Elisabeth Vincentelli

A musical doesn't have to be perfect to delight. Cutting-edge is overrated, too: Just give us well-crafted material and a starry cast that knows exactly what it's doing...Laura Benanti and Zachary Levi shine brightly as a classic rom-com couple. They bicker amusingly throughout the show, before realizing -- zero spoiler alert! -- that they're in love. The pair have such a natural rapport that it's impossible not to root for their characters...But then the entire cast of this spry production is flawless, with special kudos to comic MVPs Jane Krakowski (as a sultry minx) and Gavin Creel (as her mustachioed Lothario).

...had Michelle Williams made her Broadway debut in 'Blackbird' instead of 'Cabaret,' she'd have been hailed as a major new stage star, because what she pulls off in David Harrower's 2005 drama is shattering...By play's end, 80 minutes later, both actors look drained. You'll be shocked, yet strangely elated -- the sign of powerful theater.

Forest Whitaker may have an Oscar under his belt (for 'The Last King of Scotland') but his Broadway debut is largely inconsequential -- he brings no heft or insight to Erie Smith, the small-time gambler in Eugene O'Neill's two-hander, 'Hughie'...Whitaker's soft-toned take is laudable -- without making much of an impression. You're more likely to remember the gorgeous set: the darkened lobby of a ghostly hotel, dominated by a steep, foreboding staircase. Michael Grandage's direction emphasizes a spooky atmosphere that makes you wonder if the characters -- Frank Wood plays the other, mostly silent, one -- are dead and in some kind of purgatory.

At times it seems as if the cast is so focused on hitting its marks - 'Noises Off' requires Swiss-like precision - that the actors forget to have fun. Let's hope that with time, they'll become as comfortable as sardines in oil, and the production should gear up into the required breakneck speed and unhinged ­lunacy.

It's Hudson's co-stars you'll remember...Erivo goes from zero to hero as Celie...Celie's 'I'm Here' is meant to be a big eleventh hour anthem of resilience, and Erivo drives it home with dignity and fire...As for Brooks, her sharply funny portrayal of the feisty Sofia won't surprise anyone familiar with Taystee. The shocker is that she can sing -- and when she belts the take-no-guff anthem 'Hell No!' you want to shout back 'Hell yeah!' 'The Color Purple: The Musical' is far from perfect. Marsha Norman's adaptation of Alice Walker's novel takes tons of shortcuts, careening from scene to scene at full speed. Characters, including Celie's brutish husband, undergo drastic changes at the drop of a hat. But the show works in a primal way...Your head may quibble, but your heart's on board.

Well-adapted by William Goldman, the horror-tinged thriller 'Misery' is popcorn theater - it's a carnival ride that piles on the twists and thrills, complete with ominous thunder and lighting during particularly tense moments. It's genre theater that's gotten rare on Broadway, which is too bad: The show is shameless, and that's what makes it so fun.

Miserable affairs, angsty German teens and sad-sack British royals - in shows like 'Thérèse Raquin,' 'Spring Awakening' and 'King Charles III' - have made the season a dour one. Even the blockbuster 'Hamilton' ends on a melancholy note. So it's a pleasure to welcome 'On Your Feet!,' the rare show that earns its exclamation mark. Inspired by the life and music of Gloria and Emilio Estefan, it literally gets the audience off its seats and into a conga line.

he stars of 'Old Times' always look like they're a second away from having sex. Clive Owen, Eve Best and Kelly Reilly generate such heat, you may need a cold shower after the show...But then it's also rare that you'd need to cool off at a show by Harold Pinter, the British playwright famous for mind games and maddeningly vague plots...The game here is all about ultra-smoldering looks between Owen and Best -- and between Best and Reilly. An ominous score by Radiohead's Thom Yorke adds to the creepy-sexy vibe. This may be his Broadway debut, but Owen...radiates a confident masculinity. His Deeley is the kind of guy who can get away with manspreading, and he's perfectly matched with Best, a voluptuous panther, and Reilly, she of the frostier sensuality. Altogether, the three generate genuine sexual chemistry...You may not tell what it all means, if anything, yet the message comes through: Game on!

But then, there's a lot of love for this energetic telling of the story of Alexander Hamilton...Thomas Kail's direction and Andy Blankenbuehler's choreography is inventive and kinetic, suggesting the story is always in motion on the bilevel wooden set. But 'revolutionary' the show is not. Truly radical art is divisive, and under its brash exterior, 'Hamilton' is warmly reassuring -- a love letter to a land of opportunity... 'Hamilton' shines brightest when it gets into the characters' heads and hearts, especially concerning our hero's personal life -- though those are the scenes in which Miranda's limitations as an actor are obvious. Less effective is the history-with-a-capital-H stuff. Turning political debate into a rap battle is clever, but overall, Hamilton's big-picture importance is diluted...Well, America turned out to have a long, successful run. So, no doubt, will 'Hamilton.'

