After 20-odd years singing, dancing and acting in dinner theatres, summer stocks and the ever-popular audience participation murder mysteries (try improvising with audiences after they?ve had two hours of open bar), Michael Dale segued his theatrical ambitions into playwriting. The buildings which once housed the 5 Off-Off Broadway plays he penned have all been destroyed or turned into a Starbucks, but his name remains the answer to the trivia question, "Who wrote the official play of Babe Ruth's 100th Birthday?" He served as Artistic Director for The Play's The Thing Theatre Company, helping to bring free live theatre to underserved communities, and dabbled a bit in stage managing and in directing cabaret shows before answering the call (it was an email, actually) to become BroadwayWorld.com's first Chief Theatre Critic. While not attending shows Michael can be seen at Citi Field pleading for the Mets to stop imploding. Likes: Strong book musicals and ambitious new works. Dislikes: Unprepared celebrities making their stage acting debuts by starring on Broadway and weak bullpens.
Betrayal, abandonment, infidelity, pedophilia, addictions, incest, suicide, family secrets, inheritance issues… it's all there, it's all funny and yet it's also dramatically fulfilling.
Kleynkunst! is a fascinating and entertaining look at Warsaw's Yiddish cabaret between the world wars while the very funny Chuckleball is Forbidden Broadway for the sports nut.
Pixyish chanteuse Gay Marshall has a wonderful holiday show at the Zipper, Booth Daniels and Patrick Frankfort bring their quirky fun to Don't Tell Mama and John McWhorter sings Cole Porter, Harry Warren and Rodgers & Hart at The Duplex.
Transport Group's heart-tugging musical 'Crossing Brooklyn' deals with post 9/11 stress while MCC's 'Spain' is a whimsical tale of a modern day woman and a Spanish conquistador
Theresa Rebeck's new play has a terrific set-up, but the predictable plot directions coupled with questionable directing choices makes the evening frustrating and disappointing.
In her sex-centric variety show, Margaret Cho and company give us a happy and healthy dose of body positive antics that are so sweet, silly and approachable you can have a great time while completely forgetting to be aroused.
Gerard Alessandrini's newest edition of the long-running satirical revue may not be most vicious version of the show but it certainly ranks up there among the best.
