Matt Windman — Theater Critic

Nichols' gloomy production features huge scenic pieces that fly up and down in between scenes, uncomfortably dwarfing this intimate drama. But the real problem lies in the fact that Nichols never really captures the elusive spark of mystery found in the best Pinter revivals, such as the 2007 Broadway staging of 'The Homecoming' and 'The Caretaker' with Jonathan Pryce, which played BAM last year. Weisz and Spall offer fine, subtle performances, while Craig occasionally gets to show off a considerably more relaxed air and ends up being the liveliest of the trio.

It takes some time -- too much really -- for the conflict to develop. But in time, 'The Snow Geese,' as directed by Daniel Sullivan with his characteristic polish, turns into the atmospheric character study that White intended. Jonigkeit's emotional transformation in disposition is the unexpected centerpiece of this production. While Parker brings a credible fragility and vulnerability, she comes off as too contemporary for a period piece. As family members, Danny Burstein and Victoria Clark offer fine performances that are remarkably sober compared to their acclaimed turns in numerous musicals.

Playwright Rupert Holmes and director Ethan McSweeny have faithfully adapted the text for the stage. While McSweeney's use of a revolving stage, which allows the audience to view the courtroom setting from multiple perspectives, is quite effective, the overreliance on ominous sound effects is embarrassingly ridiculous...Sebastian Arcelus' performance as Brigance is less than interesting, but at least he pushes the plot forward and allows us to focus on the rest of the impressive ensemble cast, which includes John Douglas Thompson as Hailey, Tonya Pinkins as Hailey's wife, Ashley Williams as a smart law student with sex appeal, Tom Skerritt as an inebriated, older attorney, Patrick Page as the district attorney, and Fred Dalton Thompson as the judge.

One wonders if Lindsay Posner's revival, which was originally done at London's Old Vic, fared better with an English cast in front of an English audience. Here, it comes off as stale and stiff drawing-room fare that only springs to life whenever Roger Rees, who plays the father, seizes the stage in a fit of passion. Later this season, Roundabout will produce Sophie Treadwell's 1928 expressionist drama 'Machinal,' a brilliant, daring, female-centered work that is a rarity. That promises to be far more exciting than 'The Winslow Boy.'

No one can accuse 'A Night With Janis Joplin' of not delivering what it is promised in the title. Not unlike the recent Beatles tribute show 'Let It Be,' this marks yet another faux concert in which a performer pretends to be a legendary rock star...But whereas 'Let It Be' featured no acting of any sort, the very talented and dedicated Mary Bridget Davies really digs into the role of Joplin, authentically replicating the Queen of Rock's distinctively raw and raspy voice in every song while bringing an unrelenting intensity...It's easy to tell the Joplin fans, who stand up and cheer after she performs songs such as 'Piece of My Heart' and 'Me and Bobby McGee,' from everyone else. They'll be pleased. But what about those unfamiliar with Joplin, as well as those who never liked her in the first place?

The rich, gothic mise-en-scène and seamless transitions of the film are replaced with poor quality songs, a slow pace, excessive sentimentality, one-liners that consistently fail to land, a clumsy structure and an ugly set where video imagery is projected onto what look like barn doors.

Must every high-profile revival of Tennessee Williams' 1944 breakout drama 'The Glass Menagerie' be marred by an obtrusive and frustrating directorial concept or design scheme? True, John Tiffany's graceful production is a vast improvement over the 2005 Broadway production and the 2010 Off-Broadway staging. But the excellent four-member cast -Cherry Jones (Amanda), Zachary Quinto (Tom), Celia Keenan-Bolger (Laura) and Brian J. Smith (Gentleman Caller) - is forced to compete against Bob Crowley's chic but inappropriate set design, Natasha Diaz's harsh lighting and Nico Muhly's creepy, synthetic-sounding original music...But aside from these distractions, the acting is absolutely superb. Jones convincingly balances Amanda's brave ferocity and kooky excesses. Keenan-Bolger exquisitely captures Laura's sad, frail beauty. Even if Quinto comes off too casual and contemporary, he imbues Tom with a dreamy lyricism that contrasts with the clean-cut overachiever that is Smith's Gentleman Caller.

