Standing Room Only

One problem with revivals is that creatives often feel a need to change things up. So they might use a different time, setting, storyline and sometimes even remove music. The recent revival of “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club” starring Eddie Redmayne as the Emcee now includes a prologue. Attempting to create the mood and […]

Few film actors can easily transition from film to the stage with live audiences and no do-overs. Yet Rachel McAdams makes a splendid Broadway debut in the revival of Amy Herzog’s play “Mary Jane.” The quiet intimate play is about Mary Jane, the single mother of a severely disabled youngster. Alexander is two and a […]

In 2002, Long Island Reads initiated a program designed to bring together readers in Nassau and Suffolk Counties to discuss a Long Island-related book. Unsurprisingly, the first book was the classic novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Now it is a new musical at the Broadway Theatre. The Great Gatsby is set on […]

It’s been over 60 years since “Purlie Victorious” played on Broadway. Written by actor Ossie Davis and premiering in 1961, the play feels as relevant as when it first opened. Deftly directed by Kenny Leon, the play reminds us that despite advances, some things have not changed. Although it is set years after the Civil […]

 photo by Matthew Murphy Getting married and becoming an American citizen are two events in Jaja’s life. However, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” by Jocelyn Bion is more universal than that. It’s about sisterhood and a group of women connected by their lives and their dreams. While Jaja prepares for her wedding, the ladies at her […]

So much has been written about Shakespeare over the years that it’s a challenge to find a novel approach to discuss his work. Yet actor Patrick Page (“Hadestown,” “Spider-man Turn Off the Dark”) has done just that by examining the bard’s work through the evolution of the villainous character. To do so, Page, who created […]

 photo by Liz Lauren The title of Rebeca Gilman’s latest play, “Swing State,” suggests that it deals with politics. Although it is set in Wisconsin, which is a swing state, the different ideologies held by the two older characters are less important than the losses they have suffered. The familiar homey set, (scenic design Todd […]

When I first saw “Here Lies Love” in 2013 at the Public Theater, I was one of several people who stood on the theater floor and moved around, viewing the show and walking around as the ushers directed us. At the revival at the Broadway Theatre, I chose to be seated. The audience members who […]

Even before we found our seats at the St James Theater, it was easy to gauge the emotions of the audience. Its mood was downright giddy. With so much tension and anger in the world today, everyone needed a good laugh to escape the news of the world. The revival of “Monty Python’s Spamalot” did […]

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and that adage has never proven as true as in Theresa Rebeck’s new play “I Need That” in Roundabout Theatre Company’s production at American Airlines Theatre. Sam (well-played by Danny DeVito) is a 70 year old man surrounded by what appears to be clutter and trash. (There’s a […]