HOFF-BARTHELSON MUSIC SCHOOL

by Bruce Apar - May 29, 2026

Ms. Babb doesn’t hit a single false note as legendary singer and civil rights icon Marian Anderson. She is a commanding presence on stage, effusing class and an iron will. The only cavil I have with her singing voice is we don’t get to hear nearly enough of it, but what we do hear is heavenly. ...

by Bruce Apar - May 22, 2026

What did our critic think of THE 39 STEPS IS A DELIGHTFUL ROMP AT ELMWOOD PLAYHOUSE at Elmwood?So pronounced is the raucous, madcap flavor of the show – consciously channeling the vaudevillian humor of early 20th Century English music halls, a setting that bookends the play – that the plot itsel...

by Peter Danish - May 20, 2026

​​​​​​​At a moment in American life when conversations about race, exclusion, immigration, and human dignity once again dominate the national discourse, Penguin Rep Theatre could scarcely have chosen a more resonant production than 'My Lord, What an Evening.' ...

by Pia Haas - April 27, 2026

The Father is a critically acclaimed play by French writer Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton. It has been staged internationally, and adapted into a successful film. The play premiered in London’s West End in October 2015 and opened on Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club in March 2...

by Bruce Apar - March 18, 2026

Ms. Gunderson’s ingenious play, directed by Lisa Spielman with her usual standard of excellence, is a marvelous creation, a paean not only to the Bard of Avon but a celebration of the magical potion, the curative powers, of live theater and, yea, of storytelling itself....

by Pia Haas - March 04, 2026

There’s something wonderfully nuts about The Town Players of New Canaan taking on One Man, Two Guvnors, Richard Bean’s 2011 hit based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni. ...

by Bruce Apar - January 20, 2026

Both author Topher Payne and director Paul Russo offset the seemingly dark and heavy-handed state of affairs at the state department with effective, tongue-in-cheek deftness. The seriousness of the subject matter is no less impactful when filtered through light moments laced with wit that is deliver...

by Bruce Apar - December 11, 2025

Those dramatis personae (ha!) and more are animated to a fare thee well by only two – count ‘em – two actors, Mr. Guy and Mr. Lang, who bring to their poly-personality assignments proficient physical suppleness and chameleon-like chops. I started to keep track of how many characters they essay...