The real battle at the new Broadway revival of 'Romeo and Juliet' has nothing to do with Capulets and the Montagues. It's actually between Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad, the show's young, photogenic leads, who are offering flavorless performances full of fakery, and the adult actors in supporting roles who wipe the floor with them...Bloom, after making a bafflingly cheesy entrance on a motorcycle, gives an empty, uninteresting performance marked by shrill line readings. Rashad wears Juliet's naïveté like a mask that prevents her from offering any other facial expressions. At least she's graceful.

Is there a doctor in the house? Not a medical doctor, or even a 'soul doctor,' whatever that is, but what is known on Broadway as a 'show doctor,' a playwright or director who can step in and salvage a musical with serious book problems. 'Soul Doctor' - a new musical about the life of rabbi and singer-composer Shlomo Carlebach that comes off as a sanitized, overstuffed mix of 'The Jazz Singer,' 'Fiddler on the Roof' and 'Hair' - is badly in need of such help...Despite all of these problems, one is still tempted to cut 'Soul Doctor' some slack in light of its openhearted and accepting tone...As Carlebach, Eric Anderson provides an energetic performance that captures the character's spirit and sensitivity.

'First Date' - a new Broadway musical about, you guessed it, a first date - is just as generic, pedestrian, bare and altogether uninteresting as the title implies that it will be...To extend what could have been a 10-minute skit into 90 minutes, the date is constantly interrupted by a flamboyant waiter (Blake Hammond) and voices in the characters' heads representing their friends, family and ex boyfriend/girlfriend...The songs, co-written by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, are tuneful enough to show that the team has promise. On the other hand, Austin Winsberg's sitcom-style dialogue lands few laughs. Levi...is sincere, but overplays the geekiness, while Rodriguez...manages to add signs of character depth. Too bad Levi and Rodriguez couldn't have just done a production of 'The Last Five Years' instead.

'Let It Be' is the latest in the never-ending parade of cheap, cheesy Beatles tribute concerts on Broadway that has previously included such titles as 'Beatlemania' in the late 1970s and 'Rain' just three seasons ago...Last week, it was revealed that the producers of 'Rain' are suing 'Let It Be' for copyright infringement. Personally, I can hardly tell the difference between them...In just a few months, a lot of very exciting things will be happening on Broadway. 'Let It Be' is just an unambitious, summertime space filler. Just Let It Be. Soon enough it'll go away - and another Beatles tribute show is sure to come along eventually.

Maybe it's called 'Forever Tango' because, unless you don't mind watching tango routine after tango routine after tango routine for two-plus hours without any kind of narrative, it seems to last forever...The athletic, chic-looking dancers move elegantly and have sex appeal to spare. The accordion-heavy band is also quite elegant. But devoid of plot, character or variation, their leg-locking and thrusting routines get old after 10 minutes.

Diane Paulus...offers a stunning, circus-themed production that seamlessly combines dance choreography in the trademark Fosse style with countless acrobatic feats...Patina Miller ('Sister Act') delivers an absolutely sensational, thoroughly sexy and authoritative performance...But there is a weak link to this staging, namely Matthew James Thomas' lifeless performance as Pippin. He mars the production with his hollow acting and weak singing. Nevertheless, this production has an incredible amount of 'Magic to Do.' 3.5 stars

The role fits Midler like a glove and she does not disappoint under Joe Mantello's direction. And anyone who likes both Midler and gossip about 1970s Hollywood ought to have a good time. But in light of this rare opportunity to catch Midler onstage, a more substantial meal would have been nice instead of 90 minutes of pure dessert.

Unlike some other famous dramas that have been uncomfortably adapted for African-American casts, Michael Wilson's tender revival of 'The Trip to Bountiful' works extraordinarily well with the Watts family played by African-American actors...Cicely Tyson delivers a fully animated, very spirited performance that makes the audience want to root for her to finally arrive home. The statuesque Vanessa Williams is also an ideal choice for the self-centered Jessie May. Cuba Gooding Jr., who is making his professional stage debut, stresses Ludie's boyish persona, but looks ill-at-ease compared with his colleagues. 3 stars

The Testament of Mary,' a visceral one-woman dramatization of Colm Tóibín's recently released, controversial short novel about the Virgin Mary that stars the characteristically intense Fiona Shaw, has the distinction of being the only Broadway show of the season, at least to my knowledge, that attracted protesters to its first preview performance... Under the direction of Deborah Warner, Shaw delivers a raw, raging performance. She combines these emotions with an edge of humor, some nudity and a sense of control that makes the piece feel less rambling. 3 stars

