Michael Sommers — Theater Critic

A remarkable performance by Laurie Metcalf and quite a sympathetic one by John Lithgow, two superb actors playing at the top of their exceptional games in the title roles, make this offbeat comedy a must-see for savvy viewers who cannot be bothered with the usual tourist crap on Broadway.

A new Broadway musical that takes audiences to hell and back, Hadestown looks and sounds terrific, and yet it lacks something vital. Drawn from a classical Greek legend, the musical somehow reminds me of a handsome ancient statue that is missing its head.

The cartoonish musical is modelled after snappy 1960s Broadway musical comedies, complete with passing scenes staged 'in-one' in front of a curtain to cover changes in décor. Sure, that's retro, but it suits the light-hearted material as well as a Disney crowd who probably prefers familiar formats. Casey Nicholaw, an ace director-choreographer, maintains a slightly tongue-in-cheek quality throughout the fast-moving show, especially in his frisky dances that, with their sinuous arm gestures, synchronized moves and general acrobatics, often suggest Bollywood production numbers. A lively and good-looking ensemble expertly undulates through the sometimes zany choreography.

For all of their evident excellence as circus troupers and dancers, the company in general appears to be working much too hard to entertain the audience. More than anyone, Patina Miller needs to relax into her key role as the Leading Player. Ceaselessly grinning, quivering with energy, singing at full throttle, Miller is impressive but so relentless in her triple-threat attack that she becomes somewhat tiresome...As the ringmaster of this bustling production, Paulus perhaps has been cracking her whip too often for the show's good. With a little more ease, the revival might be a tad more genuinely charming than this nonstop whirl of entertainment that at times seems more distracting than diverting.

Director Joe Mantello no doubt has something to do with Midler's emotional shadings and he otherwise provides a posh production. Draped by designer Ann Roth in a voluminous sea-blue caftan, sporting oversized glasses and long pewter-blond bangs that she often sweeps back with an airy gesture, the exuberant Midler appears entirely comfortable inhabiting Mengers' florid persona, and that's half the battle of animating a solo show. Consider 'I'll Eat You Last' as a serving of fruity sherbet to end the Broadway season and you may not feel so guilty over enjoying this trifle.

Bountiful doings on Broadway indeed: Cicely Tyson gives a beautiful performance in a sterling new production of Horton Foote's touching play, 'The Trip to Bountiful.' The show...marks Tyson's first Broadway appearance in 30 years. It is obvious from her sensitive yet secure work here that Tyson has lost none of her stage technique. Expect to enjoy a memorable performance that you will cherish always.

Other than providing a tour-de-force challenge for an actor, however, the point of this production escapes me. It sheds no fresh light on the drama...Some people believe that Cumming is an exceptional and magnetic artist. I think that Cumming is an all right actor, but a little bit of him goes a very long way. So for me, at least, watching Cumming doing a lot of crazy Shakespeare was not an edifying experience. Better read somebody else for a more balanced opinion on Cumming's performance, which I certainly admire for its febrile energy.

Director Jeff Calhoun stages and choreographs the musical with no-holds-barred bravado that results in a fiendishly entertaining show...Soberly wearing muttonchops and spectacles as a sweetly geeky Dr. Jekyll, Maroulis unleashes his pony-tail into the medusa-like mane of a believably fiendish Hyde. His rock tenor sounds bright as Jekyll and then darkens and turns a tad guttural as Hyde...Sounding a bit like Linda Eder, who created the role of Lucy, Deborah Cox powerfully sings with a velvety purr that compensates for her high school-style acting...Not my cup of blood, the lurid 'Jekyll & Hyde' gives plenty of pleasure to others, and fans of the musical will find it rendered here with raging intensity.

Older theatergoers especially will appreciate the tender mercies of 'The Assembled Parties.' Richard Greenberg's absorbing new family drama essentially regards people's hopes for their future and the poignant reality of how things turn out with the passage of time.

Director Doug Hughes and his designers provide an extremely glossy production that undoubtedly is meant to frame Odets' trashy story and its dubious protagonist in the most flattering light possible...Some viewers may well fall for the great charm that Bobby Cannavale sympathetically lends Charlie...But Richard Kind is slyly humorous as a folksy meltdown of Sam Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer...With the exception of Marin Ireland, who simply seems uncomfortable in the ambivalent character of Charlie's semi-estranged wife, the remainder of the capable company handles their roles very well...Roundabout subscribers already booked for 'The Big Knife' should be in the mood to swallow a big helping of stale cheese that is being served with the utmost skill.

Partly a history lesson, partly a laugh riot and partly a gay weeper, 'The Nance' is an ambitious new play by Douglas Carter Beane that does not coalesce into a completely persuasive drama. Thanks partly to a vivid performance by Nathan Lane in the title role, director Jack O'Brien's evocative production usually makes the most of Beane's troubling look at homosexual existence in Manhattan during the 1930s.

Don't expect a 'Jersey Boys' level of dramatic sophistication. Still, at the very least - and it generally is - Gordy's sketchy script presents a straightforward framework that does not get in the way (usually) of more than 60 much-loved songs that are performed like blazes by a dynamic 30-member company of singers and dancers...Certainly the performers are tip-top.

