All tagged Scott Ellis

REVIEW: “Tootsie” is both fun and fraught

“Tootsie” is a mixed bag.  A well-constructed, cheerful, and funny musical comedy with a suite of magnetic performances, it has a confused tone, disconnected visual and aural sensibility, and next to nothing smart to say about gender despite gender playing such a central role in the plot.  It exists in no consistent reality, and leaves many circles left un-squared.

REVIEW: Roundabout’s satisfying but uneven “Kiss Me, Kate”

The Roundabout Theatre Company’s new Broadway revival of “Kiss Me, Kate” is occasionally too darn hot, but mostly just too darn meh.  Some key casting mistakes keep this well-appointed production from soaring where it should, but the choreography is a knockout and the musical itself so structurally sound and well-written that it cannot fail to entertain—uneven as it is, but still satisfying.

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

REVIEW: “Amy and the Orphans”

“Amy and the Orphans”, a new comedy by Lindsey Ferrentino based on her family, both features a title character and stars an actor with Down syndrome, an important milestone in New York theatre.  The play, which examines the relationships among three disparate, adult siblings and explores the meaning of “family” and “home”, is stunted and static in character and plot development.  I sense the playwright is too close to the material.