New York

THE IDES HAVE IT It’s 44 BCE, March 15, and Julius Caesar walks toward his death, changing the course of Western history. Exactly 2,067 years later, at the West End Theater in New York, a commendable, ambitious experiment, adapted and directed by Bedlam Artistic Director  Eric Tucker, tackles the scorching subject, and leaves us with mixed…

IMMIGRANT WOMEN IRON OUT DIFFERENCES In Lost Sock Laundry  by Ivan Faute, presented by Northern Manhattan’s UP Theater Company April 10-27, 2024, there are rules and expectations about how you use the Maytag, how long you can use the dryer before you get looks, and who gets to save a machine for a friend. Irene, a…

Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one. ’•  Voltaire The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines parable as,   “…a usually short, fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle”. This same resource defines doubt as, “…to call into question the truth of; to be uncertain”. So celebrated playwright John Patrick Shanley certainly…

Now in its fourth year, Bedlam’s DO MORE: NEW PLAYS readings series returns with five thrilling new pieces of theater. All performances for the series will take place at the  West End Theatre (263 W 86th St). All five readings are free with RSVP, and as always there is great stuff here. Curated by Associate Artistic…

“In all debates, let truth be thy aim, not victory, or an unjust interest.” ’•  William Penn Itamar Moses (The Band’s Visit) is a playwright we should all be listening to. His new play The Ally, which opened tonight at the Public Theater, is so timely and relevant, it acts as a master class in fully…

PERICLES AT CLASSIC STAGE: A CLASSIC STAGING OF PERICLES Pericles by William Shakespeare is not a drama. Or comedy. It’s a Romance. A lovely romance that touches upon incest, forced prostitution, abduction by pirates, a murderous foster mother, a widowed young king, a shipwreck, famine, mental illness (arguably), grief, separation and  beheadings for not being able…

JELLY’S JAM IS JAMMIN’ THAT’S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW Jelly Roll Morton was born Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe in New Orleans. Both his parents traced their Creole ancestry four generations back to the 18th century. He was a jazz and ragtime pianist, composer and bandleader who is regarded as the first arranger of jazz. Nicholas…

THE HUNT IS ON, BRUTAL AND UNMISSABLE The Jungle. Volcano. Life & Times of Michael K. In the last year alone, the venerable St. Ann’s Warehouse has hosted stunning theater from around the world. But last night came the most powerful, provocative theater imaginable. Not to be missed, the U.S. premiere of London’s Almeida Theatre…