More time on that period and less on swashbuckling would have added welcome nuance. This is par for the course in Gabriel Barre's production, which is handsome...but doesn't fully commit to either the story's gray areas or the full extent of its horrors...Smith's score seems to aim for 'Les Miz'-like grandeur, but falls short, despite some agreeable tunes...However awkward or heavy-handed the proceedings are up till then, 'Amazing Grace' doesn't fail to draw tears.

Hungry for clichés? 'Airline Highway' is chock full of them. A hooker with a heart of gold, a gruff handyman, a sassy gender-bending African-American, a lonely stripper: Every character in this new Broadway show is straight out of central casting. You keep waiting for playwright Lisa D'Amour to put a new spin on those archetypes .?.?. but no. There's little even the excellent Julie White can do with Tanya, the aging prostitute...There's one fabulous, unexpected scene at the end -- Miss Ruby's address to her troops. Gorgeously lit and hauntingly poetic, it makes you angry for the show's missed opportunities.

It's Chita Rivera's world: We just live in it. This works out very well for the Kander and Ebb musical 'The Visit,' in which the charismatic star plays a billionairess who buys her hometown...It being by John Kander and the late Fred Ebb...delights in uncovering greed, hypocrisy and the perversion of justice. Admittedly, this isn't their strongest score...The ensemble is impeccable, save for Rees, who looked visibly uncomfortable at a recent performance and whose singing is serviceable at best. But 'The Visit' is Claire, and Rivera...'I'm unkillable,' Claire says. And you may find yourself wishing Rivera could also go on forever.

Now, that something special is 'Something Rotten!,' a deliriously entertaining new musical comedy that is devilishly clever under its goofy exterior. The influences are clear: 'The Producers,' 'Spamalot' and 'The Book of Mormon.' Yep, this is a blockbuster.

Fiery revolutionaries, overheated passions, power ballads belted to the balconies, an upstanding hero and a fanatical villain -- hey, if it worked for 'LES MISERABLES,' it could work for 'Doctor Zhivago'! The only problem is that the creators of this new musical forgot to include such minor details as compelling characters, thrilling drama or, you know, an inspiring score. At a time of heightened competition on Broadway, 'Doctor Zhivago' is so dull, it may soon be Zhiva-gone.

The new Broadway comedy 'Living on Love' isn't just filled with clichés -- it revels in them. This is a show that has its cake, eats it, and then rubs whipped cream all over its face...That Raquel is played by Renée Fleming -- an actual opera star, making her Broadway debut == adds a yummy twist...It's all shamelessly silly, and it works: In Joe DiPietro's play, based on Garson Kanin's 1985 'Peccadillo,' broad jokes and shameless hamming make for a guilty pleasure...Wisely, DiPietro and director Kathleen Marshall let their stars play to their strengths. Fleming lets out a few trills and, though a bit stiff at times, seems to relish the high jinks. And Sills...is hilarious as the pompous, vain Vito. The show's only misstep is an 11th-hour plot twist that's as contrived as it is sentimental. Leave that at the opera, please -- we're here for dessert.

And aside from a couple of upbeat, spot-on pastiches of the Jackson 5 and the Partridge Family, Tesori's score is a comforting blanket of acousti-pop. In this rather daring project, a final anthem about flying seems rather old-fashioned. Still, 'Fun Home' is an important show. That it managed to make it to Broadway at all is a reason to rejoice.

You can't overstate how stunningly beautiful, how achingly well sung this new revival of 'The King and I' is...Kelli O'Hara...gives yet another finely calibrated performance as the 'I' of the title. Her warm, occasionally bemused poise makes her a fine fit for Anna Leonowens...The music is simply divine. The cast appears to be just as transported as we are, their voices ringing with heartfelt emotion. And yet we're one element short of perfection -- and that's the king. Watanabe...cuts an imposing figure but plays the ruler broadly, overemphasizing a comic petulance that leaves little room for stately gravitas...There's not even a hint of a romantic spark with Anna...But so strong is the rest of this show that, even with a relatively weak performance by the king, you're still getting the royal treatment.

Surprisingly, there's no riff on singing at regionals, even though this new musical also stars Matthew Morrison, a?k?a Mr. Will Schuester of 'Glee.' That's pretty much the only sign of restraint in this overstuffed production...Holding it all together is Morrison. Sporting a beard and Scottish burr, he's tireless, if not especially charismatic, as J.M. Barrie...Barlow and Kennedy dutifully deliver the obligatory power ballads...but their heart is in the faster, livelier ensemble songs...Too bad Michaels' choreography has all the zest of vintage MTV. What's most striking is how a show about the power of whimsy and imagination is so lacking in both. Paulus and Company don't trust intimacy and charm, so everything is overplayed -- despite the advice to an actor rehearsing Barrie's 'Peter Pan' to go 'smaller.' Peter Pan taught others to free themselves and fly. For most of its running time, 'Finding Neverland' remains stuck to the ground.

