Theater
2712 results
Page 223
Enda Walsh's "Penelope' in Brooklyn
Odysseus is coming, and, boy, is he steamed
In this existential tragic burlesque, the powerhouse young Irish playwright Enda Walsh redefines the unnamed suitors of Homer's Odyssey. Here they emerge as minor, vile characters— men we never even thought about until now.
Articles
3 minute read
Beau Willimon's "Spirit Control' in New York
One moment that changes everything
In Spirit Control, the high drama of an airport tower fades as a controller picks up the pieces years later. He's haunted by a tragedy; I was haunted by the aftermath.
Articles
3 minute read
Lee Hall's "Pitmen Painters' on Broadway (2nd review)
Creativity in the mines
In Lee Hall's The Pitmen Painters, paintings are the stars of the play, and seemingly pedantic dialogue about the meaning of art offers a window into men's souls.
Articles
3 minute read
Should actors address the audience?
Isherwood's complaint, or: One slight problem with 'natural' theater
The New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood recently decried the spread of “direct address”— in which actors speak directly to the audience rather than “naturally” to each other. So much for Euripides, Shakespeare, Beckett, Brecht and Thornton Wilder. Besides, is "natural" theater really natural?
Articles
5 minute read
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"Threepenny Opera' at the Arden
What did Mack the Knife really want?
Although virtually all cultured people are familiar with The Threepenny Opera, the play remains elusive. Contrary to conventional belief, it's not about the plight of the poor. It's about the plight of the poor performers.
Articles
3 minute read
Jennifer Haley's "Neighborhood 3'
Suburbia as The Twilight Zone
In Jennifer Haley's Neighborhood 3, all the world's a video game, and the suburban teenagers merely avatars and zombies. It's a clever but superficial idea: The reality of teenage video gaming is more complicated and less frightening.
Articles
4 minute read
Emma Rice's "Brief Encounter' in New York (1st review)
Improving on Noel Coward
Emma Rice's inspired adaptation of Noel Coward's play and David Lean's film has made the transition from off-Broadway to the Great White Way with all of its charm and intimacy intact.
Articles
3 minute read
Mamet's "A Life in the Theatre' on Broadway
Mamet sans teeth
David Mamet's play about an older actor and his protégé-rival is full of snippets and in-jokes celebrating life on the stage but bereft of Mamet's signature ferocity and danger.
Articles
3 minute read
David Hirson's "La Bête' on Broadway
Tour de force doesn't begin to cover it
La Bête is a wild Molière parody/homage, nearly two hours of rhyming couplets delivered at breakneck speed. The effect is jawdroppingly amazing— and very, very funny.
Articles
3 minute read
"Legacy of Light' at People's Light
Meeting of minds
Legacy of Light follows two brilliant woman scientists living 260 years apart. As a play of ideas, it's not quite up to Shaw or Stoppard, but it's a respectable addition to the genre.
Articles
3 minute read