Matt Windman

It's too bad Kathleen Turner never got a chance to play Sister Aloysius in 'Doubt.' It might have spared her the embarrassment of now playing a nun in Matthew Lombardo's disappointing psychological melodrama 'High'...Jonigkeit overplays his role physically - especially the twitching and shaking - to the point of absolute ridiculousness. Meanwhile, Kunken, whose character is ill-defined, seems lost amid all the sparring.

Thanks to a large cast and the most stunning use of puppetry since 'The Lion King,' this co-production by Lincoln Center Theater and London's National Theatre is absolutely masterful and immensely moving...Be warned that 'War Horse' is a genuine tearjerker. But it is not so sentimental as to be off-putting. This is tug-at-your-heartstrings storytelling at its most spectacular and transcendent.

Guirgis' foul-mouthed and sexually explicit language is consistently funny, but much of the play drags and its premise quickly wears thin. The production, however, has been directed with finesse by Anna D. Shapiro, who won a Tony for 'August: Osage County.' She highlights the play's fighting quality and makes it feel authentically raw. Cannavale delivers a wildly aggressive performance as Jackie, highlighting the character's confusion and desperate nature. Rock, on the other hand, portrays the self-satisfied Ralph with a hilarious kind of ease and cockiness.

But in spite of so much promise, 'Catch Me If You Can' is so disappointing that it will leave you wishing you could travel back in time and watch 'Hairspray' again.

Kathleen Marshall's lavish production occasionally feels labored. But for the most part, to quote one of the musical's most famous lyrics, 'it's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.' Her choreography manages to turn almost every production number into a showstopper. Foster lacks the rough-and-tough sex appeal to credibly portray Reno, but she handles the belting, dancing and comedy bits with such perfection that you hardly care.

Staging the play in a large Broadway theater usually reserved for musicals does not work to the play's ultimate advantage. Nevertheless, Rajiv's intelligent drama, as staged by Moisés Kaufman, convincingly captures the chaos of Iraq immediately following the 2003 invasion.

Nevertheless, Radcliffe gives a pretty satisfying performance, showing off earnest acting skills, a passable singing voice and some surprisingly confident dance moves. But perhaps most importantly, he is so cute and charming that the audience is sure to cheer him on.

As you'd probably expect, the show's potty-mouth creators do not refrain from using explicit language. But in spite of the curse words, 'The Book of Mormon' is an upbeat, even sentimental musical that combines Rodgers & Hammerstein, 'Les Miz'-style powerhouse ballads and tap dancing.

The show, which runs about 2 1/2 hours, could be tightened here and there. But as helmed by Fisher Stevens, it makes for a very entertaining, physical and heartfelt piece of theater.

'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' is not so much a normal musical but rather a loud, oversized karaoke party and midnight drag show. You really want to have fun, but it is so aggressively campy that it soon becomes irritating and too much to stomach.

Sutherland is wasted as a subservient lackey with false teeth. Noth is typecast as a pompous philanderer and sleepwalks through his role. Patric overplays his character’s drunken binge to the point of being ridiculous. On the other hand, Gaffigan is credibly insecure, and Cox makes the biggest impression as a coach past his prime who is unable to adapt to a politically correct environment.

This results in a brilliant performance that is just as hilarious as it is utterly convincing. Those who forget to read the Playbill might not even realize that the role is being played by a man, which is perhaps the greatest compliment that Bedford can receive.

The uniformly excellent supporting cast includes Byron Jennings, David Harbour, Jesse L. Martin, Heather Lind and Christopher Fitzgerald. Their combined work represents nothing short of a master class in acting Shakespeare.

For Christmas this year, the elves in Santa's workshop ought to build us a better new musical than 'Elf,' which is hardly worth adding to anyone's holiday wish list.

This is essentially an updated version of Reubens' original stage show, which in turn inspired the film 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' and the Saturday morning television series 'Pee-wee's Playhouse.' There's not much of a plot, but the show is overloaded with atmosphere and laughs.

Considering the extremely high caliber of its cast, creative team and source material, 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown' was supposed to be the hit musical of the fall. Instead, it has turned out to be a hot mess of the highest pedigree.

This jarring mix of racist and anti-Semitic stereotypes, legal injustice and physical abuse with the Old South and song-and-dance entertainment is brilliant, subversive and ultimately heartbreaking.

From purely musical and vocal points of view, the band is sensitive and masterful.

While Redgrave barely comes across as a southern Jewish woman, she convincingly stresses Daisy's restless spirit. Jones, on the other hand, provides a congenial counterpart with an undercurrent of pain. Gaines, as Daisy's son, is credibly worn-out and frustrated by his mother's relentless demands.

There could not possibly be a more relevant time for 'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson' - a relentlessly silly rock musical about the first unofficial Tea Party candidate in American political history - to premiere on Broadway.

Jones, awkwardly sporting a working-class cockney accent, tries to bring a rough edge to the steely title character. It is an unfocused and excessive performance, however, that undermines the credibility of the character.

It is truly our good fortune that the entire original English cast has traveled with the Max Roberts’ detailed production to Broadway. They are all individually excellent and make for a fiery and passionate ensemble.

Emma Rice’s overstuffed and overwhelming production, which premiered Off-Broadway last season, adds song and dance, slapstick comedy, video projections, puppetry and a jazz band to what is a relatively sober and sad tale of star-crossed lovers. The end result is just as clever as it is irritating and unnecessary.

By the end of Lynne Meadow's effective production, you've gotten hooked. But for the most part, 'Collected Stories' feels too polite, underwhelming and small. Linda Lavin gives a knockout performance as Ruth, marked by much humor and genuine emotion. Sarah Paulson looks too poised to play a student in her 20s, but becomes convincing as her character grows confident.

'Everyday Rapture' is structured as a sincere memoir of growing up in 'half-Mennonite' Topeka, Kansas, encountering prejudiced anti-gay ministers, finding empowerment through song and obsessing over a variety of icons including Judy Garland, Jesus and, weirdly enough, Mr. Rogers. One surprisingly sultry medley strings together familiar Fred Rogers songs like 'It's You I Like' and 'I Like to Be Told.' At the same time, Scott's show is a relentlessly silly deconstruction of childhood innocence and egotistical diva tell-alls. Scott is not playing herself so much as parodying herself through excessive exaggeration.