OFF-BROADWAY THEATER REVIEWS

Balls, an exciting and inventive production, is now being performed at 59E59 Theaters through February 25. Written by Kevin Armento and Bryony Lavery, it is directed by Ianthe Demos and Nick Flint with movement direction by Natalie Lomonet. This is a stunning show that creatively portrays the infamo...

All too often, the word dated is misguidedly used to diminish the impact a play of a bygone era can have on contemporary audiences. Take, for example, the puritanical attitude towards pre-marital sex expressed by many of the characters in English playwright Stanley Houghton's social commentary, H...

As the ground-breaking theatre troupe Split Britches - which they founded with former member Deb Margolin in 1980 - Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver have been challenging both gender norms and theatrical norms for nearly four decades, ranking them among the respected elders of America's performance art mo...

'The Undertaking' is now being performed at 59E59 Theaters through February 4. Presented by The Civilians, the show is written and directed by Steve Cosson with creative collaboration and psychopomp guidance by Jessica Mitrani. The two-hander explores mortality in a totally inventive way....

It's back! The 'La Bute New Theater Festival' at 59E59 Theaters features the NYC premieres of three short plays, 'Hate Crime' by Neil LaBute, 'Winter Break' by James Haigney, and 'Percentage America' by Carter W. Lewis all of which are superbly directed by John Pierson. Each of the three pieces pres...

Fear not, all you American playgoers whose comprehension skills usually require a few minutes of ear adjustment whenever a production from Britain or Ireland crosses over with its native cast....

Savvy playgoers attending British lip-sync artist Dickie Beau's RE-MEMBER ME at this year's Under The Radar Festival will notice that when a recording of Michael Douglas, playing Broadway director Zach in the film adaptation of A CHORUS LINE, instructs the solo performer to step forward, tell me yo...

That old adage that if men got pregnant, abortion and reproductive health would be fully funded by the federal government gets quite a workout in playwright/director Robert O'Hara's wild gender politics satire MANKIND....

Be careful about expressing your admiration for certain artists during Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen's hard-edged solo play, HOW TO BE A ROCK CRITIC. Though the audience is encouraged to engage in some give and take with Jensen as he impersonates the legendary writer Lester Bangs, fans of Jethro Tul...

Ninety-nine years before television producer Aaron Spelling first invited viewers aboard 'The Love Boat,' Gilbert and Sullivan made good on their promise of shipboard romance with their enduring hit, H.M.S. PINAFORE....

Boris Karloff... Peter Boyle... Shuler Hensley... and Robert Fairchild. One of these things is not like the others....

Sure, HAMLET may be William Shakespeare's dramatic masterpiece, but when pining for some romantic comedy, it's hard to beat Twelfth Night....

A unique and captivating one-man show is now onstage at 59E59 Theaters. 'A Regular Little Houdini' is written and performed by Daniel Llewelyn-Williams, directed by Joshua Richards, with composition by Meg Cox. It combines splendid storytelling and illusion with real historical events....

It may not be as well-known a holiday tradition as seeing the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, but for the fifth straight year, the Summoners Ensemble Theatre's delightful presentation of John Kevin Jones' thoroughly engaging solo performance of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Merchant's House Museum is...

Just let your senses roam free for a moment and imagine what this feels like: the comfort of a dark room filled with friends and strangers alike, the euphoria of a few drinks clouding the mind, the electricity of trouble brewing in the air as the band takes the stage. Gear your thoughts towards your...

An exhilarating production, Cross That River, is now onstage at 59E59 Theaters through December 31st. The show has a riveting story along with a fabulous score and the finest musical accompaniment. It features direction by Regge Life, composition by Allan Harris, with a book by Allan and Pat Harris....

When we think of a person bound for success, dedicated to personal fulfillment and happiness gained through their craft, one such person who comes to mind is an actor. It is a profession that changes people, to say the least. An actor's drive and dedication towards a unique means of self expression ...

Don't be fooled. That familiar-sounding melody played at the top of Matthew Lombardo's hilariously subversive WHO'S HOLIDAY is not Welcome Christmas, the joyous chorale from the beloved television adaptation of Dr. Seuss' equally beloved How The Grinch Stole Christmas....

For over a decade, the unquestionably brilliant director/choreographer Austin McCormick's Company XIV has been dazzling audiences with unexpected wonders....

The almost completely circular, arena style seating of Lincoln Center's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater makes it a perfect venue for The Wolves, Sarah DeLappe's 2017 Pulitzer finalist drama about the individuality hidden beneath the uniformity of a girls soccer team....

Though the teenage girls at the center of Jocelyn Bioh's endearing and poignant SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY all have wonderful qualities that should be appreciated and nurtured during their years at Aburi Girls Boarding School in central Ghana, there is one quality that prevents th...

59E59 Theaters is now presenting the world premiere of 'The Briefly Dead' through December 10th. Written by Stephen Kaliski and directed by Elizabeth Ostler, this reimagined Greek tragedy has clever modern touches that create an original theatrical experience....

Simply stated, you'll love 'The Mad Ones.' The NYC premiere of this musical is now onstage at 59E59 Theaters through December 17. The show features book, music and lyrics by Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk, direction by Stephen Brackett, choreography by Alexandra Beller and an exceptional cast....

Though her aggressive style of dishing out insults has earned her the title of standup comedy's Queen of Mean, Lisa Lampanelli comes somewhat closer to being the Empress of Empathy in her comedy revue about the serious subject of food and body image, STUFFED....

Like the city where it was born and nurtured, the American musical play differs from similar stage entertainments because it was developed by a combination of cultures merging into a unique new art form. It would be difficult to find greater evidence of this fortunate merger than in the musicals of...