OFF-BROADWAY THEATER REVIEWS

It would be nice to be able take in The Wooster Group's intriguing docu-theatre piece, THE TOWN HALL AFFAIR, as a look at the grotesquely blatant brand sexism of nearly 50 years ago that we have since outgrown. Sadly, this glimpse at a carnival-like event disguised as a serious debate on the subject...

Those who have yet to have their fill of half-price post-Valentine's Day candy will be happy to discover that what looks like crudites when you step into Derek McLane's environmental set for Wallace Shawn's fascinating Evening at the Talk House are actually sugary treats such as marshmallows, Swedis...

Deceptively, little seems to happen in the first several scenes of Tracy Letts' riveting 2004 Pulitzer Prize finalist, Man from Nebraska, now receiving a superb New York premiere at Second Stage....

When Nazis began publicly burning copies of his latest musical theatre piece, composer Kurt Weill took it as a hint that he might be better off sailing to America and writing for Broadway....

One would assume that Mark Twain would have been amused that his 1884 novel condemning America's history of enslavement of Africans, 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' has occasionally been condemned itself as racist literature for its realistic use of a certain slur....

After establishing himself as resident doorman, stage manager and sex slave at the Caffe Cino, the historic Cornelia Street birthplace of Off-Off Broadway and America's gay theatre movement, Robert Patrick summoned up the courage to join the ranks of the venue's resident staff of playwrights (Lanfor...

In association with Playalinda Productions, playwright Dick Brukenfeld and Director Charles Maryan come together to present the World Premiere of The Big Broadcast on East 53rd, now in performances at the TBG Theatre (actually off of 36th Street), What I can only describe as one whirlwind of a show ...

The legendary Puerto Rican salsa singer Hector Lavoe, who died of AIDS in 1993 at age 46, has been long gone when Paola Lazaro's humorous drama, Tell Hector I Miss Him, takes place, but his absence has the same symbolic meaning as when Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel asked, 'Where have you gone, Joe Di...

As soon as you enter the Lortel for director Trip Cullman's tight and tense production of Anna Jordan's unsettling, hard-edged drama, YEN, the intention to catch audience members a little off-balance is evident....

When Jerry Herman was pegged by producer Gerard Oestreicher to write the score for a Broadway musical set in the fledgling State of Israel, he was a 28-year-old composer/lyricist mostly known for writing clever lyrics and snazzy tunes for Greenwich Village topical reviews like NIGHTCAP and PARADE. B...

Teetering somewhere between an incisive study of human fidelity and a sexy comedy of manners, Miles Malleson's Yours Unfaithfully is the kind of play that, under different circumstances, might have been made into a classic Hollywood romantic comedy starring Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall....

Recently arrived for its off-Broadway premiere at the New Victory Theater is Mo Willems' musical extravaganza 'Elephant & Piggie's We Are in a Play!,: written especially for the little guys in a theater that caters to children of all ages. When not watching their children squeal with laughter, even ...

Press performances for David Ives' sharp and funny verse comedy THE LIAR began just around the time when political headlines were being made about the phrase 'alternative facts.'...

Theatre enthusiasts will be thrilled by the LaBute New Theater Festival now onstage at 59E59 Theaters. There are four distinctive one-act plays being performed in the venue's intimate theater space through February 5th....

The New York premiere of Albatross is now onstage at 59E59 Theaters through Sunday, February 12th. This is a gripping one-man show written by Matthew Spangler and Benjamin Evett, directed by Rick Lombardo, and performed by Benjamin Evett....

'Are you ready for autobiographical solo performance!?!' Marga Gomez would enthusiastically ask the crowd to commence performances of her recently concluded run at the Public Theater's 2017 Under The Radar Festival....

Traditionally, you can regard the name of the Public Theater's annual January festival, Under The Radar, as a reference to the relative obscurity of the theatre companies and artists involved. But in the case of Belarus Free Theatre, the meaning is a bit more literal and a lot more serious....

You won't want to miss 'Made in China' now at the 59E59 Theaters through February 19th. It is an entertaining, socially relevant adult puppet show that is full of humor and heart....

The 1998 Tony Award ceremony was quite a history-making night, as THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE's Garry Hynes became the first woman to be awarded a Tony for directing a play. Her honor was received mere minutes before THE LION KING's Julie Taymor became the first woman awarded a Tony for directing a...

An eleven-year-old orphaned boy living with his uncle receives a letter telling him he will be a student at a British wizard's school - sound familiar? Think again. This isn't Potter, it's Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic, a 100-minute whirlwind play...

While the title MARK FELT, SUPERSTAR may receive befuddled reactions from those not fully familiar with American political scandals, you can't blame bookwriter/composer/lyricist Joshua Rosenblum for not naming his smart, breezy, informative and extremely enjoyable show 'Deep Throat, the musical.'...

When Americans think of the shows that entertained soldiers during World War II, visions of Bob Hope on a temporary outdoor stage wisecracking for thousands of servicemen, courtesy of the USO, are what usually comes to mind....

One can only imagine why a person chooses to write, filling the desolate borders of blank pages with untold stories; one can only imagine the reasons. It probably more often than not has to do with a need to create and less so the recognition or desire to see what comes of it. To dedicate a life to ...

Written by David Harms and directed by Drew Foster (in association with Skyhook Productions LLC) for its current run at the Clurman Theatre (NY's Theatre Row), What We Wanted is truly one of the most intriguing plays I have ever seen performed. After a few moments' adjustment in understanding exactl...

As the history books and Stephen Sondheim tell us, in 1853 Matthew C. Perry, Commodore of the United States Navy, sailed to Japan on a mission to forcibly end the island empire's policy of national seclusion and establish trade with America....