Roma Torre — Theater Critic

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.

And while the work strives to be even-handed, it's clear the playwrights are more sympathetic to Jim's side of the debate. Daniel Radcliffe plays the unrelenting noodge to perfection. And when the two go at it, Bobby Cannavale's arch sense of entitlement as John makes for a most compelling dynamic. In the middle is Cherry Jones as the exasperated Emily, and she too is terrific. I can't exactly say 'The Lifespan of a Fact' is a great play, but it is an important one. And as the assault on objectivity escalates throughout the world, I wish it a long and healthy lifespan of its own.

In Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet famously says, 'The play's the thing.' In 'Bernhardt/Hamlet,' the thing is not so much the play as the performances, and it made me yearn for another title: 'McTeer/Hamlet.' A better play about Bernhardt will have to wait.

The convoluted story revolves around a king and queen, their two daughters and a shepherd love interest. Their lives do indeed turn head over heels as King Bacilius visits the Oracle Pythio who portends a series of calamitous events. It gets awfully complicated and audiences may tune out before it's all resolved. But I'm not even sure it matters because if you're willing to suspend your disbelief, under Michael Mayer's spirited direction, there's so much good-natured talent on the stage you may just give in to the frivolity.

Everyone shines in this production. Colm Meaney, Michael Potts, Bill Irwin, Tammy Blanchard and Reg Rogers merge the comedy and tragedy masterfully. David Morse as the hardened anarchist Larry is terrific. And Denzel Washington tackles the role of everyone's favorite salesman Hickey with a softer edge here. And if it's not the grandstanding performance we've seen in past productions, it is a most honest one from a gifted actor breathing humanity into this super-human character.

On the surface, George Bernard Shaw's 'Saint Joan' is a great choice to produce now. In a sense, Joan of Arc was the ultimate feminist in an ultra-patriarchal world, and she certainly paid the price for her convictions. But while the Manhattan Theatre Club's timely selection of this great play raises high expectations, the production falls a bit short.

Director Patrick Marber must be commended for enlivening the high-brow farce with delightfully madcap interludes. The performances are striking. The ability alone to memorize and recite all that madcap material is impressive enough. But these multi-talented thespians do it with such zesty effortlessness, they make it all seem like so much fun.

It's been nearly 25 years since Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'Carousel' has come around on Broadway. And good reason... the last production featuring a young Audra McDonald set the bar pretty high. And while the current revival doesn't measure up in some ways, it makes up for it in others - starting with that glorious score.

In 1982, I bought myself a ticket in the rear balcony to see 'Children Of A Lesser God,' and it was revelatory. But now, 36 years later in its first Broadway revival, it doesn't hold up all that well. The play, featuring deaf actors, still resonates, but the production is flawed.

Fey's book is very funny and warm. She totally gets the teen culture and all the superficial drama that defines the high-school years. And if the score, by her husband Jeff Richmond with lyricist Nell Benjamin, lacks a big memorable number, the tuneful songs enhance the material quite nicely. Nicholaw, who also choreographed, paces the two-and-a-half hour production with high energy, maneuvering between the silly and serious moments with tremendous finesse. The clever video design with non-stop projections is a huge plus as well.

'Lobby Hero' is packed with issues that resonate in very big ways today - gender, race, police abuse and the entire criminal justice system, But it's also simply about the conflicted impulses that make us all so terribly and confoundingly human.

Full disclosure: 'Frozen' is not my favorite Disney princess movie. Loved the message and the song, but the story seemed pretty convoluted even by Disney standards. As a musical, the plotting remains weak, but there is a special magic that only live theatre can produce, and it's working a charming spell on the Broadway stage.

John Lithgow is a wonderful actor and clearly excels in the art of storytelling. It is, as the title of his one-man show suggests, something close to his heart. But unfortunately, his labor of love requires an intimate setting. And while there's nothing wrong with the storytelling, on that big Broadway stage, it's the stories themselves that get a little lost in translation.

'The Children' is a very small play about some very big things; profound, in fact, with its life and death matters. And yet this provocative British 3-hander, so brilliantly performed, could probably have gone a bit smaller. With its slightly tilted set, we're tipped off right from the start that something's not quite right here. For the characters, this is the new normal following a massive disaster that brings to mind the nuclear meltdown at Fukushima.