Andrew Lloyd Webber's new (& last?) musical

Stephen Ward -Andrew Lloyd Webber brings back the 1960s scandal in what may be his last musical . .

Is  a pre-feminist era  London scandal  likely to cross the pond?  

We review 2 "hot" revivals in London

London

Fortune's Fool - I urge all who love Russian drama to see this wonderful production of Poulton's expert adaptation. There is no better drama on the London stage at present. . . Read More

Coriolanus -Josie Rourke is to be congratulated for making this often tedious play sing with life and the drama never pales . . Read More

Brian Dennehy still a star at 75

Steward of Christendom- Brian Dennehy gives his considerable all to Sebastian Barry's exquisitely written but dramatically unengaging play . . . Read More

New & Noteworthy

August: Osage County the movie review

August: Osage County by Elyse Sommer -

Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and Julianne Nicholson

Turning a play, even a multi-prize winning one, into a movie that's true to the original, is no mean feat. Trimming it to a third of its original three hours yet untethering it from the single set of its stage version adds to that challenge.  to read full review:  www.curtainup.com/movitalk.html#August

we review 2 more holiday fun shows

.

Le Jazz Hot: How The French Saved Jazz - In the Anderson twinss, the form immortalized by the likes of Armstrong, Davis and Ellington has found two capable torchbearers. Their appreciation for that tradition and their considerable talent make them well poised to allow modern audiences to see the light. . . Read More

. Nothing To Hide - every minute appeared to be relished by the audience at the performance I attended. Read

Gypsy proves it's timeless once again

Gypsy - Director Joe Calarco has delivered this timeless musical fable to the tune of a hit. . . Read More

Bret Easton Ellis's psychopath sings in London

American Psycho - Rupert Goold's musical adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis book skates over the surface of what it is that makes a psychopath with its state of the art imagery. . . Read More

West Side Story's Maria as a Jewish granny

Handle With Care - Like the good seasonal play that this is, the whole thing ends on a note of redemption, warmth and holiday cheer. There's even a family secret, and a crazy coincidence that might just blow the yarmulke right off your head. Or is it not really a coincidence at all, but rather a miracle? . . Read More

Our Lonon critic on Duck House & Drawing the Line

ondon

The Duck House - Word driven humor by Colin Swash of the BBC's Have I Got News For Youand Dan Patterson of Room 101. . . Read More

Drawing The Line - Howard Davies directs Howard Brenton's play about 1947 India when a British judge was given just six weeks to determine a fair boundary between India and Pakistan. . . Re

Brush up on your Irish brogue with The Night Alive

The Night Alive - Despite the darkness of these characters' lives and the situation, Conor McPherson's play is richly spiced with humor. . . Read More

A popular movie-- has turned into a popular radio play for the Irish Rep

A Wonderful Life: The 1946 Radio Play - The popular radio play adaptation of the 1946 film is back at the Irish Rep . . . Read More

.

A fun play about the pleasures & pitfalls of technology --but not without glitches

The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence - Madeleine George certainly has come up with an at once fun and thought provoking if imperfect conceit . . . Read More

Pericles in rare form in New Jersey

Pericles - a charmingly conceived and cleverly staged version of what is not generally considered to be top drawer Shakespeare Read More

Our London Critic on Candide and Henry V

London

Candide - The Menier Chocolate Factory hosts the most charming musicals on a small scale and somehow improves them with their intimate productions. With Bernstein's music and brilliant singing, what more could we wish for? . . Read More

Henry V - Michael Grandage crowns his opening five play West End season with a production of Henry V starring Jude Law, Grandage's award winning Hamlet of a few years back. . . Read Mor

Martha Clarke's new dance piece: beautiful but too slight

.
Chéri - A gorgeous Amy Irving to provide a modicum of text, a pair of New York's American ballet theater dancers to execute Martha Clarke's sensual as ever and literature inspired choreography! What more could one wish for?. . . Read More

