roasted celebrities, politicians, prisoners and sports icons. In other words, he insults famous people for a living, often in […]