David Sheward

Forget the inconsistencies and plot holes; a stage farce can only work if the direction and performances are real and honest within the insane framework...Unfortunately, most of the company in 'Dinner' seems mainly interested in grabbing laughs rather than following objectives...If the whole company had followed Kayden’s lead, or if director John Tillinger had revved up his tepid staging, this could have been a satisfying 'Dinner.' Instead, it’s like being served a tray of meager appetizers when you were expecting a full meal.

You’d think that any show involving the talents of Matthew Broderick, Kelli O’Hara, Kathleen Marshall, and the brothers Gershwin would be a sure-fire Broadway stunner, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” despite a few bright spots, fails to hold together as a glittering entertainment, unlike previous efforts such as “My One and Only” and “Crazy for You.”

In a Broadway season full of transfers from Off-Broadway, Nicky Silver's 'The Lyons' comes charging onto the Great White Way with a savage roar that is simultaneously a scream of pain and a shout of dark laughter. The script has been trimmed somewhat, and the performances and staging have been pitched slightly broader to accommodate the larger house after a successful run at the Vineyard Theatre, but this merciless comedy of a dysfunctional family dealing with mortality and regret is still an intimate and scary examination of how we cope with loneliness and disappointment. Linda Lavin continues to give a master class in comic timing.

But the story is not really the main thing here. That would be Nicholas Hytner’s dazzling and delirious staging, which establishes the ingeniously absurd setups and then accelerates them, shifting into higher and higher comic gear. The Music Box management should be required to install restraints for the seats, as you’re likely to be falling out of yours from laughing so hard.

Has 'Peter and the Starcatcher,' the dazzlingly fun riff on the Peter Pan legend that lit up the intimate New York Theatre Workshop last season, lost any of its luster in a trip to the Never Never Land of Broadway? When this clever and joyous entertainment opened last March, there were immediate murmurings about a Main Stem transfer. There were also fears that Rick Elice's adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's novel would lose its special charm in a cavernous Midtown theater. I'm happy to report that 'Peter' has not given up a speck of its fairy dust–infused whimsy. This is a celebration of youth and of the power of theater to inspire children and adults alike.

The production is entertaining enough for those who are satisfied to hear the now-familiar score—including “You Must Love Me,” which was written for the 1996 film version starring Madonna—pleasantly performed. Musical supervisor–conductor Kristen Blodgette deserves credit for the precise delivery of Rice’s wordy lyrics and Lloyd Webber’s rich tunes. But if you yearn for a powerful wallop to your gut, listen to either of the original cast albums and fall under the spell of Paige or LuPone.

There are productions that exist solely to feature a spectacular star. This is one of them. Rush to the Belasco to catch Bennett and revel in her—and Garland’s—glory.

McAnuff deserves credit for an admirable job of pacing—the show flies by at a little less than two hours—and a talented cast displays an array of powerful rock voices. Paul Nolan’s Jesus reaches the heights of anguish and yearning without going overboard. Chilina Kennedy has a lovely, liquid tone that subtly imparts Mary Magdalene’s need for totally accepting Christ’s love and her reluctance to give up her old wanton ways, especially on the gentle “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.” Special kudos to understudy Jeremy Kushnier, who stepped into the pivotal role of Judas for an ailing Josh Young. Kushnier meets the difficult requirements of the demanding score while making Judas more than a hissable villain. He makes the decision to betray Jesus understandable if not sympathetic. The reliable Tom Hewitt makes for a formidable Pilate. As the high priest Caiaphas, Marcus Nance has a bass that flows like melted butter, while Lee Siegel, as Simon, and Mike Nadajewski, as Peter, have strong moments.

Now a stage adaptation has the chance to weave a similar spell over Broadway, after a hit run at Off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop earlier this season. Some of the intimacy is lost in the transfer to the Main Stem, but the musical maintains its warm and enveloping embrace as well as the quiet power to move and entrance. ... and the result is an unforgettable valentine of a show that you'll likely want to take in more than once.