Burt Bacharach's songbook gets a dusting off at NYTheatre Workshop

New York Off-Broadway
.
What's it All About? Bacharach Reimagined - What's it all about? It's about dusting off Burt Bacharach's songbook and presenting it to younger audiences with updated arrangements, seven wildly talented musician/singers and a first-rate creative production. . . . Read More

The Pigeoning- an odd & entertaining little show

The Pigeoning - clever puppets and other visually entertaining elements add up to a show that entertains with a well-balanced set of humorous and somber moments. . . . Read More

Gastronauts-- London critics turned into food critics

Gastronauts - This is an evening that turns theatre critics into food critics but there is plenty of food for thought . . Read More

The Folksbiene's gentle musical adaptation of Canadian film:

Lies My Father Told Me - a gentle musical with something of a rambling plot line. But thanks to the lively musical numbers and memorable characters, it remains interesting and entertaining. . . Read More

A.R. Gurney new play, and old-fashioned family drama

.
Family Furniture< - It's back to WASP country and the 1952's in A. R. Gurney's new play at the Flea . . . Read More

Something new-- and charming-- about this Christmas Carol

.
A Christmas Carol - Patrick Barlow's adaptation is an a entrancing and enlightened way to get into spirit of the season. . . . Read More

Ethan Hawke's Macbeth: "a mingled yarn, good and ill together".

Macbeth - Perhaps the best way to sum up this production is to borrow a phrase from Shakespeare himself: "mingled yarn, good and ill together". . . "macbethlc13.html">Read More

Terrence McNally's witty whirlwind romp through theater history

The riffs on  Waiting for Godot and Shakespeare are especiially timely giving   Beckett and Shakespeare's current star powered  Broadway productions

And Away We Go - Terrence McNally has clearly had a grand time stuffing his whirlwind romp through centuries of theatrical history with sly allusions and amusing dialogue. . . Read More

A touching farewell to the Apple family plays at the Public. . .

.
Regular Singing,Scenes From Life in the Country - Richard Nelson completes his plays about the Apple family in tandem with inrep production of the three leading up to this highly emotional finale. . . Read More

2 perfect paired plays & 2 perfectly paired Knights-- Not to be missed!

' New York-Broadway

No Man's Land & Waiting For Godot in rep - McKellen and Stewart have figured out how to jiggle the balance of power like a long-standing partnership Read More

Small Engine Repai, a guy play but women are a powerful presence

Small Engine Repair - John Pollono's play has an all male cast, but women are a powerful presence . . . Read More

Actress Amanda Peet's entgertaining new play: The Comons of Pesacola

.
The Commons of Pensacola - Amanda Peet's entertaining debut play at MTC's City Center Main Stage deals with much the same issues as those explored in in Dennis Kelly's Taking Care of Baby at the neighboring smaller stage: profeteering from other people's tragedies, what to believe or not believe, and how the central players in a tragedy move on with their lives. . .

3 new reviews of old hits from our London critic

Mojo - For those expecting to see a repeat from the Jerusalem team of director Ian Rickson and writer Jez Butterworth, there may be disappointment . . . Read More

Twelve Angry Men -For a period piece, Reginald Rose's Twelve Angry Men delivers a classic drama full of impassioned debate. . . Read More

Jeeves and W

we review a new "mocudrama" exploring leies/truth and exploitation

Taking Care of Baby - Dennis Kelly has "Americanized" his play for its off-Broadway premiere which benefits from a top drawer cast. . . Read More

A true musical hit has landed on Broadway: here's our rave!

