Roma Torre

Director Matthew Warchus wastes no time putting us in a festive mood with the actors handing out cookies and Clementines as the audience enters under hundreds of lanterns strewn throughout the theatre. There is dance and music both original and traditional played sweetly at times with hand bells adding to the merriment. But unlike other versions of the iconic story, which attempt to dazzle with special effects, this one has a more introspective tone adding dimension to the characters that have come to be so familiar to us.

Director Matthew Warchus wastes no time putting us in a festive mood with the actors handing out cookies and Clementines as the audience enters under hundreds of lanterns strewn throughout the theatre. There is dance and music both original and traditional played sweetly at times with hand bells adding to the merriment. But unlike other versions of the iconic story, which attempt to dazzle with special effects, this one has a more introspective tone adding dimension to the characters that have come to be so familiar to us.

'The Inheritance' speaks to us on so many levels - politically, intellectually, and emotionally. If it rambles, it is an echo of our messy lives but it so clearly addresses the rootlessness that plagued the gay community for years. In the end, the lesson of this monumental production is that we all stand to inherit the profound consequences of our nation's communal neglect for many years to come.

With jukebox musicals seeming to dominate the Broadway landscape, it makes perfect sense to add Tina Turner's story to the mix. On so many levels, hers is ripe with the kind of soul-stirring drama that hits on so many levels - innocence lost, incomparable talent, horrendous abuse, family dysfunction and triumph over adversity. Like so many others, though, the on stage story-telling is mostly formulaic. But fortunately, with Adrienne Warren in the title role, this one has at least one element that lets it stand better than almost all the rest.

The play's moral ambiguity gives it an air of mystery and that's to its benefit. But it feels far more literary than theatrical and I think, in the end, even with Parker's superlative performance, 'The Sound Inside' is more suited to being read than seen or heard.

'The Rose Tattoo' is an anomaly among Tennessee Williams' great dramas. Despite the fact that it concerns a protagonist newly widowed, it's essentially a romantic comedy, a genre Williams was never really known for, but he came up with this charmingly spirited story after returning from a getaway in Sicily with his lover and was said to be floating on a romantic high. It's still far from his best, and it really only hits the mark when the lead performances are strong and the production is tightly focused. This time around, they got it only half right.

'Linda Vista' turns out to be an engaging, if flawed, portrait of a modern day everyman who's incredibly smart on the one hand while behaving so inexplicably dumb on the other. The bones of this play are all there, but like the 50-year-old Wheeler, the body could use some tightening.

It's a shocker alright, and provocatively compelling, many would say. And while I'm happy to see new works by young playwrights challenge the status quo, especially when performed so brilliantly as 'Slave Play' is...this one is dramatically quite a mess. Provocative? Yes. An intriguing premise? Yes. Important theatre? No, at least not yet.

I think they're all genies of a sort, magically rhyming without distort. Hats off to Lin-Man and his amazing tribe - it's impossible not to dig their crazy vibe.

If the play feels overstuffed, it's still an important history lesson. Schenkkan calls it a tragedy. But the real tragedy is that if we don't pay enough attention, history is hellbent on repeating itself.

The show is bound to keep audiences guessing how he does it night after night. Hard to believe it's just a bunch of tricks up his sleeve because he does seem to have some powers of thought control. And now that I've said it, I'm wondering who really wrote this rave review - was it me or was it him?

Charlie Cox as Jerry is oblivious to the collateral damage his affair has caused. So too Zawe Ashton's Emma, who blithely carries on despite the disruption to her marriage and family. As Robert, Tom Hiddleston has his own secrets. Fans of Hiddleston's blockbuster films get the added pleasure of discovering the movie star is even more thrilling to watch on stage.

The two one act plays in the double bill entitled 'Sea Wall/A Life' are, on the surface, very small works. But they concern some very big themes: life, death, birth. Even so, the idea of a show featuring a pair of monologues on a mostly bare stage will likely turn some people off. Certainly true in lesser hands, but this is a beautifully intimate production featuring performances so sharply focused, anything more would be a distraction.

With tongue in cheek and heart in hand, not to mention assorted other body parts splitting, contorting and can-canning up a storm, 'Moulin Rouge' is a jukebox musical on steroids. And thanks to a very savvy adaptation from book writer John Logan and director Alex Timbers, it's paced for maximum pleasure. Still erotically antic with near non-stop dancing courtesy Sonya Tayeh's exhilarating choreography, it's also emotionally engaging, which says quite a lot for a show that doesn't seem to take itself all that seriously.