I'm happy to report that Nixon successfully banishes thoughts of her best-known credit, the TV series 'Sex and the City,' with a blazing and heartfelt portrayal, and Meadow's production reaches to the back of the theater without sacrificing the necessary immediate connection between performer and theatergoer. (The director is greatly aided by Santo Loquasto's mobile hospital-lecture-hall set and Peter Kaczorowski's unsparing lighting.) There are traces of Nixon's controlling and borderline-bitchy Miranda, from the salacious and saucy HBO series, in her Vivian. But there are also a keener intellect and a sharper—you'll excuse the expression—wit. In the first half of this unflinching intermissionless journey toward death, the actor skillfully conveys Vivian's ruthless search for knowledge by fiercely pursuing the objective of understanding the disease.

Apart from a few new jokes and some heightened production values, 'Lysistrata Jones' remains unchanged and is as sharp and sassy as ever. The premise sounds paper-thin, but ook writer Douglas Carter Beane, who worked similar wonders with the stage version of the cult junk film 'Xanadu,' transforms this slender idea into a fully fleshed-out, stereotype-shattering comedy.

Like peanut butter and jelly, Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin are two great tastes that taste great together. Each is a one-of-a-kind talent: Patinkin with his extraordinary range and eccentric delivery that can switch from a delicate falsetto to an earth-rumbling bass without missing a beat, and LuPone with her powerful pipes, steamroller personality, and unique voice capable of approximating an entire brass section from trumpet to alto sax. When these two nonpareils combine, as they do in their concert at Broadway's Ethel Barrymore Theatre, simply titled 'An Evening With Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin,' you get not only a delicious theatrical sandwich, but also dramatic magic.

There are consolations, chief among them Rickman, who wisely understates Leonard's prickly intelligence, colossal ego, and enormous self-loathing. The actor is absolutely delicious as Leonard slides a metaphorical knife in so smoothly and off-handedly that the victim can't even feel it. Watch Rickman as Leonard delivers a blistering assessment of a student's bleak future. Only gradually does it become apparent that the teacher is speaking about himself. This is the kind of part that could have been played with fireworks, but Rickman sounds subtle and beautiful grace notes. Linklater gives spine to Martin's neediness, Rabe lights a fire under the seemingly placid Kate, O'Connell lends depth to the jerky Douglas, and Park gives Izzy a refreshing spark.

But Arianda remains the engine that drives this intermissionless thrill ride, revving on all cylinders as she progresses from desperate actor to imperious seductress to all-powerful goddess. She gets an added fuel injection from her new acting partner. Dancy adds depths to Thomas that the role's originator, Wes Bentley, failed to find. When Vanda begins to step out of the script and literally take control of the situation, Dancy's eyes light up with a weird combination of fear and anticipation. His Thomas is scared out of his wits by the turn of events, but he's also a little excited. Part of him wants to be dominated. This causes the interplay between the two characters to become more heated and dangerous. Arianda takes that spark and uses it to make her already blazing interpretation burn all the brighter.

Instead of allowing the concept, of a childlike Christ leading a gaggle of puppyish disciples through the parables, to stand on its own, Goldstein has added a plethora of gimmicks, including audience-participation charades and Pictionary, as well as topical references to everything from Donald Trump to Facebook to Occupy Wall Street. When the cast hauls out the glitter cannons at the end of the first act, you know they're trying too hard. 'Godspell' is a popular choice for high school and community theaters because it has a simple, laid-back charm and opportunities for the cast of 10 to stand out, with each receiving at least one lead vocal part in the bouncy, infectious score, here rocked up and amped by orchestrator Michael Holland and sound designer Andrew Keister. Goldstein would have done better to reduce the volume and let the young ensemble rather than the jazzy staging take the spotlight.

First the good news: Woody Allen is as funny as ever. His one-act play 'Honeymoon Motel,' the capper on an evening of three short works collectively titled 'Relatively Speaking,' has so many laughs packed into its 60-minute running time that audiences had better make sure their health insurance is paid up. They'll need treatment for aching jaws and smarting bellies from laughing so hard. However, the preceding two pieces, Ethan Coen's 'Talking Cure' and Elaine May's 'George Is Dead,' provide mixed results.

