Theater
2727 results
Page 248
Why "Hamlet' still matters
A distant mirror to the modern world: Why I never grow tired of Hamlet
After 500 years, why does Hamlet still fascinate us? Because Hamlet's character continues to embody every facet of what it means to be a human. He's the thread upon which all our male cultural archetypes, even Mad Max, now unravel. With video interview: Click here.
Articles
5 minute read
Simpatico's "Long Day's Journey Into Night' (2nd review)
Long Day's Journey, up close and personal
Simpatico reminds us that Long Day's Journey is an intimate play with a small cast, set in one living room. Very appropriate, then, to see it close up on a small stage, even if the actors look better than they sound.
Articles
4 minute read
"Impressionism' on Broadway
Don't stand too close
Michael Jacobs's soggy play isn't drama; it's chick lit, an inspirational sitcom masquerading as a highbrow play about Art. If Oprah had a theater club, Impressionism would be her pick.
Articles
3 minute read
"Cabaret' at Villanova
Do academicians have more fun?
Villanova Theatre, which seems to enjoy a special flair for musicals, scores once again with a lively and enthusiastic revival of the Kander and Ebb perennial Cabaret.
Articles
2 minute read
PTC's "At Home At the Zoo'
East Side, West Side, or: When vegetables yearn to be animals
Fifty years ago Edward Albee's The Zoo Story exposed the fragility of the defenses that so-called “civilized” postwar Americans thought they had constructed. In At Home at the Zoo, Albee offers a prequel that shines some new light on his characters but also raises more questions than it answers. In effect, Albee is guilty of superimposing a 21st-Century sensibility on a '50s character.
Articles
6 minute read
"Long Day's Journey' and "Caucasian Chalk Circle'
The family, pro and con: O'Neill gets the better of Brecht
In two current productions, O'Neill and Brecht paint thoroughly distinct (and for Brecht, thoroughly surprising) views of the family. Thanks to Carol Laratonda's superbly intense direction, O'Neill's darker take is better served.
Articles
5 minute read
Reza's "God of Carnage' on Broadway
Delusions stripped bare
Yasmina Reza's venomous play about two modern couples, billed as “a comedy of manners without the manners,” gives us the kind of laughter that's about five seconds from just totally losing it. The Lord of Misrule is in fine form here, as is a cast that nails every line, every look, every gesture.
Articles
3 minute read
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"Born Yesterday' at the Walnut
From Billie Dawn to Bernie Madoff
Billie Dawn, the heroine of Garson Kanin's 1946 comedy Born Yesterday, is a “smart stupid person” whose faults are easily remedied by education. Today we face a tougher problem: “stupid smart people” who turn their millions over to avuncular swindlers like Bernie Madoff. Oh, for the good old days of transparent villains.
Articles
4 minute read
"Tale of Two Cities' at People's Light
From page to stage
A Tale of Two Cities at People's Light is a modest but effective dramatization that skillfully strips the Dickens novel to its essentials. A capable cast brings dozens of Dickens characters vividly to life, aided by imaginative direction and set design.
Articles
3 minute read
"Iron Kisses' at Act II Playhouse
Just enough light to get home
James Still's Iron Kisses— the kind that come with locked lips— details a small-town family's reaction to an only son's homosexuality. Well acted, with its two actors taking multiple roles, and skillfully directed by Harriet Power, this play transcends its well-worn genre and offers an affecting evening of theater.
Articles
3 minute read