Change one letter in the phrase ‘American Psycho’ to form a phrase that describes the essence of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa/Duncan Sheik’s musical currently playing at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre – a phrase that handily explains why the musical garnered such praise on the London stage. The result: ‘American Psyche.” Brits love watching the foibles of their “children across the pond” play…
You will be forgiven if you walk into the Brooks Atkinson Theatre and wonder if you have mistakenly ended up at the neighborhood diner. Yes, that is the aroma of warm cinnamon tickling your nose. And yes, it turns out to be a pretty apt metaphor for the show you are about to see. “Waitress,” after all, mostly takes place…
Officially the last production of the 2015/16 season, “Shuffle Along” is the much anticipated not– quite -revival starring Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell. The full title is “Shuffle Along: The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed,” and indeed, it tells the story of a Broadway show that was the first to star an all-black cast. In other words, this is not…
I confess that my mind started wandering about three hours into this one, but soon enough, the words, and those reciting them, pulled me back in. “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” is arguably Eugene O’Neill’s most famous– and most harrowing– work. Unlike Arthur Miller, whose family angst was often searinglyrepressed or unspoken, O’Neill put it all out there. In this revival, a Roundabout production at the American Airlines Theatre,…
For those who need reminders, this musical has a long history, both behind and in front of it. (Stay with me here) It all began as an East European play, apparently, but for most of is, it started as a beguiling 1940 movie called “The Shop Around The Corner,” starring Jimmy Stewart and Maureen Sullivan as sparring co-workers at a…
“With Blue – uncertain stumbling Buzz – Between the light – and me – And then the Windows failed – and then I could not see to see.” (Emily Dickenson, “I heard a Fly buzz” – No. 465) Anne (Kathryn Erbe) was “scared of [her father André] when [she] was little.” In the present – as he battles his advanced Alzheimer’s – André is more childlike, requesting Anne sing him…
“And I understood that truth seeks us out – then walks beside us like a shadow, and one day it merges with us. Until it does, we are not truly whole.” (Billy to Miss Murphy) Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s “Bright Star” is a welcomed infusion of optimism into the veins of the Broadway stage and a delightful breath of…
Liberia’s Civil Wars created havoc in the fragile West African Nation from 1980 until 2003. The political upheaval often eclipsed the myriad of humanitarian crises generated by the fighting in the region including massacres of civilians, unlawful prison camps, refugee crises, and the capture, captivity, and rape of local women. Danai Gurira’s “Eclipsed” focuses narrowly on the lives of five…
“What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” (Alexander Hamilton) In March 2008 Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking “In the Heights” opened on Broadway after critically acclaimed runs Off-Broadway and in Connecticut. That story – set over the course of three days – celebrated the unique vicissitudes of the lives of those living in the…
There are certain productions that you know – even before the curtain comes up – whether they will grab you or not. The latest revival of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” is probably one of those. First, let me say that the curtain goes up – and down – an odd number of times throughout the almost three-hour show, which just…