.
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder - A hilariously macabre and deliciously tuneful musical has landed on Broadway. It's a sure-fire Tony award collector . . . Read More

A site specific solo: This is My Office

.
This Is My Office - Our time with Andy in his office is about the non-spectacular, average struggles that life brings to us all. But the honesty and intimacy with which we go on this journey with Andy is what makes it truly special, and far from average. . . . Read More

Movie-to-stage musical Little Miss Sunshine short on good ballads

.
Little Miss Sunshine - William Finn and James Lapine have musicalized the movie about the dysfunctional Hoover family. The 2nd Stage production is vastly revamped from its California premiere. . . . Read More

Bard Stormin seaon inspires feature "To Revamp or Not to Revamp. . .that is the question"

To Revamp or Not to Revamp. . . - that is the question especially in a Bard Storming season.

The Patron Saint. . .is puzzling but not without its good points

The Patron Saint of Sea Monsters - Marlane Meyer's new play may not always be pleasant to watch, but it's a cerebral and well-composed dramedy that is worth seeing.. . Read More

All that Fall might just outsell Beckett's Broadway Godot

All That Fall - Samuel Beckett's rarely seen radio play gets a theatricalized treatment and has Dame Eileen Atkins and Sir Michael Gambon aboad to give it star powerered buzz . . . Read More

This in-rep Shakespeare is truly a not-to-be-missed event

.
Rchard III & Twelfth Night in Repertory - Each play stands on its own. . .but seeing both is a hard to miss treat . . . Read More

Another "failed" Tennessee Williams play revived---and our critic liked it

ew York Off-Broadway
.

The Mutilated - Chivu's ferociously funny and fearlessly embraced production is, for the most part, irresistible and it is certainly a must for those who have maintained a genuine fondness and admiration for Williams through thick and thin. Read More

.

We review The Rattlestick Playwrights Theater's latest offering

.
How to Make Friends and then Kill Them - Haley Feiffer takes three characters representing polar behavioral extremes and puts them in close quarters with little room to breathe. The result is a sometimes amusing but mostly disturbing picture of human relations. . . Read More

A stellar cast populates The Jacksonian

. The Jacksonians - Murder and drugs (more unusually imbibed than you're likely to have ever seen) heighten the macabre shenanigans of Beth Henley's new play at the New Group . . . Read More

Our review of La Soiree at the Union Square Theater

La Soiree - All the world's a stage and at the Union Square Theatre where La Soiree proves it can be a sexy, screwy, spell-binding stage of circus, cabaret, and burlesque. . . Read More

Bruce Norris takes on the political confessional

.
Domesticated - Bruce Norris's take on the political adulterer's confessional is enlivened by a terrific cast and dialogue . . . Read More

A chance to see an early Caryl Churchll play at Yale Rep

Owners- A well directed and acted production of Caryl Churchill's first professional staged play at Yale Repertory Theatre. . . Read More

Murder For Two is back-- but mistakenly longer rather than shorter

Murder For Two -The piano playing duo's Agatha Christie spoof gets a second life at New World Stages . . . Read More

.

Disaster, a small new musical that's lot's of fun

Disaster - This musical knows exactly what it is, and it happens to be a lot of fun. Disaster? Anything but, . . . . Read More

Julie Taymor back in top form with dreamy Dream

.
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Julie Taymor's production provides a spectacular launch for TNA's new home in Brooklyn . . . Read More

More features coming to curtainup

We've created a special  section  on our front page for   features  in anticipation of   expanding our  theater-related features:   Essays  about  trends. . .interviews. . .ruminations  about  econimics   for  theater goers  as well as  presenters,  and more.   We're open to free lance submissions;  also  reprint  or re-use  rights  requests.


. Features
Double your pleasure - This season a group of Powerhouse Brits are doubling the event-ability of Shakespeare, Pinter and Beckett with in-rep productions. But event-ability isn't strictly a Broadway thing. . . Read More

Going Fishing for a Big Musical Hit - a rumination inspired by the new musical Big Fish . . . . . . Read More
Older

Kander & Ebb's last musical a hit with our London critic

The Scottsboro Boys - If you can overcome the satirical delivery of these very sad story, you will be blown away by this last collaboration between Kander and Ebb, by the exhilarating dance and wonderful singing in this thrilling production. . . Read More