Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour was once given the gift of a wet garment. Yet random presents are requested from audience members during his latest off-Broadway play, Nassim. This deeply personal and profound theater experience from the author of White Rabbit Red Rabbit is a 75 minute interaction between the playwright, the audience, and a new actor at every performance. To describe it in detail is to reveal too much. It is best experienced with an open mind and a tender heart. [Read more…] about Wet Pants and Walls: An Interview with Playwright Nassim Soleimanpour
‘Alice By Heart’ is a Spellbinding Ride
There’s a new drug on the market. MCC Theater is peddling the mind-altering substance in its’ impressive Hell’s Kitchen home. It’s called Alice By Heart and it comes in the form of musical theater. Side effects include visions of hookah huffing caterpillar, an overbearing queen (redundant for Hell’s Kitchen), a jabberwocky, mock turtle, march hare, and a magpie. Such side effects are not fatal and last for 90 minutes. Still, it’s one of the safest and more enjoyable trips you’re bound to take. [Read more…] about ‘Alice By Heart’ is a Spellbinding Ride
Legendary Star Ben Vereen Doubles Down at Dizzy’s
Ben Vereen is back. Actually, he hasn’t been far from the public eye with recent television appearances on Magnum P.I., Sneaky Pete, and Bull. Last fall, he packed the house for two performances at The Cutting Room. Next week, he’ll take his groove further uptown to Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center. [Read more…] about Legendary Star Ben Vereen Doubles Down at Dizzy’s
London’s ‘Ruthless! The Musical’ with Kim Maresca Now on Broadway HD
Her competition might be dead, but Tina Denmark‘s terror will reign forever on the internet. The central character from the 2018 London production of Ruthless! The Musical has found residency on Broadway HD, the streaming digital platform. [Read more…] about London’s ‘Ruthless! The Musical’ with Kim Maresca Now on Broadway HD
Broadway’s ‘Be More Chill’: The Kids are A.I.
The Squip (Jason Tam) has finally consumed Broadway. From humble beginnings in Red Bank, New Jersey to a sold-out off-Broadway run last summer, the key protagonist of Be More Chill has worked his insidious magic all the way to the marquee of the Lyceum Theatre. Diehard theater geeks are probably familiar with the story of the show’s meteoric rise, but for those who aren’t, here’s the timeline: [Read more…] about Broadway’s ‘Be More Chill’: The Kids are A.I.
Talking Band’s ‘City of No Illusions’ is Dark Comedy with Soul
Trina (Colleen O’Neill) and Angie (Ellen Maddow) have secrets. On the surface, they appear to be upstanding citizens of Buffalo, New York, who tend to the locally deceased at Dawn Funeral Home. Yet these eccentric sisters aren’t only skillful with formaldehyde-they know how to fabricate and falsify as well. Given our current dystopian age where suspicion of “the others” prevails, those aren’t negative traits; quite the contrary. In Talking Band’s City of No Illusions, their actions of harboring asylum seekers are defensible.
[Read more…] about Talking Band’s ‘City of No Illusions’ is Dark Comedy with Soul
Broadway’s ‘Choir Boy’ is Worthy of Praise
It should surprise no one that Tarell Alvin McCraney‘s Choir Boy is so phenomenal. After all, McCraney breathed life into Chiron, a young African American male from Florida who is forced to grow up well before his time in the 2016 Best Picture winner, Moonlight (McCraney co-wrote the film with director Barry Jenkins). [Read more…] about Broadway’s ‘Choir Boy’ is Worthy of Praise
Australian Star Trevor Ashley Brings Liza to Life in Midtown
Liza Minnelli was once the epitome of New York entertainment. Her unique voice and old school razzle dazzle thrilled audiences since she made her Broadway debut in 1965’s Flora The Red Menace. Yet In the last few years Minnelli has been out of public view. Apparently, she now spends her time relaxing on the West Coast with her celebrity pals Michelle Lee, George Hamilton, and Darren Criss. Earlier this month, however, the sultana of sequins paid a visit to midtown’s Sony Hall in an evening entitled Liza’s Back! (Is Broken).
[Read more…] about Australian Star Trevor Ashley Brings Liza to Life in Midtown
The Green Room 42 Gains Momentum in 2018
Just when you thought cabaret spots were dead, along comes The Green Room 42 to prove that they are still alive and thriving. Since 2017, this beautiful space nestled in Midtown West’s Yotel Hotel has been attracting both Broadway stars and aspiring talent to its stage.
Company XIV Trims their Tree with Pulchritude in ‘Nutcracker Rouge’
Who knew that Balanchine could be so bawdy? Austin McCormick-that’s who. For the last several years, this visionary has been reimagining child-friendly fables like Snow White, Cinderella, and Ferdinand the Bull by turning them into tantalizing, tantric tales of temptation for the mature masses. [Read more…] about Company XIV Trims their Tree with Pulchritude in ‘Nutcracker Rouge’