"Jagged Little Pill" to open on Broadway this fall; "Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough" will play Chicago before Broadway in 2020; "Magic Mike" will premiere in Boston before Broadway in 2020; La Jolla Playhouse to present Broadway-bound musical "Fly"; London cast of “Hadestown” announced for Broadway; "Dreamgirls" may be headed to Broadway; "Choir Boy" extends to March 10th; "Fosse/Verdon" premieres April 9th; 64th Annual Drama Desk Awards to be held June 2nd; RIP Michel Legrand and Jojo Smith
REVIEW: A kaleidoscopic look at life in “Joan”
In “Joan”, playwright Stephen Belber ambitiously sets out to tell one, non-linear story of a woman’s life that slowly creates an absorbing and dramatically effective portrait, at once banal and spellbinding. Johanna Day is exquisite as the titular character, supported by two chameleons who play all the supporting roles. The drama is straightforward, and the production taut.
REVIEW: “SKIN”—A Whimsical Collection of Mime Shorts
Broken Box Mime Theater is determined to make mime cool again; with “SKIN”, a whimsical collection of 15 miming shorts, they more than deliver. Imbued with wit and pathos, and performed with an exuberant energy and a big heart, these silent stories are simple, beautiful, and funny—some tackling serious contemporary themes, others just pure kitsch.
REVIEW: “The Convent”
In Jessica Dickey’s new play “The Convent” a group of women participate in a retreat at a medieval convent in the South of France; the play boasts a promising and intriguing setup that is, unfortunately, bungled in execution due to underdeveloped characters and an imbalanced tone.
Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon to star in "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" on Broadway; "American Son" to be adapted for Netflix; Michael C. Hall to star in an original musical commercial for Skittles; Broadway's "Frozen" announces new cast; Melissa Etheridge composing "Mystic Pizza" musical; David Henry Hwang penning live action Disney remake of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"; Tony Hawk is spearheading a musical adaptation of Nick Hornsby's 2007 novel "Slam"; Jason Robert Brown's new musical "Farewell My Concubine" to get a reading; "The Band's Visit" marks 500 performances on Broadway; RIP Kaye Ballard
REVIEW: Breaking down barriers with “Nassim”
Iranian playwright and performer Nassim Soleimanpour’s latest play features a different guest actor at each performance, reading cold from a script fed by the author. This mysterious but sweet, slowly enveloping experience speaks to our shared humanity and breaks down the perceived barriers we erect between people, groups, and nations. Check it out.
REVIEW: Immersive “Bleach” in Brooklyn
“Bleach” is an immersive, site-specific solo show about a gay sex worker that is performed for an audience of ten or less in a drafty basement in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The experience is memorable, but the play itself is too safe for its own good.
Broadway legend Carol Channing is dead at 97; Heidi Schreck's "What the Constitution Means to Me" will play 12 weeks on Broadway; Palace Theatre renovations have hit a snag; casting announced for “The Ferryman”, "The Courtroom", "Call Me Madam", and the film version of "West Side Story"; Brittney Johnson becomes first Glinda of color in an English language production of "Wicked"; "Beautiful" marks 5 years with appearance by Carole King
REVIEW: “Choir Boy” sings and soars
The Broadway premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s “Choir Boy” at Manhattan Theatre Club, finely acted and beautifully told, is transcendent. The very presence of this play on Broadway about a black, queer teenage boy navigating private, Christian Prep school life is seismic, and Jeremy Pope offers a memorable debut in this timely and important work.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Jeffrey Seller, and James Nederlander purchase the Drama Book Shop; Ingrid Michaelson composing "The Notebook" musical; "Almost Famous" to get development lab; "Houdini Among the Spirits" musical has industry reading; Actors’ Equity Association calls for a strike against developmental presentations; Broadway's box office reaches record-breaking $57M gross; RIP Liza Redfield
REVIEW: “Slave Play”
Jeremy O. Harris’s scintillating debut play, “Slave Play” at New York Theatre Workshop, is not what you think it is, packing twists, some heavy satire, graphic sexuality, and an important discourse on race, gender, and sexuality in contemporary America. To write about it is to spoil its surprises, but this sold out run will no doubt inspire future productions.
REVIEW: Mike Birbiglia’s “The New One” on Broadway
Comedian Mike Birbiglia’s solo show “The New One” now on Broadway is a hilarious and heartwarming standup comedy act recounting one man’s skeptically reluctant journey to parenthood. Teeming with insight and wit, and performed by an instantly lovable schlub, this is an ideal show for, well, everyone.