Spider-man draws unofficial critics. . .and psychics

Spider-man-ia-could the beleagured musical actually create a new profitable Broadway template? . . .

Chicago has a sizzling revival of Albee's famous fighting couple

Amy Morton and Tracy Letts in Who's Afraid of Viriginia Woolf?

Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?- Tracy Letts and Amy Morton make this latest visit to George and Martha riveting. . .

Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical in DC

Florence Lacey

Sunset Boulevard- This revival, like its main caracter is now nothing more than faded glory. . . .

A Lincoln Center bound not-to-be-missed Shakespeare

Greg Hickas As Leontes and Kelly Hunter as Hermione (Photo: Alessandro Evangelista)

The Winter's Tale- this Royal Shakespeare production will be at New York'sLincoln Center next summer . . .

Classical music and theater make for a fun mash-up

Three Pianos- this hard to classify 3-man show is probably one of the most unusual approaches to serious music as theater . . .

New Jersey revels in amusing mystery drama

Carmit Levité and Vince Nappo (Photo: SuzAnne Barabas )

The Tangled Skirt- This pulp fiction drama's primary virtue is in its ability to keep us glued to and amused by every cliché that comes from the mouths of its two purposely enigmatic characters.. . .

For London Farce Lovers-- Fedou's classic

Jonathan Cake as M Tournel and Tom Hollander as Monsieur Chandebise (Photo: Manuel Harlan)

A Flea in Her Ear- Fedou's farce at the Old Vic . . .

Theater-related reading gifts. . .

Holiday Gift Books- 3 memoirs and a tales of Manhattan novel that turns into a musical. .

Helen Hunt as Shakespeare's Beatrice

Helen Hunt in Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing-A starstudded production well worth seeing . . .

Still dancing and singing teens on Broadway

The Osmonds

Donny & Marie: A Broadway Christmas Show- A nostalgia visit with TV's squeaky clean teen siblings

King Lear now at the Donmar-- soon at BAM

London

Derek Jacobi as Lear (Photo: Johan Persson)

King Lear- Derek Jacobi make Shakespeare's tragedy life changing and unmissable. . . .

Erik Segal's famous weepie romancce musicalized

Emma Williams as Jenny and Michael Xavier as Oliver (Photo: Manuel Harlan)

Love Story- if you are not afraid of sentiment or if you adored the film, this 90minute long musical adaptation will probably charm. . . .

Willy Russell's perennially popular solo play at Long Wharf

Judith Ivey (Photo: T. Charles Erickson )

Shirley Valentine -Judith Ivey is the latest bored Liverpoolhousewife to renew herself on a Greek Island holiday .

sci-fi with puppets, masks and imagination aplenty

Baby Universe (Photo: Jim Baldassare )

Baby Universe: A Puppet Odyssey- If you think puppet entertainment is limited to children's shows don't miss . Wakka Wakka's story of a dying universe reborn.. . .

Candide still all glitter and be gay-- in DC

Candide- Mary Zimmerman brings her distinctive, style to a fine revival of the often troubled but enduring musical. . . .

You don't have to be a golfer to enjoy this musical game. . .

Golf: The Musical- Having played throughout the United States andaround the world, this sport-y revue returns to the city of its birth. . .

Brenda Blethyn makes Haunted haunting. . .

Haunted- Edna O'Brien has captured a sad trio of characters, each with solitary desires, but she lightens the dreariness with appealing injections of humor

a 12-play marathon about the Afghanistan quagmire

The Great Game: Afghanistan-This dramatic political smorgasbord makes for a lengthy meal with much to chew on and digest. . .

London musicalizes Dumas swashbuckler

The Three Musketeers-There's talk of bringing this swashbuckling musical to the West End and it certainly deserves a wider audience. . . .

London does HGWells proud. . .

John Gordon Sinclair as the invisible man & Maria Friedman as Mrs Hall

The Invisible ManThe most refreshing entertainment for the holiday season is the Chocolate Factory's production of Ken Hill's adaptation of HG Wells's story . . .

Lord of the Flies for girls in new London play

Kin-Coming out of the Royal Court Young Writer's programme, EV Crowe's first full length play gets a showing in the studio space in Sloane Square. . . .

Les Miz 25th tour at Paper Mill Playhouse

Les Miserables-This 25th anniversary touring revival proves that it can make the rounds even without a turntable. .

Peter Sellers solo show-- not a Mr. Nice Guy

Being Sellers - He was most appealing to us, and himself, wearing his masks and portraying blundering Inspector Clouseau, Chance the gardener, Dr Strangelove and the zany characters from The Goon Show . . .

The Civilians' latest docu-drama. . .

In the Footprint: The Battle Over Atlantic Yards - a chance for New Yorkers to to see how topics affect a community

Many view Rosmersholm this as Ibsen's Masterpiece

Rosmersholm -In Rebecca West Ibsen created a woman every bit as complex as the better known Hedda Gabler and the Pearl production of this rarely produced play is well worth seeing . . .

Andre deShields plays W. E. Dubois

Knock Me a Kiss- an enormously entertaining show but one wishes it were a bit more challenging and a bit less predictable.. . .

X-Files Star on stage. . .

The Break of Noon - Film and TV actor David Duchovny makes an auspicious stage debut as one of Neil LaBute's Everymen in need of toning their moral muscles. .