A smart, supple score by Tim Minchin swiftly propels the rather sinister tale with a variety of tunes and spirited rhythms...A jubilant 'When I Grow Up' playground number during which the kids swing out over the footlights, and Matilda's lovely, reflective 'Quiet' solo sweeten a score that more often than not sounds spooky...Even more troubling, and faithful as the musical's makers may be to the contents and tone of Dahl's original, the fanciful show possesses an oddly nasty flavor that other people might savor in recollection of their miserable childhoods...Regardless of my taste for the material, director Matthew Warchus' production of the musical certainly is impressive.

Nicholas Martin’s direction has tuned his expert ensemble to a perfect acting pitch at the Golden, where designer David Korins’ handsome fieldstone-and-timber country house setting is accented by Justin Townsend’s sun-dappled lighting. A classy show in every way, this admirable play and its fine production are certain to be contenders for all sorts of awards at the end of the current Broadway season.

New to the role of a disillusioned Macy’s employee who brightens up in Buddy’s presence, Leslie Kritzer delivers the funny “Never Fall in Love (With an Elf”) with wry pizzazz. Other high points in the musical include “Nobody Cares About Santa,” a jazzy, foot-stomping lament for Buddy and crew of disgruntled out of work department store Saint Nicks; “There is a Santa Claus,” a joyous realization of the holiday spirit exuberantly voiced by Leavel with youngster Mitchell Sink; and “The Story of Buddy the Elf,” a punchy number with a catchy chorus that, as performed by most of the company, nearly brings down the house. Rolling along agreeably for its earlier stretches, the musical really takes off in the second act.

Harder heads than mine may find “Harvey” to be a trifle sappy in sentiment, but I find it endearing, especially when the comedy is served so well by Ellis and his excellent actors. Never intimating that his character is a lush, Parsons lends the gentlemanly Elwood a calm and slightly dreamy manner that contrasts against the other characters, who more or less are driven into a frenzy by his chum Harvey’s unseen presence. Parsons’ open, friendly countenance and genial nature as Elwood are unassuming yet sufficiently engaging to provide the production with its glowing focal point.

Observantly dressed by designer Ilona Somogyi, a well-meshed ensemble of seven excellent actors confidently invests their characters of 1959 and 2009 with distinctive personalities under director Pam MacKinnon’s discerning guidance. Designer Daniel Ostling provides a realistic setting that poignantly suffers the passing years. A smartly-written play sure to provoke conversation afterwards, “Clybourne Park” may be too emotionally cool to please sentimental viewers, but many others are sure to enjoy the nasty conflicts that erupt when presumably nice people show their true colors.

Led by the roly-poly and irresistibly droll Corden – an ebullient performer clad in mismatched checks as the modern-day Harlequin figure –a skilled 16-member ensemble whips through a wacky progression of pratfalls, slapstick nonsense, cheeky doings and assorted other low-comedy capers. It’s all too ridiculous for words so let’s take a pass on detailing the madness that erupts constantly for more than two hours.

Pirates, orphans, natives, mermaids and a gigantic crocodile romp through a two-act tale bursting with dastardly doings, epic chases, daring escapes and silly humor. Co-directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, the off-Broadway production offered delightful entertainment. Some of that charm is missing, unfortunately, from the Broadway version of the show, which opened on Sunday at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

Playwright Eric Simonson, who did so ably by a football legend with “Lombardi,” now gives sports- and theater-loving customers alike an enjoyable mix of strong story, smart writing and real-life video that zooms by in 100 minutes. Director Thomas Kail’s staging provides plenty of punch, complete with fine acting and sharp visuals.

It’s trash. Judy swills, Judy sings, Judy vomits, Judy goes on singing. Pulp rubbish by playwright Peter Quilter. [...] In her wilder throes as Garland flailing through a number, Bennett gets awfully Kabuki about it, but you can’t deny her power even if she’s driving a third-rate hearse of a play.

Bowing on Thursday for a brief sojourn at the Music Box, the actor’s solo show provides a pleasant 100-minute stroll down memory lane in this strictly fans-only attraction. ... It’s not much of a solo Broadway show compared to more ambitious events like Billy Crystal’s “700 Sundays” or Elaine Stritch’s “At Liberty,” but “Shatner’s World” will satisfy customers simply pleased to observe Shatner being Shatner in the flesh.

Certainly the show is a must-see due to Audra McDonald’s beautifully sung and fiercely acted portrayal of Bess. Sporting a scar on her cheek, fire in her eyes and plenty of star power, McDonald fleshes out a believably human portrait of a flawed, fallen woman struggling to get back on her feet. Extra thrills that McDonald delivers include her spooky rendition of “Leaving for the Promised Land” and a deeply-felt “I Loves You, Porgy.”

The show occasionally jolts but it generally fails to electrify viewers or inspire much pity for its hard-luck protagonists. Perhaps a full-blown operatic treatment is the only way to illuminate a story as dark as this one.

Opening with 'Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,' Jackman expertly cavorts through several tuneful medleys, most notably a high-kicking salute to classic movie musicals. A freely-interpreted 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' and a resonant journey through Billy Bigelow's 'Soliloquy' from 'Carousel' are other standouts, while a segment involving the Australian outback and its native musicians offers a soulful change in mood.