The No. 1 Reason To See: Stick Fly
Just in time for the holidays comes Stick Fly, a new play about family members coming together with their new significant others for an oh-so-comfortable visit. Lydia R. Diamond’s dramady centers on a wealthy black family visiting in Martha’s Vineyard when the two sons bring their girlfriends home to meet the parents. One is black, one is white. Let the fireworks of heated racial arguments, class discussions, and revelations of family secrets begin!
The No. 1 Reason To See Stick Fly: Condola Rashad’s breakout performance Read more
The No. 1 Reason To See: Bonnie & Clyde
Just as history saw two youths rise to infamy with their acts of crime, Broadway ushers in two fresh talents to stardom in the new musical Bonnie & Clyde. Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan sizzle as the two misguided lovers whose robberies and killings led to their early deaths. A score by Broadway vet Frank Wildhorn and Don Black sets Bonnie and Clyde’s story of fast fame and swift extinguishment to the background of a pop country set.
The No. 1 Reason To See Bonnie & Clyde: Laura Osnes and Melissa Van Der Schyff singing “You Love Who You Love” Read more
The No. 1 Reason To See: An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin
She overthrew Ethel Merman as the top Mamma Rose and he avenged the death of his father while rescuing a princess. But before Patti LuPone was lauded in Gypsy and Mandy Patinkin won hearts in The Princess Bride, they both vaulted to fame and won Tony Awards for their performances in Evita in 1979. These two powerhouses, who are close friends and frequent collaborators, join forces for the Broadway concert event An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin that covers music from some of their best shows and some that just sound damn good coming out of their mouths.
The No. 1 Reason To See An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin: The Evita set Read more
The No. 1 Reason To See: Seminar
It’s not fun to watch people’s dreams be stomped on in real life; but for some reason, it’s a heck of a lot of fun to see it done on stage. This is entirely true of Theresa Rebeck’s new play, Seminar, starring Alan Rickman as the resident dream stomper. He plays Leonard, a novelist and renowned book editor, hired by four aspiring writers (Lily Rabe, Hamish Linklater, Jerry O’Connell, Hettienne Park) to workshop their drafts. What the quartet gets, however, is hammered by Leonard’s caustic, dry wit, to the point where some reconsider their aspirations.
The No. 1 Reason To See Seminar: Lily Rabe’s strength, even in its absence Read more
The No. 1 Reason To See: Private Lives
Wedded bliss doesn’t last long for two married couples in the revival of Noel Coward’s Private Lives. Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross play a divorced couple, both on honeymoon with their new spouses in adjacent rooms at a French resort. We soon learn that this couple’s downfall is also what keeps them together—they can’t keep their hands off each other.
The No. 1 Reason To See Private Lives: Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross’ peacekeeping strategies Read more
The No. 1 Reason To See: Hugh Jackman, Back On Broadway
You don’t have to be into Broadway, movies, or big-band music to know who he is. Megastar Hugh Jackman is performing a 10-week concert run at the Broadhurst Theatre, in which he intertwines stories about his rise to fame and exciting career with some of his favorite songs to perform, along with an 18-piece orchestra.
The No. 1 Reason To See Hugh Jackman, Back On Broadway: Audience interaction Read more
The No. 1 Reason To See: Venus in Fur
Tables turn fast and frequent in David Ives’ new play Venus in Fur. When a down-on-her-luck actress, played masterfully by Nina Arianda, arrives for an audition for an impatient playwright/director (Hugh Dancy), she seems to be fighting a losing battle. However, as the two read through the play and its themes of dominance and misogyny blur the lines between the piece and reality, Vanda might be more in control than she originally let on.
The No. 1 Reason To See Venus in Fur: Nina Arianda’s commanding side Read more
The No. 1 Reason To See: Godspell
A cast of cheery, gifted singers gathers to deliver the most inoffensive religious musical in the revival of Godspell. Stephen Schwartz’s 1971 musical, based on the Gospel of Matthew, strings together parables told by Jesus (played by Hunter Parrish) and his followers with pop-rock songs. The result is an evening of hippie-era, free-love glee and tunes that will weave in and out of your consciousness days later.
The No. 1 Reason To See Godspell: The staging at the Circle in the Square Theatre Read more
The No. 1 Reason To See: Other Desert Cities
Broadway has given us some great family dramas recently, but that juicy genre becomes elevated when the kin in question are warring over something bigger than themselves. This is the case in Jon Robin Baitz’s new play Other Desert Cities, which stars the stellar cast of Rachel Griffiths, Stockard Channing, Judith Light, Thomas Sadoski, and Stacy Keach. The Wyeths are all together for the holidays in the patriarchal home in Palm Springs, but the jovial gathering gets intense when novelist daughter Brooke reveals she’s about to publish a manuscript that reopens the wounds of the passing of her brother. In addition to the family’s still-unresolved grief, the fact that he was an accessory in an attack on national security doesn’t help matters.
The No. 1 Reason To See Other Desert Cities: The constant switching of who deserves the audience’s sympathy Read more
The No. 1 Reason To See: Chinglish
Let’s be honest: what gets lost in translation is often funny. This is the case in David Henry Hwang’s new comedy, which is full of misunderstandings when an American businessman travels to China to kickstart his family’s sign-making business (how ironic). In addition to his financial endeavors, Daniel (Gary Wilmes) engages in an affair with a strong-willed Chinese woman (Jennifer Lim) that reawakens his character. Yet Daniel quickly discovers that business and personal affairs in China are difficult to navigate when he barely understands the language.
The No. 1 Reason To See Chinglish: Mistranslated subtitles Read more