The score by Eddie Perfect isn't exactly perfect but it's plenty jaunty, though 'The Banana Boat Song' and 'Shake Senora' from the film are the show's musical highlights. Director Alex Timbers matches film director Tim Burton's ceaseless creativity. Obviously the challenge was on having to compete with all the filmic effects, and thanks to scenic designer David Korins and the special effects creators, the imagery is truly dazzling. Besides Beetlejuice, the showcase character is Leslie Kritzer's ditzy Delia, and she utterly slays us with this off-the-wall performance. For all the talent here, the show suffers from sensory overload. Then again, that may be just the way 'diehard' fans prefer it.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is synonymous with conservative news. There are of course many who would use the word notorious to refer to his right leaning populist approach to journalism. Love him or hate him, he's quite the character and for that reason, a new play about his earliest days as a wannabe newspaper publisher makes for a fascinating study. With the simple title 'Ink,' it's a sprawling, heady, hilarious David and Goliath story that may just make you root for the giant.

We may have reached the saturation point with stage adaptations of popular movies but I have to admit, 'Tootsie' is quite a hoot. On the surface, it's a conventional musical with a conventional narrative arc and fairly conventional songs. But it's unconventionally funny. And thanks to an A-list cast of comedians, it's the comedy that makes this one sing!

He takes a deep dive into Hillary and Bill's psyche and he clearly has done his homework. Fortunately, he's got an A plus cast to work with. Laurie Metcalf and John Lithgow are, as expected, outstanding. Hillary's in New Hampshire, a basket case after coming in third in Iowa. Frustrated and defensive she has to decide whether to continue in the race, drop out or agree to be Obama's running mate. Bill has been banished from the campaign, but in Hillary's desperation, she calls him for help. As directed by Joe Mantello, the dynamic between the two is engrossing on that bare stage. But what emerges is not so much a dramatic play as a psychological study of two brilliant and flawed people.

An ill wind is blowing through Broadway's Cort Theatre and it's not coming from King Lear's fabled storm on the heath. It's the misdirection in this latest production of the great Shakespearean tragedy. Fortunately, there's Glenda Jackson in the title role acting up a storm herself; Her mighty talents are just about enough to make up for the many missteps in Sam Gold's flawed staging.

The big draw of course are those timeless Motown tunes-most of them written by Smokey Robinson and Norman Whitfield: 'My Girl,' 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg,' 'Papa Was A Rolling Stone.' And thankfully, Director Des McAnuff put the songs front and center, bringing out the best in his outrageously talented company. But when it comes to biographical shows, it's nearly impossible to break from the clichéd formulas-the rise from rags to riches, the ravages of fame, the usual demons: drugs, booze, family sacrifice; and all of it magnified by the ever-present specter of racism.

The Roundabout Theatre's big, boisterous, brawling 'Kiss Me, Kate' is a revival to fall for. It stars Kelli O'Hara who lights up the stage with her incomparable talents. No surprise there, but the big revelation in this production is the way the creative team managed to solve the show's inherent sexism. Based on Shakespeare's 'Taming Of the Shrew,' the idea that any woman needs taming is problematic. But here thanks to some subtle tweaks and re-staging, it's the story that's getting tamed without losing any of its ferocious bite!

Tarell Alvin McCraney is an incredibly gifted writer. He penned the Oscar winning screenplay for 'Moonlight.' And now with 'Choir Boy' he flexes his theatrical muscles, proving himself to be an equally talented playwright. The production is a captivatingly intimate portrait of a gay black student trying to find his voice.

But the biggest surprise is Birbiglia's ability to fill the stage with little more than the wit and wisdom of someone who understands that humor is the bitterest truth refusing to take itself seriously.

Enhancing the production is an outstanding company of A-listers: Jeremy Jordan as a young white cop limited by his narrow world view; Eugene Lee providing the pragmatic voice of a black man who's learned how to straddle both sides to survive; Steven Pasquale as a member of the ruling class who's never had to compromise; and Kerry Washington - at times combative and emotionally overwrought - reflects the soul-crippling history of the black experience in America.

Lonergan designed this as a memory play and Lucas Hedges's restrained narration offers welcome distance. Joan Allen wrenchingly evokes Ellen's conflicting emotions. And who can't relate to David Cromer's Howard, with his clumsy but well-intentioned efforts to communicate. And Michael Cera is almost unrecognizable with his subtle turn as a sympathetic artist without a lot of talent.