A re-imagined "West Side Story" will open on Broadway in 2020 directed by Belgian visionary Ivo van Hove; "The Play that Goes Wrong" extends to January 6th; "The Prom" moves to the Longacre Theatre; Actors’ Equity renames the The Gypsy Robe “The Legacy Robe”; Smash’s "Bombshell" in development for Broadway; Michael John LaChiusa is adapting 2018 Pulitzer Prize winning play "Cost of Living" into a musical; free Rodgers and Hammerstein exhibit at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts through September 25th
REVIEW: Carey Mulligan in “Girls & Boys”
Carey Mulligan gives a commanding performance in “Girls & Boys”, but the play is bloated, plodding, and dramatically unsatisfying. Skip it or listen to the audiobook instead.
REVIEW: “Mary Page Marlowe”
Tracy Letts’ “Mary Page Marlowe” at Second Stage offers a fascinating, fragmented portrait of one ordinary woman’s journey through life, embodied by six actors in eleven time-hopping scenes. The tension of what happens to us versus what we control haunts the text as Mary Page traverses decades, surfing waves of feminism amidst the shifting roles of women from mid-century America to the present. Mr. Letts, director Lila Neugebauer, and an ensemble cast of 18 create a mosaic that is compelling, if ultimately mysterious.
"SpongeBob SquarePants" will close September 16th; "Straight White Men" replaces a replacement; Lauren Ambrose will no longer perform Sunday matinees of "My Fair Lady"; Shaina Taub is teaming up with Elton John for musical adaptation of "The Devil Wears Prada"; Jason Robert Brown has a new album of original songs; “Chicago” revival original cast member Jeff Loeffelholz commits suicide
REVIEWS: Rounding Out a Very Gay Year with “The Boys in the Band” and “Log Cabin”
Capping an unusually gay year for New York theatre, I take a look at what many consider to be the first gay play (“The Boys in the Band”) and what might be the newest gay play (“Log Cabin”). Catch the former if you can (tickets are scarce and expensive); skip the latter.
"A Bronx Tale" will close August 5th; Glenda Jackson will do "King Lear" on Broadway in Spring 2019; an all female Broadway revival of "Glengarry Glen Ross" is in the works; the Vineyard Theatre announces its 2018-2019 season; Austin Pendleton is directing and starring in "Wars of the Roses: Henry VI & Richard III"; Manhattan Concert Productions will present "The Scarlet Pimpernel"; Liliane Montevecchi and Dame Gillian Lynne have died
REVIEW: Oscar Hammerstein’s “Carmen Jones” at CSC
Classic Stage Company presents the first major revival of Oscar Hammerstein’s “Carmen Jones” in an intimate, small-scale production by John Doyle; the music is magnificent and the voices gorgeous, but this 1943 opera-to-musical experiment doesn’t hold up. Catch the MetOpera’s “Carmen” instead.
REVIEW: Smith Street Stage’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Smith Street Stage presents a free production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in Brooklyn’s Carroll Park through July 1st, then at the Actors Fund Arts Center July 11th-15th. Don’t miss this finely acted and joyfully low-budget production of one of the Bard’s most sumptuous and magical comedies.
"Moulin Rouge! The Musical" delays pre-Broadway engagement in Boston; "The Lifespan of a Fact" will be first Broadway show with an all female design team; Off-Broadway's "Sweeney Todd" becomes the longest running production of the show ever; new musical about Juneteenth in development; reader reactions to the New York Times’ list of the 25 best American plays of the last 25 years; Diana Rigg posts a "missed connection"; good read about Tharon Musser
REVIEWS: “Pass Over” and “Sugar in Our Wounds”
Two new plays that trenchantly tackle experiences of African American men across the present and history of our country opened Off-Broadway last week. Both “Pass Over” and “Sugar in Our Wounds” floored me for different reasons; though distinct in content and message, they are united in a common theme of black erasure. This is a look at each, both of which I highly recommend.
REVIEW: Joshua Harmon’s “Skintight”
Joshua Harmon’s new play, “Skintight” at Roundabout Theatre Company, entertainingly surveys the ways in which our notions of beauty and age shape and shade all our relationships. Idina Menzel makes a rare stage play appearance in a role tailor made for her talent, but this play offers little resolution, only more questions, and a steady stream of laughs—enjoyable, but largely forgettable.
Roundabout revival of "Kiss Me, Kate" will play Studio 54 beginning February 14th; Sasson Gabay joins “The Band’s Visit” June 26th; jukebox musicals are courting top talent, including playwrights Lynn Nottage and Dominique Morisseau; The New Group announces its 2018-2019 season, including "Clueless: The Musical"; book recommendations and a must read letter from the Dramatists Guild