Transferring after an exceptionally well-received run at the National Theatre in London, Tony Kushner’s epic drama exploring the intersection of AIDS, politics, religion, faith and social commentary in New York City in the 1980s, Angels in America, has not been seen on a Broadway stage since it closed in 1994.* Yet the current revival feels as […]
My parents say I was awestruck. I was young – seven years old, and it was my first musical. Cats. A flurry of feline acrobats spinning across the stage in perfect synchronization, chorusing the words of literary heavyweight T.S. Eliot in intricate makeup and patterned body suits. Of course, I was awestruck – I was […]
Gretchen Creyer and Nancy Ford’s I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road was a hit show both Off-Broadway and on the West End and, after 35 years, it will get its first London revival when it plays at the Jermyn Street Theatre this July. Ahead of this run I spoke to […]
Spring is a busy time for professional theatre in New York City with many productions launching just before the Tony Award nomination deadline; however, it is important to take a moment and reflect upon the numerous exceptional productions that opened during the 2015 theatre season. On January 1, My Entertainment World announced the 2015 MyTheatre […]
One of the latest revivals to hit the West End, Guys and Dolls is a classic piece of light-hearted entertainment, a thoroughly enjoyable romp which is sure to cure those pesky January blues. Set in a dizzying yet dazzling den of debauchery within the New York City underworld, Guys and Dolls tells the tale of […]
A revived musical has just pulled into town. SpeakEasy Stage Company has brought back the musical Violet, directed by Paul Daigneault, musical direction by Matthew Stern, to the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion. Jeanine Tesori (music) and Brian Crawley (book and lyrics) first joined forces to adapt Doris Betts’ short story “The Ugliest Pilgrim” into a musical […]
Early in the first act of the musical Dames at Sea, cast members scurry around the stage as they practice for a dress rehearsal of “Dames at Sea”, which is to premier that very night. Even indoors, warm lights fill the stage with a yellow glow as if somehow the sun can shine just as […]
While perhaps counterintuitive, staging a once-successful revival does not guarantee present-day success at the box office nor an audience enamored with the subject matter presented. The cold, harsh truth is that some plays simply do not age well. The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn, currently running at the Golden Theatre, is one such production that […]
“What the hell just happened?” My first words when the curtain closed are indicative of where this piece is headed, so take a deep breath with me. Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of The Old Times may be unintelligible, but the fault does not necessarily lie with the director, Douglas Hodge, the three-person cast of Clive […]
As I toiled at my college dorm desk in December of 2006, cursing my political science methodology thesis, my classmates were breaking dorm policy by blaring music during quiet hours. Not just any music – the same iTunes playlist that had been on repeat all day. Most type A personalities would have been infuriated, but, […]
What is gained by reviving this play? That is the first question that crosses my mind each time that I attend a revival. In some cases, a show is simply beloved and that alone warrants a revival, but, for lesser known works, a director or producer’s motivation for presenting an aging play to a modern […]
During our hiatus, Broadway shows were opening nearly every other day to get their openings in before the Tony Award nomination qualification deadline. Needless to say, it has been a busy few weeks and, thankfully, producers have saved some of the best shows this season for last. To kick things off, I am bringing you […]