"Impressionism' on Broadway

Don't stand too close

Michael Jacobs's soggy play isn't drama; it's chick lit, an inspirational sitcom masquerading as a highbrow play about Art. If Oprah had a theater club, Impressionism would be her pick.

Toby Zinman

Mar 28, 2009 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Cabaret' at Villanova

Do academicians have more fun?

Villanova Theatre, which seems to enjoy a special flair for musicals, scores once again with a lively and enthusiastic revival of the Kander and Ebb perennial Cabaret.

Bill Murphy

Mar 28, 2009 · Articles · 2 minute read

PTC's "At Home At the Zoo'

East Side, West Side, or: When vegetables yearn to be animals

Fifty years ago Edward Albee's The Zoo Story exposed the fragility of the defenses that so-called “civilized” postwar Americans thought they had constructed. In At Home at the Zoo, Albee offers a prequel that shines some new light on his characters but also raises more questions than it answers. In effect, Albee is guilty of superimposing a 21st-Century sensibility on a '50s character.

Dan Rottenberg

Mar 27, 2009 · Articles · 6 minute read

"Long Day's Journey' and "Caucasian Chalk Circle'

The family, pro and con: O'Neill gets the better of Brecht

In two current productions, O'Neill and Brecht paint thoroughly distinct (and for Brecht, thoroughly surprising) views of the family. Thanks to Carol Laratonda's superbly intense direction, O'Neill's darker take is better served.

Jim Rutter

Mar 24, 2009 · Articles · 5 minute read

Reza's "God of Carnage' on Broadway

Delusions stripped bare

Yasmina Reza's venomous play about two modern couples, billed as “a comedy of manners without the manners,” gives us the kind of laughter that's about five seconds from just totally losing it. The Lord of Misrule is in fine form here, as is a cast that nails every line, every look, every gesture.

Toby Zinman

Mar 23, 2009 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Born Yesterday' at the Walnut

From Billie Dawn to Bernie Madoff

Billie Dawn, the heroine of Garson Kanin's 1946 comedy Born Yesterday, is a “smart stupid person” whose faults are easily remedied by education. Today we face a tougher problem: “stupid smart people” who turn their millions over to avuncular swindlers like Bernie Madoff. Oh, for the good old days of transparent villains.

Dan Rottenberg

Mar 23, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Tale of Two Cities' at People's Light

From page to stage

A Tale of Two Cities at People's Light is a modest but effective dramatization that skillfully strips the Dickens novel to its essentials. A capable cast brings dozens of Dickens characters vividly to life, aided by imaginative direction and set design.

Bill Murphy

Mar 17, 2009 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Iron Kisses' at Act II Playhouse

Just enough light to get home

James Still's Iron Kisses— the kind that come with locked lips— details a small-town family's reaction to an only son's homosexuality. Well acted, with its two actors taking multiple roles, and skillfully directed by Harriet Power, this play transcends its well-worn genre and offers an affecting evening of theater.

Robert Zaller

Mar 17, 2009 · Articles · 3 minute read

O'Neill Festival in Chicago

O'Neill rediscovered— but only in Chicago

Chicago's Goodman Theatre is nearing the end of a two-month, eight-play festival that concentrates on O'Neill's early works”“ the oeuvre that made his reputation as America's leading playwright. Philadelphia and New York should be so lucky.

Steve Cohen

Mar 10, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Kaufman's '33 Variations' on Broadway

Beethoven meets Jane Fonda

Moisés Kaufman's 33 Variations is about obsessions: Beethoven's with the little waltz Diabelli wrote and Kaufman's with Beethoven's “Diabelli” Variations, which are generally considered Beethoven's supreme contribution to the piano repertoire. Unfortunately, Kaufman's characters feel underdeveloped, existing more as vehicles for the play's themes than as interesting, complex people.

Toby Zinman

Mar 10, 2009 · Articles · 5 minute read