Thaddeus Phillips's '17 Border Crossings' (1st review)

Bordering on anxiety

With 17 Border Crossings, the multi-talented Thaddeus Phillips renders his own international travel in the last two decades as the subject of this new work. By framing his sequential monologues on the anxieties of border crossings, he assembles a mix of experiences from which he can draw humor as well as make his political critiques. 17 Border Crossings. Conceived and performed by Thaddeus Phillips. April 1-2, 2011 at Painted Bride Arts Center, 203 Vine St. www.17borders.tumblr.com or www.paintedbride.org.

Jonathan M. Stein

Apr 05, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Tracy Letts's "Superior Donuts' at the Arden (4th review)

The secret ingredient is heart

What distinguishes this play is its humanity. I cared about the characters, and that's all too rare in contemporary theater.

Jane Biberman

Apr 03, 2011 · Articles · 1 minute read

Hitchcock's '39 Steps' at the Walnut (1st review)

You take the lowbrow and I'll take the highbrow, or: 28 reasons for 39 Steps

In The 39 Steps, as in most Walnut Street Theatre productions, art never strays too far from public taste— for which let us be grateful.

Jackie Schifalacqua

Mar 29, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Comedy of Errors' in Brooklyn

Shakespeare gets the kitchen sink

What Shakespeare did to Plautus in The Comedy of Errors, Edward Hall's production now does to Shakespeare, in this wild, inspired version set in an all-inclusive holiday package resort somewhere in South America in the 1980s.

Carol Rocamora

Mar 29, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

Anna Deavere Smith's "Let Me Down Easy' (2nd review)

It happens to all of us

When I learned that my friend was dying at age 59, I sought comfort from my doctor, my rabbi and my therapist. None of them conveyed as much calming effect as the sense of human commonality in Let Me Down Easy.

Steve Cohen

Mar 28, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Ibsen’s “Master Builder” at People’s Light (1st review)

Ibsen's confession (or is it?)

With its layers of ambiguity, Ibsen's The Master Builder can be confusing, and the lead characters could seem cartoonish. But the People's Light cast is superb, and the tone established by director Ken Marini is perfect.

Steve Cohen

Mar 28, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

Lantern Theater's "Midsummer Night's Dream' (2nd review)

If it's spring, thus must be Midsummer

Forget the drabness of the costumes and set. The Lantern's Midsummer places the emphasis where it belongs— on the magic of Shakespeare's luscious language. When you have a talented cast, who needs fancy props?

Alaina Johns

Mar 26, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Kashu-juku Noh Theater at the Perelman (1st review)

From feudal Japan: Models for Wagner, Brecht and the Marx Brothers

A packed house was mesmerized by a sampling of Kyoto's Kashu-juku Noh Theater, an aesthetic born of feudal times in 14th Century Japan.

Jonathan M. Stein

Mar 26, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

Anna Deavere Smith's "Let Me Down Easy' (1st review)

Stayin' alive

The multi-talented actor/playwright/journalist Anna Deavere Smith understands how to find obscure dramatic subjects, how to listen to them, and how to perform their stories onstage. The result in this case is an extraordinary meditation on health care, equal parts emotion and intellect, notwithstanding some flaws in her method.

Dan Rottenberg

Mar 24, 2011 · Articles · 6 minute read

Lantern Theater's "Midsummer Night's Dream' (1st review)

Everybody into the forest

A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare's take on love mistaken for infatuation and vice versa, is as endlessly inane and amusing as any episode of "Seinfeld.”

Jackie Schifalacqua

Mar 22, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read