Matt Windman

Here, Lloyd has foregone all period detail and removed traditional production elements (including set and costumes, revealing the theater’s multilevel backstage area) and bits of staging in order to produce a seamless, direct, and fresh reexamination of the play. Although originally written in three acts, it is presented without intermission and runs exactly two hours.

As directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw (“The Book of Mormon,” “Something Rotten!”), “Some Like It Hot” is a fresh, splashy and fast-paced delight. The book, by Matthew Lopez (“The Inheritance”) and comedian Amber Ruffin, carefully reconceives the original characters and make cross-dressing into something more than just a joke.

But more often than not, “A Beautiful Noise” gets bogged down in a labored narrative premise in which a bitter and depressed Diamond of the present day (played by Mark Jacoby) relives a sanitized and simplified version of his life story by talking to a psychologist (Linda Powell) who serves as an interviewer/interrogator, culminating in a contrived attempt to achieve an emotional climax (in which both versions of Neil Diamond sing “I Am…I Said” together) and finally find an excuse for adding “America” into the playlist.

There is an appealing smoothness, simplicity, and sense of construction to Birbiglia's shows. (Seth Barrish, who serves as Birbiglia's regular director, surely deserves much credit.) Birbiglia excels at offering fun anecdotes, dramatizing conversations with offstage characters, making Seinfeld-style observations about daily life and performing occasional physical bits.

'Kimberly Akimbo' is a feel-good show that acknowledges feelings of heartbreak, nausea, and discord. It brings to mind 'Fun Home,' which also has music by Tesori, is based on unlikely source material, and explores an unconventional family and a pained adolescence. It honors the Sondheim dictum of 'content dictates form,' creating a work that is well-integrated, fresh, quirky, and heartfelt, but not flashy or over-the-top. The bittersweet ending (driving off into the sunset on a road trip, even as the end is near) is particularly effective and affecting.

'I am a brother playing Lincoln. It's a stretch for anyone's imagination,' explains an early-middle-aged Black male who makes a living impersonating Abraham Lincoln (with a suit, beard, top hat, and whiteface makeup) as part of a bizarre arcade attraction where patrons can reenact Lincoln's assassination in 'Topdog/Underdog,' Suzan-Lori Parks' gritty, Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of sibling rivalry, which is now receiving an excellent 20th anniversary Broadway revival starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ('The Trial of the Chicago 7') and Corey Hawkins ('In the Heights').

On the other hand, Michele's performances of 'I'm the Greatest Star' and 'Don't Rain On My Parade' are absolutely exhilarating, prompting frenzied excitement and mid-show standing ovations. Michele also throws herself into her character's comedy bits, even though her efforts are more hard-working than inspired or genuinely funny.

This is a straightforward, well-acted, richly-designed, enjoyable revival that accentuates the competing passions exhibited by Washington and Brooks and the sincere, warmhearted personalities surrounding both of them, including Jackson, Ray Fisher, Trai Byers, and Michael Potts.

The performances are individualized and powerful, including Pierce's mercurial Willy (jovial and hammy, then innocently bewildered and shaking), Clarke's tough-as-nails, weathered Linda (whose handling of the 'attention must be paid' monologue is superb), Khris Davis' soft and sensitive Biff, and McKinley Belcher III's oily and upbeat Happy.

I admire the considerable thought and enterprise that went into creating this production, while still finding to be overwhelmingly problematic and frustrating, especially in the over-the-top manner that many songs have been reconceived. It is full of provocative images and questionable choices that are worthy of extended analysis and debate.

Like 'Sanctuary City,' 'Cost of Living' is a compelling contemporary drama that has enigmatic and vulnerable characters, complex relationships, rising intensity, vigorous argumentation, and an underlying sense of humor and compassion in the midst of endless struggle.

'Leopoldstadt' is not without its issues. Much of it is expository, slow, and muddled (including a farcical circumcision sequence that somehow got included). It is very challenging to remember who each of the less prominent characters is without consulting a character list or family tree. Still, it is a powerful work which is receiving a lavish production under the meticulous direction of Patrick Marber. Given its size and scale, the fact that 'Leopoldstadt' is being produced on Broadway - and commercially, no less - is unbelievable.

As much as I liked it at City Center, it was still coming together at the time, which was not surprising in light of the complexity of the score, shaded characters, and limited rehearsal time. On Broadway, the production is much sharper and the performances are more nuanced. It's hard to pick and choose favorites among the cast because everyone is so damn good, including Julia Lester's sly and confident Little Red, Patina Miller's striking and sexy Witch, Phillipa Soo's heartfelt Cinderella, Cole Thompson's bright Jack, Brian d'Arcy James' well-meaning Baker, Sara Bareilles' improvisational Baker's Wife, Gavin Creel's foppish Cinderella's Prince and hammy Wolf, and Joshua Henry's exuberant Rapunzel's Prince. Even the cow Milky White (now a full-size, hand-operated puppet operated in full view of the audience) is a standout.

Gold's production of 'Macbeth' is stripped-down and casual (with many actors playing multiple roles and a utilitarian scenic design), often effective (mostly due to the performances), and just as often bewildering. For instance, at the beginning, the witches are depicted cheerfully cooking. At the end, the cast comes together over soup and song. There is also a vaguely seventies design scheme, ad-libbing, and hard drinking. It's too bad Gold can't provide live audio commentary to explain what he is going for.