A double bill of Pinter plays beautifully staged

The Collection & A Kind of Alaska-a pair of playlet given Pinter-perfect interpretions by actors who know how to make those by now well known pauses speak volumes . . .

Lots of fine actors. . .but also lots of problems

Free Man of Color- this spicy theatrical gumbo evokes all the gusto of Mardi Gras. But, alas, the production is incohesive . . .

The heck with cell phones-when the show sings so well

Bells Are Ringing-Encores! brings back the telephone switchboard.

Great cast-- may not help Eling succeed on Broadway

Elling- Despite a stellar cast, this very un-Broadwayish production may be too quirky and foreign to be a Broadway crowd please r . . .

Jerseyites asked to "get" this show's insider allusions

[title of show]- Jeff Bowen's and Hunter Bell's contemporized spoof on the old Mickey and Judy let's put on a show theme at George Street Playhouse, . .

Ibsen's long play trimmed down in London

The Master Builder- California director Travis Preston brings a metaphysical, quintessential production of Ibsen's play to the Almeida.. . .

Tennessee Williams first big hit-- once again

The Glass Menagerie- Tennessee Williams' classic at the Young Vic. . .

In London real life spouses play Wilde's spouses

An Ideal Husband— Oscar Wilde�s play features in the main roles real life husband and wife Alexander Hanson as Sir Robert Chiltern and Samantha Bond as Mrs Cheveley

A worthy entry in the Brits Off-Broadway Festival

Lingua Franca - worth seeing for the well portrayed characters and the opportunity to revisit an era straight out of octogenarian Peter Nichols' own youth. . .

A tour de-force play about a play

Mistakes Were Made - The title of Craig Wright's new comedy refers to a play a small-time producer is desperate to get on stage, but it's clear.that the mistakes in question exist on many levels. . .

Pacino and Rabe magnificent on Broaday--as they were in Central Park

The Merchant of Venice- the quality of good acting makes makes Shakespeare's controversial play a Broadway success . . .

Actress Heidi Schreck turns playwright

There Are No More Big Secrets - There's a lot going on in Heidi Schreck's play -- perhaps less would have been better. .

No Will Ferrell but songs for Elf-like Xmas cheer

Elf- Whether or not there is any good reason to encourage it, this musical adaptation of the popular movie will presumably join the roster of other perennial holiday shows

Dostoyevsky in the viewed as a You Tube drama

Notes from Underground- Bill Camp's Underground Man pushes Dostoevsky's anti-hero right into the You Tube era. . .

Fun's the word and Pee-Wee fans are having it

The Pee-Wee Herman Show - Director Alex Timbers has assembled a crew of theatrical artisans to re-create the funtastic atmosphere that once made the show such a hit. . .

Sometimes lost plays are best left undiscovered

Personal Enemy - an interesting artifact by a still emerging young playwright, but don't expect a lost masterpiece . . .

An old-fashioned family drama-- old-fashioned in a good way

After the Revolution-Amy Herzog's three-generation family saga is a treat: A beautifully staged and performed, intelligent play . . .

Quinn's performance a win-- but will people pay Broadway prices for a 75-minute standup?

Colin Quinn: Long Story Short- Quinn's motor-mouthed oral thesis may not always be uproarious, but it is consistently rib-tickling. . .

High expectatons not met by this musicalized movie

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - The problem with this film to musical stage adaptation can be summed up in a single word: onkepatchket, a Yiddishism for too busy and overly decorated costume and home decor. While Catherine Zuber's costumes and Michael Yeargan's set capture Pedro Aldomar/s zany spirit, this production overall is indeed too onkepatchket. . . .

an off-off broadway review worth checking out

The Nanjing Race- Reggie Cheong-Leen's compelling story is effectively staged and performed

Old musical made new again at newly renovated Arena Stage

Eleasha Gamble and Nicholas Rodriguez in Eleasha Gamble and Nicholas Rodriguez in Oklahoma! (Photo: Carol Rosegg )

Oklahoma! - Just when you think you might be tired of a corny old classic such as Oklahoma! along comes a production that is fresh, charming and bursting with energ

Vaclev Havel's early play remounted by TACT

The Memorandum-Time marches on, and plays, even substantial ones like this one by Vaclav Havel don't always keep in step . . .

Sarah Kane's work lives on

Danny Webb as Ian and Lydia Wilson as Cate (Photo: Simon Kane)

Blasted -Sarah Kane's first play is certainly not for the easily offended. but Sean Holmes's production is so crisp, beautifully constructed and well thought out that you can appreciate the professional perfection of this production . .

Imagine the House of Atreus Myth on You Tube. . .

Electra In A One-Piece- Isaac Oliver excavates a new entrance into the House of Atreus tale by using the media, internet and YouTube as a dramatic backdrop. . .

A dat and time specific "disposable"

That Hopey Changey Thing - Richard Nelson's election day dinner party is about as timely as you can get -- perhaps a bit too precociously so. On the other hand,you don't need stimulus money to see it six top of the line actors . . ..

Lisa Kron's new play needs less talk more entertainment

In the Wake - Finally a new play focusing on Lesbians. . .if only Lisa Kron had made it less polemic and talky . . .