Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” debuted on Broadway in 1959 and appeared in London’s West End five months later. The musical adaptation “Raisin” won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1973 and the play had two Broadway revivals in 2004 and 2014. This powerful and ground-breaking story of a financially strapped Chicago South Side Black extended family’s…
Marin Gazzaniga’s “The Unbelieving” is based on select interviews from the 2013 book “Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind” by Daniel C. Dennett and Linda LaScola. The authors interview clergy from various denominations who have been grappling with their loss of faith in the divine and their fears of being hypocritical by not sharing their unbelief with their congregations/adherents….
Every once in a while, there comes along a little gem of a play that certainly will knock you off your feet, especially if it is a first-rate production and impeccably performed by two remarkable actors. This happens to be the case at hand on the stage of The Irish Repertory Theatre, where Chester Bailey penned by Joseph Dougherty is…
Some may say that Arthur Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman” may be the greatest play of the 20th century and there is evidence that supports that claim. It premiered on Broadway in 1949, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the TONY award for Best Play. The fifth Broadway revival is now playing at The Hudson Theatre starring Wendell…
Sometimes there is no reason to try and improve or change something which would adhere to the adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Adjusting, tweaking, or trying to improve things when they already work well, can spell disaster. By altering the original parts or embellishing the simplicity of the original, it may in fact complicate or confuse the…
In the current 20th anniversary production of “Topdog/Underdog,” Suzan Lori-Parks reminds the audience that when one does not receive unconditional and nonjudgmental love and chooses to disconnect from one’s cultural and family histories, things can and will go terribly wrong. From the first scene of the play currently running at the John Golden Theatre, it is evident that there is…
There is too much noise on the set of Victor I. Cazares’s “american (tele)visions” currently running at New York Theatre Workshop (co-produced with Theatre Mitu). Although that noise comes from what is certainly a dynamic and innovative set design by Bretta Gerecke and a clever technical design by Theatre Mitu’s Justin Nestor, Alex Hawthorn, and Kelly Colburn, it unfortunately masks…
Applause Books is proud to announce the November 2022 release of Magic to Do (192 pages • 978-1-4930-6435-9• Hardback) by Elysa Gardner. In Magic to Do, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Pippin’s opening, two-time Pulitzer Prize jury member Elysa Gardner turns her attention to this innovative show, the musical retelling of the story of Prince Pippin, son of Charlemagne,…
“Cost of living indexes are meant to compare the expenses an average person can expect to incur to acquire food, shelter, transportation, energy, clothing, education, healthcare, childcare, and entertainment in different regions.” – Investopedia The folks in Martyna Majok’s “Cost of Living,” currently running at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, are not “average people” and they experience the…
Anyone who might enjoy an evening at the theater and resides within a reasonable distance to New Hope, Pa., should definitely set aside some time to enjoy the current production of “Evita” at Buck’s County Playhouse. Director Will Pomeranz has transferred his production of this show from Bay Street Theater in New York, which is reimagined, placing dance front and…