While Crystal and the cast are droll and endearing, 'Mr. Saturday Night' (directed by John Rando with an especially small cast for an old-fashioned-style musical comedy) is pretty dull, slow, and schmaltzy. The gentle score, much of which was custom-built for a leading man with a limited vocal range, lacks the flavor and bite of Brown and Green's best work. A lively establishing song performed by Bean in the first act seems to have come out of an entirely different, more contemporary, more interesting show.

It's an evening of ba-dum-bum punchlines in this vein at the Nederlander Theatre, where 'Mr. Saturday Night' marked its official opening Wednesday night. Low-key ballads in classic Broadway cadences by Jason Robert Brown and Amanda Green are interspersed throughout the proceedings, amiably directed by John Rando. But they are not such prominent features as to distract from the main focus, which is the funny business - sometimes tender, other times cruder and more caustic - derived from the notion that Crystal's semiretired Buddy Young Jr. is over the hill.

In spite of inventive touches, satirical humor, fluid production values, and songs full of both spark and sensitivity, 'A Strange Loop' ultimately falls victim to the perils of its own design, becoming so messy, whiny, confrontational, sexually explicit, and theoretical that it will probably turn off many theatergoers while invigorating and thrilling plenty of others.

Truth be told, 'Funny Girl' is a star vehicle that is not much more than the leading role, as demonstrated by its weak and melodramatic book (which has been revised a bit by Harvey Fierstein) and the inferior quality of literally every song that is not sung by Fanny (many of which were cut from the film). Without an extraordinary lead performance, 'Funny Girl' doesn't work - which is unfortunately the case here. Vocally, Feldstein is strained and nasal and unable to handle power solos like 'I'm the Greatest Star,' 'People,' 'Don't Rain on My Parade,' and 'The Music That Makes Me Dance.' She also overplays the comedy and resorts to mugging. (I question how Feldstein could even be cast as Fanny in a high school or theater camp production.)

Now, following another two-year wait, 'Hangmen' is finally opening on Broadway - but without Johnny Flynn, who gave an electrifying, star-making performance as Mooney in the London and Off-Broadway productions. (In 2020, Mooney was played by Dan Stevens of 'Downton Abbey.') Notwithstanding, Allen and the rest of the current cast are great (though Threlfall appeared to be experiencing some vocal difficulties at my performance) and the lively production (directed by Matthew Dunster, with a rich scenic design) finds an ideal balance between roaring entertainment and grim uneasiness.

Brown, who has become the first Black woman to serve as a director-choreographer on Broadway in 65 years, was an ideal choice for helming the revival, infusing it with modern dance and coordinating its visual and lyrical elements into a striking pattern. The seven women (including Amara Granderson, Tendayi Kuumba, Kenita R. Miller, Okwui Okpokwasil'i, Stacey Sergeant, Alexandria Wailes, and D. Woods) handle their solo pieces beautifully while also forming a tightly-knit ensemble.

Brokaw's stripped-down and highly-effective production accentuates the complex relationship between Li'l Bit and Peck, with Parker and Morse (who is impressively understated) giving nothing short of a masterclass in acting.

A lot has changed in the world in the 20 years since the Off-Broadway premiere and subsequent Broadway transfer of 'Take Me Out,' Richard Greenberg's all-male drama about the epic consequences of a Derek Jeter-like professional baseball player coming out as gay. Notwithstanding, 'Take Me Out' remains the same play, somewhat overlong and sensationalistic but absorbing and heartfelt, especially as demonstrated by the excellent Broadway revival produced by Second Stage.

In an ideal world, the original new Broadway musical 'Paradise Square' would live up to its fascinating historical source material: the 19th century Lower Manhattan slum of Five Points, where free Blacks and immigrants lived together up until the Civil War. Although well-meaning and filled with some striking visuals and pointed political commentary, 'Paradise Square' is sappy, overstuffed, overlong, and tiresome. If not much else, 'Paradise Square' might be an ideal show for educators who want to take their students to a Broadway musical about U.S. history but can't score tickets to 'Hamilton.' As a homework assignment, the students can research the numerous historical events that are dutifully mentioned or write an essay about the contemporary political concerns (violent insurrection, cultural misappropriation, class tensions, need for empathy).that the show overemphasizes in trying to prove its relevance.

In the midst of domestic political tensions, overseas conflict, the pandemic, and emotionally-charged cultural debates, 'Plaza Suite' offers sitcom comedy, sharp one-liners, sentimental and nostalgic touches, straightforward direction (by actor John Benjamin Hickey), and performances by two familiar stage and screen stars. It's the equivalent of feel-good comfort food, like grandma's chicken noodle soup - at least until it becomes clear that the production is not as good as it ought to be.

Depending on one's inclination, 'MJ' can be seen as a slick and lively tribute concert (with dancers, back-up singers, Jackson impersonators, and elaborate homage choreography), a by-the-numbers bio-jukebox musical (really not so different from all the others out there), or a defiant public relations effort to rebrand and refocus Jackson's image, reputation, and legacy.