This won the Olivier Award for best new play? The question kept flashing through my mind while sitting through 'The Mountaintop,' Katori Hall's two-character fantasy set on the night before Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968...It doesn't help that Bassett delivers such an exaggerated performance, it's hard to believe her as a real person. Fortunately, Jackson underplays King and convincingly conveys the icon's charismatic public persona and his private, fallible side.

In spite of the confused second act, this 'Man and Boy' has a strong balance sheet, thanks mostly to Langella. As he did in 'Frost/Nixon,' Langella creates an irresistibly strong leader who draws us to him despite his despicable actions. Watch how Antonescu twirls a telephone cord while stalling for time or subtly maneuvers an opponent out of the chair with the most advantageous position in the room. You have to admire this robber baron for his skill and cunning despite his ruthlessness. Langella makes the game of international finance a fun one.

What an improvement. The tangled plot threads that made the new musical 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' a sticky mess during its record-breaking preview period have been unraveled and woven into an exciting web of wonder... 'Spider-Man' threatened to go down in history as one of Broadway's biggest flops. While it probably won't become one of the street's greatest smashes, it's now a fun family show that will entertain fans of both superheroes and showstoppers. Was it worth the wait? For this combination fanboy and show queen, definitely.

Late in the second act, there is a moment when the secret has been revealed...Dart and company milk the moment for maximum hankie usage and several choruses of the sentimental 'Saying Goodbye.' A plethora of tear-inducing triggers, including a Camillelike death scene, are yet to come. Fortunately, the score-featuring flavorful music by the legendary Mike Stoller (of Leiber and Stoller fame) and Artie Butler and amusing lyrics by Dart-doesn't hit us over the head like the book.

If your show is in trouble, be sure to get Beth Leavel in your cast...With subtle humor, expert timing, and knockout pipes, Leavel strives mightily to bring this mishmash of a rock tuner up to her level, but she can't perform miracles. There is an audience for this kind of show...but if you crave a well-written story with your nostalgic score, walk on by.

Sometimes the current hot director is not the best choice for a big Broadway revival with star names. David Cromer scored an Off-Broadway hit with a naturalistic staging of 'Our Town,' and though it had a short run, his Broadway production of 'Brighton Beach Memoirs' bravely forsook punching the punch lines to emphasize the strong family connection among Neil Simon's sad-funny Jeromes. The producers of the current revival of John Guare's 1971 'The House of Blue Leaves' must have taken a look at Cromer's résumé and figured he'd be perfect for this sad-funny portrait of shattered ambitions and celebrity worship. Unfortunately, director and play are not a perfect fit. Cromer's kitchen-sink approach doesn't work for Guare's zany dreamers, who are simultaneously nobodies and larger than life.

Only Karen Mason's Queen of Hearts captures the gleeful insanity of Carroll's original. Decked out in costume designer Susan Hilferty's sumptuous playing-card ensemble, the dynamic, zany Mason briefly rescues the show in her two numbers, but she vanishes too quickly. When she quips, 'I'm the real headliner here,' truer words were never spoken. Hilferty's splashy Wonderland duds do create an arresting visual picture of a beguiling alternative universe, but when you go out humming the costumes, it's a sure sign of a failed production.

Comedian-actor Chris Rock is a naturally funny guy and probably the main reason this show is on the Main Stem rather than Off-Broadway, but he's totally wrong for Ralph D...Despite this central flaw-and it's a big one-there is still plenty to praise about 'Motherf**ker.' Fortunately, Ralph is not the play's central focus. That role-Jackie, a recovering alcoholic and Ralph's A.A. sponsee-is admirably filled by Bobby Cannavale. Set designer Todd Rosenthal not only cleverly conveys three very different NYC apartments in one setting, but he also gives us vital, specific clues about the occupants of each one. Luckily, four of the five actors do as well.

What can you say about perfection? Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of 'Anything Goes' is such a giddy, goofy, giggly experience, it's almost impossible to describe. But I'll try. Imagine eating all the chocolates you want without getting full, or watching all your favorite Hollywood musicals on TCM without suffering from camp overload.