Maya Stanton

You wouldn't think that a continuation of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House - a groundbreaking, 1879 feminist drama about a wife who leaves an unhappy marriage to find herself - would be funny, but humor abounds in playwright Lucas Hnath's creative sequel. Directed by Sam Gold, A Doll's House, Part 2 imagines what would happen if, 15 years later, Ibsen's Nora were to walk back through the door she exited at the close of his third act. At the time, Ibsen's decision to have his protagonist abdicate her marital and familial responsibilities in favor of self-discovery and personal happiness was a shocking one, seen as a threat to the institution of marriage as a whole; Hnath's script supposes that the fictional Nora has been confronted with similar accusations as her creator, and deals with them in head-on, often gleeful fashion.

How to describe a force of nature? A blockbuster success even before the curtain went up on opening night, the new revival of Hello, Dolly!marks legendary performer Bette Midler's highly anticipated return to Broadway, and thanks to a top-notch cast and an award-laden production team, it more than justifies the hype.

Field's is an anxiety-ridden, squirm-inducing performance - as her Amanda clings to unrealistic dreams for her children's future, her desperate neediness is at once funny and sad, understandable yet painful to watch. As Tom, Mantello brings the play's often-coded undertones to the forefront, delivering a virtuoso portrayal of a frustrated, closeted man crushed under the weight of his mother's loving expectations. It's no surprise that these veterans would be so successful, but the revelation here is Ferris. As a wheelchair user, she brings an element of realism and independence to a character normally played as helpless - for the first time, she seems strong and capable, though still terribly shy and non-confrontational. The audience seems to hold its collective breath as she maneuvers around the stage, and when her gentleman caller (a boisterous Finn Wittrock, American Horror Story) gets her hopes up only to break her heart, she poignantly runs through the full range of emotion. It's a brilliant bit of casting, even if the age difference between the actors requires some mental gymnastics...Gold takes risks with his nontraditional staging choices, and though his vision might not be for everyone, there's no arguing that it's a bold, creative one. The rare revival that breathes new life into a classic rather than defaulting to convention, this Menagerie is well worth another look.

The talented cast soars under the confident direction of Tony-winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, in his first turn at the helm of a Broadway production. His familiarity with Wilson's oeuvre - both as a performer and as the artistic director for New York Public Radio's unprecedented recording of all 10 plays in 2013 - serves him well, and other than a lighting flourish that seems out of step with the rest of the production, he offers a straightforward interpretation of the material.