During the first year of his presidency, after violence broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia during a protest involving white supremacists, many of whom were displaying Nazi symbols and slogans, Donald Trump infamously noted that there were 'very fine people' on both sides of the conflict.
One ... (more...)
One of the great opportunities afforded to playgoers at The Public Theater's annual Under The Radar Festival is the chance to see how theatre companies from other countries address the same issues being tackled by their American counterparts.... (more...)
If the majority of Broadway ticket-buyers valued great acting as much as they valued celebrity, Marin Ireland would have been an above-the-title, name-in-lights star a long time ago. Certainly New York's reviewing press, as a whole, has been doing its part to advise playgoers of the strength, intel... (more...)
"When I was little, my grandmother would sing songs to me that she told me freed slaves," says Pharus Jonathan Young, the central character of Tarell Alvin McCraney's emotionally thick coming-of-age drama, CHOIR BOY.... (more...)
The second annual WORLDWIDE WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL returns to the Harkins Shea 14 Theatre in Scottsdale, February 8-10, 2019. Among the entries from 21 countries are two from Ireland, a comedy called THE HOLY FAIL and a documentary entitled LOVERS OF THE NIGHT.... (more...)
At the commencement of MINOR CHARACTER, New Saloon's offering at the Public Theater's 2019 Under The Radar Festival, actor Madeline Wise stands downstage center, faces the audience and, with barely any body movement or facial expressions, begins rattling off the lines of various characters from the ... (more...)
Though there's nary a mention of snowfall or jingle bells in THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, the abundance of joy and good clean humor, not to mention some terrific voices, in the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players' frothily charming production of G&S's 1879 romantic romp makes it a grand choice for hol... (more...)
The humorous set-up for the new musical at The York, Christmas in Hell is a bit of an old chestnut, but bookwriter/composer/lyricist Gary Apple makes it sing nicely.... (more...)
"Raise your hand if you consider yourself to be a trustworthy person." Those of a cynical nature might consider that a hapless request to aim at a New York audience, but sincerity is the key to mentalist Scott Silven's WONDERS AT DUSK, playing at the atmospherically dim Club Car at The McKittrick H... (more...)
Shortly after midnight, on Christmas Day of 1914, a German soldier whose name is now lost to history committed what might be the most subversive act in all of modern warfare. He walked, unarmed, out of the front line trenches and into the middle of No Man's Land, faced the enemy British soldiers be... (more...)
With moxie, sequins, and indefatigable whimsy, Sony Masterworks Broadway's THE PROM (Original Broadway Cast Recording) perfectly captures the mirth of the heartwarming Broadway production. Masterfully blending Matthew Sklar's toe-tapping score, Chad Beguelin's rib-tickling and heartfelt lyrics, and ... (more...)
There are few things as difficult as penning a follow-up to a beloved classic. That's the challenge that faced the writers of Disney's Mary Poppins Returns, the next-generation sequel to the iconic 1964 film. Fortunately for us all, veteran songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman were more than u... (more...)
In celebration of its third year on Broadway, Warner Bros. Records released SCHOOL OF ROCK (Original Broadway Cast Recording) [Deluxe Edition]. This "Deluxe Edition" comes across more as a hackneyed marketing ploy since the only differences are changing the cover art to the current logo design and a... (more...)
In a city where hundreds of theatre productions are produced every year before audiences who encourage artists to experiment beyond the norm, it takes a lot for a play in New York to be regarded as unconventional.... (more...)
The justification for a rock star to desire or even need the glitz and glamor of being on Broadway simply doesn't translate to an audio only experience. And, the final product feels like an audio book recorded live.... (more...)
Last month, Broadway baritone Norm Lewis released his latest album, THE NORM LEWIS CHRISTMAS ALBUM. Don't let the title deceive you though. While there are are great number of classic holiday tracks, there is also a healthy sprinkling of theater classics. The 18-track album reaches far and wide into... (more...)
When it comes to sweeping, grand romances, the musicals from the 'golden age' of the mid-20th century can't be beat - including Brigadoon, which most recently received a production at New York City Center in 2017. Starring Kelli O'Hara and Patrick Wilson, the cast album is a lush rendering of the ma... (more...)
Without knowing any better, one might easily mistake the new stage adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer-winning 1960 novel 'To Kill A Mockingbird' for a revival of a classic Golden Age Broadway drama. So earnest in tone and full of plainspoken poetics is Aaron Sorkin's thoroughly engaging text. So ol... (more...)
The inherent problem with trying to craft a book musical around a score made of previously-existing hit songs is that the lyrics rarely match the character/situation specifics enough to keep the story moving. So film director/screenwriter Amy Heckerling tries finagling around that challenge in the n... (more...)
