Years after August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” was first produced on Broadway in 1990, Black playwrights have continued to grapple with this enduring question which defines the struggle between Bernice (an indomitable and passionate Danielle Brooks) and her brother Boy Willie (a broken but resilient John David Washington) in Wilson’s epic drama: “Is it possible to build one’s future without…
“Some Like It Hot” a modern day, good old-fashioned musical has arrived on Broadway at The Shubert Theatre, and it delivers on all levels, making for a very enjoyable evening of musical comedy. It is based on the motion picture of the same title, but the book by Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin is clever, witty, and updated to reflect…
There are two paths to “disappearance” in David Cale’s engaging “Sandra” currently running at the Vineyard Theatre. The audience discovers that Ethan Martin’s path has been well thought out. Sandra Jones’ (Marjan Neshat) path on the other hand is completely reactive, random, and riddled with danger. Two paths diverge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and the choices made by both on…
Broadway has had quite a roster of juke box musicals grace the stage in the past and it seems that this season will add a few more to the archive. Opening at The Stephen Sondheim Theatre is “& Juliet” featuring music and lyrics by Max Martin and Friends and a book by David West Read. Songs from Mr. Martin’s repertoire…
If you are not yet in a Holiday mood, perhaps a trip to Bucks County Playhouse where “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas” is now playing, may ignite your spirit. What can be more inspiring than hearing seasonal favorites sung by Jerry Lee Lewis (an exuberant Jason Cohen), Carl Perkins (a calming Sam Sherwood), Johnny Cash (an engaging Tyler Michael Breeding) and…
There is an abundance of medical and anatomical references in “Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & The Pool” currently running at Lincoln Center Theater’s Vivian Beaumont Theater. Mr. Birbiglia’s affinity for medicine is often part of or the central theme in his stand-up comedy gigs around the nation. His particular interest in his own health is also pivotal to his…
If Will Arbery’s “Evanston Salt Costs Climbing were an absurdist play, its non-sense narrative might make some sense. However, this is not a “Waiting for Godot” for post-pandemic Evanston, Illinois, or a pre-recession America. Peter (a foul-mouthed and depressive Jeb Kreager) and Basil’s (an equally foul-mouthed but agreeable Ken Leung) world borders on meaningless and the play’s characters are experiencing…
The costume department at Bucks County Playhouse will open its wardrobe room for a holiday sale — offering a wide collection of festive frocks, and everyday ready-to-wear clothing, for sale to the public on Saturday, December 3 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. A special invitation only preview night will be on Friday, December 2. The holiday clearance, which will…
Under Michael Arden’s meticulous direction, Jefferson Mays navigates through his adaptation (with Susan Lyons and Michael Arden) of the five staves of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” with the full arsenal of his impressive craft. In addition to the protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge, Mr. Mays portrays and reimagines fifty of Charles Dickens’ iconic characters with the full range of emotion from…
In heeding the advice mentor Lester Bangs gives young music journalist William Miller, the following comments will be “honest and unmerciful.” Fans of the movie “Almost Famous” released twenty-two years ago may have mixed feelings about the musical stage version now playing on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. On the one hand, book writer Cameron Crowe has religiously…