New York

BRINGING BACK BYRNE Talking Heads superstar David Byrne re-opened his acclaimed rock spectacle American Utopia  last September 17 at Broadway’s St. James Theatre after the pandemic shutdown. I caught this joyous and resilient concert last December and loved it (this show never closed during COVID’s Omicron surge). This is truly a community event, and the packed…

A PRAYER GRANTED FOR THE THEATER “Exquisite” is probably a devalued and over-used descriptive at this point is our society. However, Manhattan Theatre Club’s current production of Prayer for the French Republic deserves this particular adjective. Painstakingly written by Joshua Harmon, this three-hour exploration of Jewish identity and human cruelty via multiple generations of a…

BEAT IT, NAYSAYERS; THIS SHOW WANTS TO BE STARTIN’ SOMETHIN’ The new Broadway musical at the Neil Simon Theatre far exceeds a mere revue of Michael Jackson’s iconic music and performance choreography. From the first scene in a rehearsal studio, a week prior to the opening of the “Dangerous Tour,” Myles Frost enters fully possessing…

A GREAT CREW OF ACTORS BRING THIS SKELETON TO LIFE There is a family onstage in Dominique Morisseau’s expertly crafted new play Skeleton Crew, which had its Broadway opening at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater last night. There’s a focused, worried Father figure — Reggie. There’s an experienced, solid Mother or maybe Grandmother or maybe…

IN-PERSON FESTIVAL NOW RUNNING THROUGH FEBRUARY 28, 2022 The Drama League’s DirectorFest Â 2022, a festival spotlighting the art of contemporary stage directing by an exciting new generation of talent, featuring brand new productions led by its current Directing Fellows. The first two productions of The Drama League’s DirectorFest Â â€™â€ which is running Â now through February 28, 2022 at Â A.R.T./NEW…

A PLAY TO MAKE YOU KVELL AND KVETCH Crazy Meshugga Hurricane Earthquake by Amy Coleman is a play about parallels. Parallel religious practices. Parallel childhoods. Parallel abuses. Parallel fathers. Parallel lives. And Ms. Coleman’s attempt to bring all these parallel situations together is both the strength and weakness of her play. While Ms. Coleman has…

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD GOES ON HIATUS Aaron Sorkin’s To  Kill  a  Mockingbird, the best play I’ve seen on Broadway in years — and the most successful American play in Broadway history — will conclude the current leg of its incredible run at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre this Sunday, but it will reopen one block east  at the Belasco Theatre…

A MUST-SEE MARVEL OF MAGIC Harry Potter, named “The Boy Who Lived” by the wizarding world, is alive and well and back on Broadway at the Lyric after having been shuttered by the evil world of COVID. But behind the scenes, someone’s wand has been reworking the epic two-part play (which had required separate admissions)…

AIN’T TOO PROUD CLOSES THIS WEEK Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations will play its final Broadway performance this Sunday, January 16, 2022, at the Imperial Theatre said producers  Ira Pittelman  and  Tom Hulce. The musical, with a book by Dominique Morisseau, choreography by Sergio Trujillo, and direction by Des McAnuff, will have…

NAATCO AND THE PUBLIC THEATER ANNOUNCE CASTING FOR WORLD PREMIERE OF OUT OF TIME Complete Cast Includes Mia Katigbak, Glenn Kubota,Page Leong, Natsuko Ohama, and Rita Wolf NAATCO (The National Asian American Theatre Company) and The Public Theater have cast the upcoming world premiere of OUT OF TIME, a collection of five brand-new monologues by…

After 34 years serving as the Creative Director and then Senior Vice President of  Jujamcyn Theaters,  Jack Viertel  has announced his retirement as of the end of 2021. Mr. Viertel came to the company in 1987 and was involved in the production of many award-winning plays and musicals, including six of August Wilson’s legendary ten–play “Century Cycle”, beginning…

2022 GALA: “Paint the Town!” Sara Bareilles (Waitress)  will join Roundabout Theatre Company‘s 2022 Gala evening celebrating Tony Award winner, RTC alumna and friend Chita Rivera  with The Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre. The 2022 Gala “Paint the Town!” is confirmed for  Monday, March 7  at 7pm at the Ziegfeld Ballroom (141 West 54th Street) in New…

FINAL THREE WEEKS Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations  will play its final Broadway performance on Sunday, January 16, 2022, at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th  Street), it was announced by the show’s producers  Ira Pittelman  and  Tom Hulce. The musical, with a book by Tony Award nominee  Dominique Morisseau, choreography by Tony Award winner  Sergio…