It was fifteen years ago when over forty million people tuned into the season two finale of 'American Idol' to see Rubin Studdard win the crown over runner-up Clay Aiken. This reviewer wasn't one of them. And aside from Aiken's stint on Broadway as a replacement in SPAMALOT, he'll admit to not hav... (more...)
The intersection of Broadway/opera and sacred music seems like a natural fit. Both are often larger than life, both speak to a very specific message, and both use a wide range of instrumentation and vocals. On Sarah Brightman's new album, Hymn, she combines the two genres to mixed effect. While the ... (more...)
The lack of visible doors in our view of the home of the title character of Heather Raffo's drama of an immigrant Christian Iraqi family in America, Noura, appears more and more to be a symbolic gesture once it becomes apparent that her story takes its cue from Henrik Ibsen's A DOLL'S HOUSE.... (more...)
It was over fifty years ago when designer Boris Aronson famously let a large mirror hang from the set of CABARET, forcing audience members to see their own reflections to bring home the point that what was happening in 1930s Germany could very well happen in America. And while that symbolic gesture ... (more...)
Lena Hall's ambitious and successful year long EP project - Lena Hall OBSESSED - comes to end this month with her lovely tribute to Chris Cornell, the iconic front man of Soundgarden and Audioslave. The four-track OBSESSED: CHRIS CORNELL stands as a vivid and stirring conclusion to the series, offer... (more...)
For the past five holiday seasons in a row, savvy New York playgoers have been filling the upstairs parlor of East 4th Street's Merchant's House Museum for a warm and intimate evening of Christmas cheer; Summoners Ensemble Theatre's delightful production of actor John Kevin Jones recreating Charles ... (more...)
BWW Review: Truth Is A Point of View in Three One-Acts at LABUTE NEW THEATER FESTIVAL
BWW Review: HEAR WORD! NAIJA WOMAN TALK TRUE at The Public's Under The Radar Festival
BWW Review: Marin Ireland Rages Against Patriarchy in Abby Rosebrock's BLUE RIDGE
BWW Review: Tarell Alvin McCraney's Coming-Of-Age Drama CHOIR BOY Sings Out Spiritual Nourishment
BWW Preview: 2019 WORLDWIDE WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL at Harkins Shea 14 includes two Irish entries
BWW Review: At The Public's Under The Radar Festival, New Saloon's MINOR CHARACTER Riffs on a Chekhov Classic
BWW Review: New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players' Rollickingly Fun THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
BWW Review: Gary Apple's CHRISTMAS IN HELL, A Holiday Tale About Bad Fruitcake and Charles Manson
BWW Review: Mentalist Scott Silven's WONDERS AT DUSK Combines Illusion With A Bit Of Group Therapy
BWW Review: Peter Rothstein's Extraordinarily Moving and Beautifully Realized ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914
BWW Album Review: THE PROM is the Perfect Blend of Glitter, Confetti, and Heart
BWW Album Review: MARY POPPINS RETURNS Steps In Time For A New Era![BWW Album Review: SCHOOL OF ROCK [Deluxe Edition] Rocks With Whimsy and Wit](https://images.bwwstatic.com/columnpic10/20020023AE99D8-2CF6-4848-99A2CDA5FF8D5516.jpg)
BWW Album Review: SCHOOL OF ROCK [Deluxe Edition] Rocks With Whimsy and Wit
BWW Review: Iranian Playwright Nassim Soleimanpour's NASSIM Encourages Cultural Understanding Through Language
BWW Album Review: The SPRINGSTEEN ON BROADWAY Album Is Like An Audio Book Recorded Live
BWW Album Review: THE NORM LEWIS CHRISTMAS ALBUM Is A Joyful, Jazzy Gift
BWW Album Review: BRIGADOON at New York City Center Is Almost Like Being In Love
BWW Review: Jeff Daniels is Atticus Finch in Aaron Sorkin and Bartlett Sher's Exquisite Adaptation of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
BWW Review: Amy Heckerling Pens New Lyrics To 90s Hits To Bring CLUELESS To The Musical Stage
BWW Review: Former American Idol Rivals Bring Holiday Cheer in RUBEN & CLAY'S FIRST ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CAROL FAMILY FUN PAGEANT SPECTACULAR REUNION SHOW
BWW Album Review: Sarah Brightman's HYMN To Faith And Music
BWW Review: Heather Raffo's NOURA Takes An Ibsen-Like Approach To Iraqi Assimilation Into America
BWW Review: Jeremy O. Harris' Extremely Daring SLAVE PLAY Explores Sexual Dissatisfaction Caused By Racial Issues
BWW Album Review: Lena Hall's OBSESSED: CHRIS CORNELL is Vivid and Stirring
BWW Review: John Kevin Jones Returns To Merchant's House Museum For Warm and Intimate A CHRISTMAS CAROL
