The Trial of an American President- preaches to the choir. . .

The Trial Of An American President - a well-intentioned courtroom drama by a politically passionate but inexperienced playwright. . . Read More

All theWays to Say I Love You- LaBute lite buoyed by Judith Light

All the Ways to Say I Love You -Judith Light lights up the stage in this Neil LaBute solo at the Lortel Theater. . .

Underground Railroad Game - a provocative theater piece

Underground Railroad Game - this provocative theater piece by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott Sheppard, has arrived at a turbulent juncture in relations among this country's varied communities,

Nat Turner in Jerusalem--review and background feature

Nat Turner In Jerusalem - Nat Turner's famous rebellion retold by Nathan Alan Davis in a spare, small-scale New York Theatre Workshop production Read More

What Did You Expect - The second of Richard Nelson's trilogy about the Gabriels of Rhinebeck, New York set within the context of the endless and surreal presidential campaign.

What Did You Expect - The second of Richard Nelson's trilogy about the Gabriels of Rhinebeck, New York set within the context of the endless and surreal presidential campaign.

Chukwudi Iwuji is Hamlet in a Hoodie in the Mobile Unit production

Hamlet - The Mobile Unit's production staring award-winning Brit Chukwudi Iwuji at the Public's downtown home

Brandon Jacob-Jenkins' deserving MacArthur Genius recipient

 I've been fortunate to  have  seen        Brandon Jacob-Jenkins,  the deserving  new  MacArthur Genius Grant recipient's   last  new plays.   In 2014,  Appropriate     www.curtainup.com/appropriate14.html   
and  last year  the terrific Gloria 
www.curtainup.com/gloria15.html

And  this chain of a   Brandon Jacob-Jenkins play a season remains unbroken  with  a new   work scheduled as part of the Signature season.
 

3 new plays recommended by our London critic this week

Things I Know to Be True - a study of the four grown up children of a marriage, each of whom faces a challenging time living up to the expectation of their loving parents . . . . Read More

Torn Nathaniel Martello-White's Torn looks at a family in denial about the abuse meted out to a young girl, Angel and the damage to her . . . . . Read More -

Labyrinth Beth Steel's new play examines what led up to the Latin American Banking crisis in the 1970s through the rise and fall career of one American banker . . . . . Read More

Bathng in Moonlight-- Pulitzer winner Nilo Cruz's latest in NJ

Bathing in Moonlight - a glint of the magical realism and a gift for dramatic lyricism that is at the heart of Cruz's talent

A Taste of Honey, no longer shocks but still worth seeing

A Taste of Honey - the Pearl's lively and still relevant revival of the ground breaking play Shelagh Delaney wrote at the ripe old age of 18. . .

Maestra- Hershey Felder's music-punctuated Leonard Bernstein bio-play

Maestro - The mutlti-faceted Hershey Felder's take on the life and music of the complex and multi-faceted Leonard Bernstein produced by his own aptly named production company Eighty-Eight Entrtainment

The Birds-Conor MacPherson adapts DuMaurier famously filmed 'story

The Birds -What's on display at 59E59 is an intriguing amalgam of the late English novelist and her 21st century interpreter, Conor McPherson.

Red Velvet gets a fine production in New Jersey

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Red Velvet - an accomplished ensemble of actors that is bringing vividness to Chakrabarti's real life characters Read More

Caryl Churchill's Cloud 9 still worth seeing

Cloud 9 - Well cast revival of Caryl Churchill's play in DC . . Read More

Marie and Rosetta, a riumph for Kecia Lewis & Rebecca Naomi Jones

Marie and Rosetta - A fact based play with music which almost compensates for the flawed script Read More

Aubergine: Julia Cho's meditation on death and dying

Aubergine - Julia Cho's sad yet often funny meditaton on death and dying at Playwrights Horizon Read More

The Wolves-- a large team beautifully individualized by Sarah DeLappe

The Wolves - credibly realized personalities are given keen dramatic shape by playwright Sarah Delappe Read More

Fiorello! -- a bio-musical with an energetic but unseasoned young cast

Fiorello! - A lively young cast's Off-Broadway debuts in Bock & Harnick's Tony and Pulitzer winning fledgling musical Read More

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London Road - our double view of the just released film

London Road, the Musical On Screen
Elyse Sommer's View of the Film, Without Having Seen the Stage Version. . . and London Critic Lizzie Loveridge's Double View

Olivia Colman, the film adaptation's Julie

Spamilton-- brings Gerard Alessandrini back to amuse us

Spamilton - It was inevitable that Gerard Alessandrini would find the rap rage that has taken over the spotlight on Broadway with the mega hit Hamilton. .

Trojan Women and Caught: something old, something new off-Broadway

The Trojan Women - The Flea grapples with the intrinsic difficulties of Euripides's anti-war drama. Read More

Caught - Christopher Chen's surprise-filled comedy Read More

Home Chat-a Noel Coward rarity in London

Home Chat - Despite being written by Noel Coward, the Master, Home Chat disappoints but then it disappointed him too . .

Las Cruces - a NJ play buoyed by its dialogue

Las Cruces - on the mark with effusive dialogue that often bristles

Unfaithful --an intriguing drama in London

Unfaithful - In the intimate space that is pop up theatre Found 111 comes a play by Owen McCaffery about infidelity . . .

Captain of the Bible Quiz Team a semon-structure play worth seeing

Captain of the Bible Quiz Team - I would urge all thoughtful theater-goers to visit one of the rotating churches around L.A where Mark Jacobson's sensitive treatment of a potent spiritual conundrum is being staged. . . R

Just 1 night left to catch the FREE Musical 12th Night in the Park

Twelfth Night - The Public Works Musical adaptation headlined by Broadway Stars and a 200-member ensemble from all over New York Read More

The Entertainer still entertains in London

The Entertainer More - Kenneth Branagh's last production of his season at The Garrick revives the play that broke Olivier's mould as a classical actor

Sotto Voce --not for those seeking escapist, pacey summer fare

Sotto Voce - a play by Nilo Cruz that, like all soft voices, requires an ability to attend to the subtext of human desire. R

Check out our tv/film page for details about Wow! cast of new stage-to-screen musical

 The most  star-studded  stage-to-screen musical  on the  horizon  is. . . .    ?     Check it out at  Curtainup's  film/tv page 
www.curtainup.com/movitalk.html

Coming up on our film/TV page: the film verson of LondonRoad

 Watch  for   what  I and  our London critic  Lizzie  Loveridge  have to say  about   the filmed version of  the  National Theatre's  stage musical,   London Road   when it's  officially  released by the  BBC on September 9th.     For  details  about   our most  anticipated  American  stage-to-screen adaptation with a Wow!  cast  Check out  Curtainup's   film and tv page  www.curtainup.com/movitalk.html

The Roundabout -- our London critic welcomes this Priestly rarity

The Roundabout The Park Theatre rediscovers a gem of a JB Priestley comedy with stand out performances from Bessie Carter and Hugh Sachs . . . . . Read

Iago- a well-intentioned but misguided NJ revival

Iago - the petty feuding and the petulant fussing between a married theatrical couple and a scheming actor Read More

The Layover - a clever idea that doesn't quite work

The Layover - Patricia Highsmith's noir fiction redux. . .via Lesley Headland Read More