Theater

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Luigi Smiling as Malcolm, Albert Jones as MacDuff: Exiles in a novel setting.

"Macbeth' at the Wilma (3rd review)

A human monster, rendered natural

The remarkable strength of this Wilma production is its clarity of language and action, releasing the power of Macbeth through means that are devoid of histrionics. The clarity also allows us to revisit and better understand the other characters who co-habit the stage with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
Jonathan M. Stein

Jonathan M. Stein

Articles 6 minute read
Wilson: Unwitting majesty. (Photo: Jim Roese.)

"Macbeth at the Wilma (2nd review)

The play's the thing— or is it the set?

I'm all for aggressive staging of Shakespeare, and certainly Blanka Zizka's has its virtues. But staging should serve rather than distract from the text, which in Macbeth particularly is crucial to establishing atmosphere.
Robert Zaller

Robert Zaller

Articles 8 minute read
Antaramian (left), Wilson: The Bard wanted darknesss. (Photo: Christopher Gabello.)

“Macbeth” at the Wilma (1st review)

A tyrant for all seasons

The Wilma Theater's new Macbeth is concerned more with the struggle of an oppressed people fighting to overthrow tyranny than it is with the title character and his wife. Shakespeare would approve.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 3 minute read
Does art belong only to the privileged few?

Lee Hall's 'Pitmen Painters' on Broadway (1st review)

When miners become artists

Lee Hall's The Pitmen Painters, a play about English miners who learn to paint, contains enough ideas—political and aesthetic—and enough charm to please any crowd, although the second act becomes less charming and more preachy.
Toby Zinman

Toby Zinman

Articles 4 minute read
Bellwoar (left), Rees: Waiting, but for what?

Hollinger’s “Ghost-Writer” at the Arden (2nd review)

Three mysteries in one

Ghost-Writer concerns the mysterious process of literary creation. That's quite a monumental task, but Michael Hollinger handles it so well that the drama flows with energy and wit.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 4 minute read
Northeast (left), Altman: Revolting but engrossing.

Collective's "The Duchess of Malfi'

A distant mirror

Four centuries after the English overthrew their absolute monarchy, this gripping portrayal of amorality and deceit among the governing classes begs the question of what we've gained by waiting our turn at the ballot box.
Jim Rutter

Jim Rutter

Articles 2 minute read
The more things change.... (Photo: David Cimetta.)

EgoPo's "Marat/ Sade' (4th review)

Crumbling walls, crumbling authority

Contrary to what you may have read elsewhere, the merits of using the Rotunda Sanctuary for Marat/ Sade outweighed its auditory problems: This decaying building proved marvelously effective as an incarnation of a 17th-Century institution and as metaphor for crumbling authority.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 3 minute read
Brock: Memorable figure.

"Madwoman of Chaillot' (2nd review)

The wrong box for Giraudoux

Was The Madwoman of Chaillot a swipe at France's Nazi occupiers? Only in retrospect. Let's lay this myth to rest and consider the play's other virtues.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 3 minute read

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Whelan, Coon, Peter Schmitz, Lemenager: Wasted opportunities. (Photo: Mark Garvin.)

"Curtains' at the Walnut

Overlooked, and rightly so

Eschewing the sure-fire opportunities of Broadway hits classics is a brave and welcome change of pace by the Walnut. Unfortunately, Curtains is contrived and uninvolving— a weak example of its creators' talents.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 2 minute read
Zielinski (left) and Saunders: More nuanced than the film.(Photo: Mark Garvin.)

"Cuckoo's Nest' at People's Light

Chief Bromden, front and center again

William Zielinski and Marcia Saunders make fine sparring partners as McMurphy and Nurse Ratched in the stage adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the season opener at People's Light.

Bill Murphy

Articles 2 minute read