Matt Windman

At its best, 'American Son' is smart, mysterious and engrossing - not to mention an effective star vehicle for Washington, who gives a revealing, sympathetic performance in which her character's professional veneer gives way to surmounting doubt and desperation.

While 'Torch Song' lacks the brilliance of 'Angels in America' and the bite of 'The Boys in the Band,' it is well worth a second look. And though at times it can be rather clunky and schmaltzy, Kaufman's production contains some genuinely beautiful moments and excellent performances all around.

Among the many star turns on Broadway this fall - ranging from Bryan Cranston playing deranged newscaster Howard Beale to King Kong brought to life by an army of puppeteers and technicians - especially noteworthy is 86-year-old Elaine May giving her first performance on Broadway in more than 50 years in an otherwise underwhelming revival of Kenneth Lonergan's downbeat family drama 'The Waverly Gallery,' first produced Off-Broadway in 2000.

In lesser hands, 'The Ferryman' may have come off as pure hokum, but Mendes makes it absolutely entrancing, bringing out many intense, full-bodied performances, particularly from Donnelly, who brilliantly conveys Caitlin's raw vitality, vulnerability and stifled rage. Other key performances come from Flanagan, who offers an otherworldly, haunted presence and Considine, who gives the impression of a man walking a fine line between his past and present, burdened by guilt, bound to crack.

While the production (directed by Leigh Silverman, 'Violet') is lively and centered on three great actors fighting it out, the play itself is rather thin (little more than the back-and-forth dialogue on which it is based) and the characters are all one-dimensional. It is also problematic that the show (unlike the book) is unable to convey the full extent of D'Agata's essay, without which the subsequent analysis lacks context.

The production (staged with an ear for comic timing and an eye for physical bits by Daniel Sullivan, who is best known for directing contemporary American dramas) is great fun with thick English accents and foul language. Just a few weeks following the death of Neil Simon, it is nice to see that an old-fashioned, silly-but-smart nonmusical comedy can still find a place on Broadway.

One wonders wonder whether Hillary Clinton's unsuccessful run for the presidency played a role in the development of 'Bernhardt/Hamlet.' There is an obvious connection between the hostility faced by both Bernhardt and Clinton as they ventured into traditionally male territory. 'Bernhardt/Hamlet' is an inspired, timely and interesting idea for a play - if only it had been better executed.

To its credit, 'Pretty Woman' is adequately and competently handled - and it is far better than the other two new Broadway musicals to open this summer: the bewildering Go-Go's jukebox musical 'Head Over Heels' and the embarrassingly amateurish 'Gettin' the Band Back Together.'

Originality (as in not being based on a pre-existing film or song catalog) turns out to not be the equivalent of quality in 'Gettin' the Band Back Together,' a tacky, witless and amateurish new pop-rock musical set in Sayreville, New Jersey, that might have been commendable had it been written and performed by high school students from Sayreville, but is a total embarrassment to find on Broadway.

Um, no. Contrary to the affirmatively cheery chant of its opening number, 'Head Over Heels,' a new jukebox musical on Broadway in which the hit songs of the all-female 1980s pop-punk band The Go-Go's are inserted into a ridiculous Elizabethan-era pastiche, has not 'got the beat.' That probably got lost long ago in the development of this oddball property

There is no character development or plot, besides a handful of guys sitting around on a couch. As their father looks on, the three young men play games (including a retooled version of 'Monopoly' created by their mother), joke around (breaking into a parody version of the title song of 'Oklahoma!') and strut around in matching pajamas.

Like the musical 'Hair,' 'The Boys in the Band' is very much a product of its time. Had it premiered just a year later following the Stonewall Riots, Crowley may have made his characters more defiant and less self-loathing in nature. Yet even if the play is dated and its shock value has worn off, as this crowd-pleasing revival demonstrates, it can still be a powerful piece of theater.

In order words, Hickey (played by Nathan Lane three years ago at BAM) would not appear to be a role destined for Denzel Washington - yet here he is on Broadway giving a first-rate performance in a first-class revival of O'Neill's titanic 1946 tragedy of shattered dreams, hopelessness and inebriation.

On the heels of Lincoln Center Theater's acclaimed revival of 'My Fair Lady' (which is based on Shaw's 1913 comedy of manners 'Pygmalion'), Manhattan Theatre Club is presenting a straightforward, generally effective production of his 1923 tragedy 'Saint Joan' with three-time Tony nominee Condola Rashad ('A Doll's House, Part 2,' the Showtime series 'Billions') as Joan of Arc.

Good luck making sense of 'Travesties,' Tom Stoppard's difficult, diffuse and dense 1974 comedy of faulty memory and early 20th century European history and culture, which has returned to Broadway in a robust revival produced originally by London's Menier Chocolate Factory and brought to New York by the Roundabout Theatre Company.'

Lookin' for some hot stuff baby this evenin'? Look somewhere other than the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, now home to 'Summer: The Donna Summer Musical' (inventive title, no?), the latest addition to Broadway's never-ending assembly line of mindless jukebox musicals constructed around a singer-songwriter's biggest pop hits.

Aside from being able to easily grasp the numerous references in the dialogue, a theatergoer with no prior 'wizarding' experience should still be able to have a great time - and may even find the show more enthralling than would a longtime fan who already knows the 'Harry Potter' universe inside and out.

The revival has been staged in Sher's familiar style of making a classic feel fresh and dynamic without totally disregarding the original script and score, incorporating superb production values (including a two-story revolving set for Higgins' home) and bringing out layered performances from great actors.

Someone with no prior exposure to or familiarity with 'Carousel' is more likely to appreciate this misguided production. But speaking as someone who knows 'Carousel' inside and out, sitting through it was a disappointing, bewildering and frustrating experience.

'Mean Girls,' on the other hand, proves to be a wishy-washy, pointless adaptation of the smart and sassy 2004 film, which was written by Tina Fey and contains performances by Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Lizzy Caplan and Fey. The primary problem is that the songs (music by Jeff Richmond, lyrics by Nell Benjamin) are underwhelming and awkwardly inserted into the dialogue. As if trying to compensate, the production (staged by Casey Nicholaw, 'The Book of Mormon') pulsates with high energy and hyperkinetic movement, as seen in everything from the broad-style performances to the shifting digital projections and all-out dance choreography.

Jackson (a two-time Oscar-winner and former member of British Parliament), Metcalf (who just returned to the role of Jackie Harris on the 'Roseanne' reboot) and Pill (a Tony nominee with many stage and screen credits) all give superb performances.

Despite a slow start and an abrupt ending, the play takes on an absorbing quality with the news that William's brother has been accused of participating in a brutal murder, which brings out the complexities in the four uniformed characters. It also contains many funny moments and themes (harassment, crisis management, social mobility) that are relevant to working professionals.

Taking in the play is not easy. In addition to its length, many sequences are bizarre, didactic and choppy. But there is no denying its theatrical brilliance, literary ambition and cultural relevance. It is often just as romantic and hilarious as it is philosophic and intense.

The continued popularity of 'Frozen' (which grossed $1.2 billion when it debuted at the movies in 2013 and has morphed into a phenomenon) probably explains why it has been adapted for the Broadway stage in such a straightforward, shallow and unimaginative manner, creating a disappointing and empty product.

The ability to consume alcohol during the show certainly helps to put one in a relaxed, less critical state of mind. But all things considered, you might be better off downing margaritas at a beach bar while listening to a Buffett album.