Godspell: Forgive Me, LordOctober 8, 2006Pity the unfortunate theatre critic who must review a perfectly good production of an extraordinarily popular musical that he's never really cared for.
John Ferguson: Minty FreshSeptember 29, 2006St. John Ervine's drama about a poor Irish family premiered on Broadway over 75 years ago, but The Mint Theater brings a unique freshness and vitality in their dedication to the past
The Pain And The Itch: My So-Called Liberal LifeSeptember 25, 2006Bruce Norris' wonderfully vicious and somewhat disturbing dark comedy targets smart, educated and supposedly open-minded ladder-climbers whose left-wing activism is generally defined by watching PBS
The Treatment: Acts of Patriotism?September 13, 2006Eve Ensler's gripping and provocative two-character play deals with the psychological aftermath of performing cruel acts in the service of one's country
Camille O'Sullivan's La Fille du Cirque: Unfocused TalentSeptember 13, 2006Camille O'Sullivan's American cabaret debut certainly shows talent, confidence, playfulness and a desire to challenge her audience, but working without a stage director or music director, the evening is repetitive, clichéd and lacking in both originality and clarity
WASPs In Bed: Where Is Thy Sting?September 10, 2006Awkwardly teetering between unfunny romantic comedy and unfunny sex farce, <i>WASPs In Bed</i> isn't exactly romantic or sexy either.
Seven Guitars: Sweetly StrummedAugust 26, 2006August Wilson's bluesy drama receives a completely captivating Off-Broadway revival from The Signature Theatre Company.
The Fantasticks: Welcome Back, Old FriendAugust 24, 2006Once again, large squares of multi-colored confetti are being tossed into the air by a young man who doesn't speak, and a terrible void left in New York's theatrical universe has been lovingly filled with the poetry, humor, romance and whimsy of Tom Jones' words and Harvey Schmidt's music.
Indian Blood: Shuffling OffAugust 11, 2006A.R. Gurney's new play, based on his own 1940's Buffalo youth, is both a charming piece of nostalgia and a sharp commentary on the shrinking significance of the community that raised him
Into The Weeds: Bloomin' CleverAugust 10, 2006This collection of songs by Bill Weeden is a welcome throwback to the type of simple, sophisticated musical revues featuring clever, intelligent lyrics that used to provide fizzy nightcaps for post-theatre crowds
No Child...: A Captive AudienceJuly 28, 2006Nilaja Sun's completely absorbing and exceptionally performed solo play, based on her experiences teaching in some of New York's toughest public schools, is easily one of the best offerings currently available in any New York theatre
River Deep: What's Dramaturgy Got to Do With It?July 15, 2006When Gabrielle Lansner's dancers shimmy and go-go to Philip Hamilton's rock and roll score, <i>River Deep</i> has a vibrant and nostalgic energy. It's when the music stops that the production gets messy.
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.