Alan Cumming's 'Macbeth,' in which he recites almost the entire Shakespeare text and portrays every major character, falls somewhere between being a fierce, fearless, one-of-a-kind theatrical experience and an incomprehensible vanity project... Considering how Cumming only barely alters his voice or manner of delivery for each specific character, it would probably be impossible for someone unfamiliar with the play to be able to understand it here. 2 stars

Unbelievably enough, it is actually easier to watch YouTube clips of Hasselhoff than Jeff Calhoun's re-conceived, garish and extremely unnecessary revival with 'American Idol' alumnus Constantine Maroulis and R&B singer Deborah Cox, which is playing a short run on Broadway following a national tour. Calhoun makes many unfortunate choices, including over-stressing the score's rock elements and using both nauseating video graphics and violent sexual imagery...Maroulis...uneasily alternates between being a geeky Jekyll and a vulgar Hyde. Cox sings well enough but hardly acts at all in the role of the prostitute Lucy, which may be for the better. No stars.

Kessler's play attempts to combine traditional family drama with raw, kitchen-sink realism and absurdist logic. Although the unusual scenario that it explores is engaging at first, it eventually runs out of steam and inspiration. Nevertheless, under Sullivan's direction, all three cast members deliver tremendous performances with ensemble unity. It also can't be denied that Baldwin's Harold is reminiscent of the outsized persona of Jack Donaghy on '30 Rock.' 2.5 stars.

But despite its problems, “The Assembled Parties,” which observes a well-off, secular Jewish family living on the Upper West Side, is that very rare kind of play where Act Two is substantially better than Act One. In other words, do not leave at intermission, no matter how much you may want to.

Even if the play eventually loses momentum, it is the most ambitious and substantial effort made to date by Beane, who is known primarily for writing the books of silly musicals like 'Xanadu' and 'Lysistrata Jones.' It also allows Lane to combine his comedic persona with a tragic undertone...Jack O'Brien's solid production, which effectively uses a turntable to shift its massive set pieces, also features engaging performances from Cady Huffman (Lane's Tony-winning co-star in 'The Producers') and Lewis J. Stadlen (who took over for Lane in 'The Producers'). 2.5 stars

Instead of having to endure perhaps a dozen different jukebox musicals based on various Motown icons in future years, 'Motown: The Musical' allows us to get it all over with in one shot. It's an unwieldy and unfocused attempt to package dozens of hit songs from all the trailblazing Motown performers of the 1960s and 1970s into a single sugarcoated, sanitized narrative revolving about workaholic megaproducer Berry Gordy. Still, this elaborate, very busy production ought to please anyone looking to take a nostalgia trip and overlook its problems. 2 stars

The new Broadway musical 'Matilda,' based on Roald Dahl's 1988 children's fantasy novel, was originally conceived by the Royal Shakespeare Company as family-friendly Christmastime entertainment, not unlike the cheesy and overly sentimental shows that flood New York each holiday season. But it turned out to be an incredibly intelligent, heartfelt and entertaining work that went on to achieve critical and popular success in London and now arrives on Broadway like a white knight sent to rescue a disappointing season for new musicals...Singer-songwriter Tim Minchin's unique and unpredictable score is as character-sensitive and penetrating as it is melodic and memorable.

At first glance, 'Kinky Boots' would appear to contain all the ingredients of a hit musical...So why does this musical, which looks and acts like a crowd-pleaser, still feel so unsatisfying? The biggest problem is that Lauper's electric-pop songs are generic. Furthermore, Jerry Mitchell's production resembles a slick but uninspired rehash of all his earlier shows such as 'The Full Monty' (the working class environment), 'La Cage aux Folles' (flashy drag queens and Harvey Fierstein's one-liners) and 'Hairspray' (a spunky spirit). But there is a saving grace to 'Kinky Boots' and it's Billy Porter, who imbues the role of Lola with fierce diva attitude in a Tony-worthy performance. 2.5 stars

Although the play is clunky, choppy and unapologetically sentimental (and probably would have been revised if Ephron was still with us), it engrosses us in a distinctive, proudly macho world of newspaper journalism, cigarette smoke and Irish barrooms. Hanks, sporting McAlary's trademark thick mustache, offers a spirited performance, basking in the frenzy of being a reporter on the police beat, and makes a clean transition to a frailer physical state later in the play.