As far as comedy goes, the most rewarding wedding is the one that goes off the rails. And so Broadway's new musical 'It Shoulda Been You' piles on the mishaps -- only the show itself ends up quite the blunder. At least it sports a terrific ensemble, led by Tyne Daly and Harriet Harris as warring mothers. These talented, hard-working actors are a joy to watch, and almost make up for the drecky writing...But there's little anyone can do with Barbara Anselmi's disposable melodies, lyrics that rhyme 'sarong' and 'so wrong,' 'verklempt' and 'dreamt,' or a hugely improbable plot twist that makes 'Tony n' Tina's Wedding' look like a docu-drama. At that show, at least, the audience gets cake.

Thanks to Bob Crowley's gorgeous costumes and sets, which make good use of moving scrims, as well as 59 Productions' animated projections, Paris becomes a recovering city ready to start fostering new loves - especially for Jerry and Lise.

It's amazing that a story jampacked with lust, betrayal, greed and violence can be so .?.?. dull. As well-acted, grandly staged and beautifully lit as it is, the show still manages to be tedious...Miles is onstage almost the entire time, and his portrayal is sturdy and dependable. This is the Subaru of performances: extremely reliable, but not exactly a white-knuckle ride. Mike Poulton's adaptation...doesn't give Miles' Cromwell the chance to go all-out, mostly because it consists of people relaying the very exciting business that happened offstage...Either way, the British cast is technically adept. Nathaniel Parker, looking like a sturdier Jeremy Piven, barrels through the opposition as Henry, and Paul Jesson voraciously gobbles the scenery as the deposed Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. But the most pulse-quickening scenes in this overpolite pageant belong to the women, notably Lucy Briers' Katherine, seething in a Spanish accent, and Leonard's feisty, cunning Anne.

Happily, the Broadway 'revisal' that just opened -- headlined by 'High School Musical' star Vanessa Hudgens -- does a fine job retooling the plot so it's more in line with modern ideas about women and romance...Heidi Thomas' retooled book isn't quite a feminist call to girl power, but at least her Gigi's making deliberate choices considering the limited options available to women back then. And while her trebly voice has limited range, Hudgens is comfortable onstage and gives the character a playful assurance...she has a warm rapport with Clark and Hoty, and you want to see Gigi with them rather with puppyish Gaston and his suave uncle, Honoré (Howard McGillin). Director Eric Schaeffer ('Follies') has given the story an elegant casing...This honorable 'Gigi' may be a good pick if you can't get into 'Wicked' on Take Your Daughter to the Theater Day.

Don't let his big eyes, tuft of red hair and argyle sweater fool you: Tyrone is a profane, horny, violent little psycho - and funny as hell, too. He's found his match in actor Steven Boyer, who plays Tyrone, the star of Broadway's bonkers new comedy 'Hand to God,' with manic, demented intensity...But it's Boyer's virtuosic performance that defines 'Hand to God,' as he seamlessly toggles between Jason and Tyrone - and if the actor doesn't win a Tony for this, there's no justice in this world. Boyer endows a sock puppet with fabulous expressiveness. Just watch how the little fellow's arms shake with rage when he reaches out to strangle someone - it's simultaneously hilarious and scary, like the play itself.

Watching a couple duke it out works only if you also understand what drew them to each other in the first place. But in the new Broadway revival of David Hare's 'Skylight,' the lovers don't share much, either in love or war...The imbalance of power between them is a key part of the play, and much of that is due to their age difference...But in this production, directed by Stephen Daldry ('The Audience'), the gap has turned into a chasm: There's no getting around the fact that Mulligan is 29 to Nighy's 65...The lack of sexual chemistry between them makes you wonder why Kyra bothers to put up with Tom. It doesn't help that Nighy, who first played the role in 1997, turns on the charm so hard that all we see are mannered tics. In contrast, Mulligan is a marvel of quiet strength...she truly comes alive onstage. And she does it in such an understated manner that it'd be easy to miss how rich her performance is.

...the talented Elisabeth Moss, who stars as pugnacious Peggy Olson on 'Mad Men' and now headlines this Broadway revival. But the role is tough, and Moss is still working on her own potential as an actress...For Moss, who works most effectively in small brush strokes, the challenge is carrying a show that demands a leading lady who can, well, lead...Both Pinkham and Biggs are very good at suggesting how these men change over the years, and Biggs (the spineless fiancé of 'Orange Is the New Black') even seems to fill out as his character gets older and more successful...The irreplaceable Tracee Chimo ('Bad Jews') also shines in four supporting roles...Pam MacKinnon's production sands off whatever edge there was to the play - and Wasserstein wasn't an edgy writer. And while the nostalgic element was there even in the '80s, it's pushed even further now, as we listen to 'We Got the Beat' and watch projections of newspaper headlines about Geraldine Ferraro. It's all very nice, but was feminism ever supposed to be nice?