Reviews
Report From New York: Lithgow’s Turn As The Columnist Is A Report From 1963
How do handle an era which is vibrantly alive in the memories of older audience members yet only an antiseptic chapter in a textbook to younger audiences? David Auburn’s play The Columnist does not mean to deal directly with those issues. But they nag at audiences for whom Auburn’s recreation of the pre- and post-Camelot Era of politics either needs nothing but a few passing references for some patrons or an entire dramaturg’s background essay for others.
Summer Shorts More Consistently Funny This Year
City Theatre’s annual rite of the season Summer Shorts has developed a well-earned reputation for being the dictionary definition of “uneven.” So it’s a relief that this 17th edition is the most consistently funny and entertaining in quite some time.
Small Membership Is A Bit Flawed But Well Worth A Peek
The pleasant, intriguing comedy bowing at the Alliance Theatre Lab is not an overwhelming triumph; something about it doesn’t quite land as solidly as you’re rooting for it to do. But the script and performance by Mark Della Ventura deliver plenty of chuckles and just as many winces of painful recognition when he utters razor-sharp truths.
Report From New York: Venus In Fur Is Intriguing, Thoughtful And Titillating But Puzzling
No question, David Ives’ Venus In Fur is an intelligent, thought-provoking comedy-drama featuring a strong performance by Hugh Dancy and one breakout tell-your-grandkids-about-it tour-de-force by Nina Arianda, all guided by Walter Bobbie’s surefooted direction. But the play itself just didn’t seem to be worth all the commotion.,
Dramaworks’ Proof Is Intelligent Examination Of Intelligent People Who Can’t Cope With People Intelligently
The messiness of human relations as opposed to the precision of science is one of the underlying themes of David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Proof, enjoying a solid production at Palm Beach Dramaworks. Although set in the milieu of mathematical theorists exploring the abstract mysteries of science, the real truth-seeking is the audience-accessible but far murkier mysteries of the heart.
CD Reviews: Newsies, Bonnie & Clyde, End of the Rainbow
Theater Shelf, a recurring feature by our reviewer Brad Hathaway, reviews recently-released books, CDs and DVDs of interest to theater lovers. Some are popular titles like a new Original Cast Recording, others are works you’ll be intrigued by but didn’t …
Report From New York City: Nice Is Exactly the Word for “Nice Work If You Can Get It”
Charm, in fact, does go a long, long way, especially when it’s partnered with large dollops of professional polish. A classic example is this classic production of this faux classic musical Nice Work If You Can Get It with Gershwin tunes, the winsome couple Kelli O’ Hara and Matthew Broderick, and helmed by Kathleen Marshall.
Love Burns Is Off Beat Comedy About Modern Relationships
Seeing life through the prism of offbeat characters such as the oddballs populating the absurdist comedy Love Burns sometimes helps us perceive the modern world more clearly than any naturalistic drama.The two daffy playlets produced by Thinking Cap Theatre are bitingly funny and sharply critical in their depiction of what passes for romance among twenty-somethings in the 21st Century. We’re laughing at them, but we’re also a little worried at the characters’ shallow definition of love.
Report From New York: Visit “Other Desert Cities”
Playwright Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities takes that staple, the dysfunctional family drama, and amps up the thematic value by linking the group’s shortcomings to the social-political landscape of the past few decades. With a scientist’s observation and a cleric’s compassion, Baitz dissects the same elements of ethics, truth, family and loyalty as Arthur Miller did in All My Sons.
Take A Ride In Wry & Rueful Becky’s New Car At Playhouse
Steven Dietz’s insightful script, David Arisco’s assured direction and a deceptively deft cast led by the ever-engaging Laura Turnbull deliver a thoroughly entertaining comedy in Becky’s New Car at Actors Playhouse that will give your mind something substantial to mull over long after the house lights come on.
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