All stories by Alexis Soloski on BroadwayStars

Friday, April 13, 2012

Peep show: is it wrong to find actors attractive? by Alexis Soloski

Venus in Fur is the latest play to tempt audiences into ogling its scantily clad cast. Now stage stars are being rated on sex appealA woman with long, blonde hair and a heavily lipsticked mo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:40AM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 12, 2012

Should pop stars stay off stage? by Alexis Soloski

From Ricky Martin on Broadway to Ashlee Simpson and Melissa Etheridge, many pop stars struggle in the theatre. Maybe it's time they steered clearRicky Martin has jaunty hair, shockingly whit…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:50AM[SHARE]

Should pop stars stay off stage? by Alexis Soloski

From Ricky Martin on Broadway to Ashlee Simpson and Melissa Etheridge, many pop stars struggle in the theatre. Maybe it's time they steered clear Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:50AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Christina Ricci, Back Onstage by Alexis Soloski

Christina Ricci, a film actor who suffered from stage fright during her first play, has returned to the theater.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:16PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Bring on the understudy! Does it matter if the star isn't in the show? by Alexis Soloski

As James Corden fans waiting to see One Man, Two Guvnors in the West End now know, the big-name actor may not be the one you see on stage. But sometimes these performances are the bestYou've…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:28AM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 22, 2012

Amy Herzog's '4000 Miles' at Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater by Alexis Soloski

The playwright Amy Herzog, whose "4000 Miles" is being remounted at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, draws on her family history and especially her grandmother.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:37PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Right now, religion in theatre doesn't have a hope in hell by Alexis Soloski

Despite its roots in ritual, religion gets barely a look-in on stage these days. Why?By all rights, theatre ought to say its prayers. According to most origin stories, theatre emerged out of…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:18PM[SHARE]
Thursday, February 9, 2012

Arts & Leisure: Morgan Spector of 'Russian Transport' Visits Sheepshead Bay by Alexis Soloski

The actor Morgan Spector is in another high-profile immigrant role, in Erika Sheffer's "Russian Transport."

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:02PM[SHARE]
Friday, January 27, 2012

John Ford's 'Broken Heart' and ' 'Tis Pity She's a Whore' by Alexis Soloski

"The Broken Heart" and " 'Tis Pity She's a Whore," blood-soaked dramas by the 17th-century playwright John Ford, are landing in New York in the coming weeks.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:00PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Gob Squad Returns to the Public Theater by Alexis Soloski

The British-German troupe Gob Squad returns to the Public Theater with two shows that rely on the audience or passers-by to work.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:39PM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 24, 2011

Is great theatre just a matter of taste? by Alexis Soloski

If a critic gave a rave review to something generally regarded as awful, would you stop taking them seriously - or admire their iconoclasm?A few months ago I went to the theatre with a frien…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:48AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Arts & Leisure: Mr. Rogers's Very Tough Neighborhood by Alexis Soloski

The playwright J. T. Rogers has found a home writing about geopolitical conflicts.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:56PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, November 2, 2011

What makes a good stage death? by Alexis Soloski

Forget all that tediously realistic convulsing and juddering " a really convincing theatrical death is better left unseenWhen I was small, stage deaths used to upset me " even if I reminded …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:08AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 30, 2011

Esther Freud's 'Lucky Break' Explores the Actor's Life by Alexis Soloski

Esther Freud's new novel, "Lucky Break," focuses on three actors as it explores the frustrations and occasional joys of an acting career.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:03AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Domestic violence: why is theatre obsessed with feuding families? by Alexis Soloski

From Oedipus to the Oresteia, ancient plays are full of folk taking out their nearest and dearest " and the theme persists through the centuriesIs there a phenomenon more elusive to the stag…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:50AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

What's the unlikeliest stage adaptation of all? by Alexis Soloski

Intrepid theatremakers have produced versions of everything from Aristotle's Poetics to Das Kapital " but which is the strangest work to make it on to the stage?Last week, I brought a cluste…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:05AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Does it matter if theatre critics have conflicts of interest? by Alexis Soloski

Should we lay down rules on relationships between critics and artists? Or should reviewers find their own moral compass?An awards committee on which I frequently serve has a long-standing r…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:53AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Fiasco Theater Company Rides Shakespeare to Success by Alexis Soloski

A troupe of actors who didn't want to wait to be cast elsewhere decided to put on a show two years ago, a minimalist production of "Cymbeline" that lives on today.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:59AM[SHARE]
Thursday, August 4, 2011

Where are New York's theatre bars? by Alexis Soloski

London theatreland can serve up a classy cocktail, so why does New York abstain when it comes to booze on " and off " Broadway?The Drunkard, a melodrama that debuted in New York in 1844, was…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:48AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, August 3, 2011

No Space Too Dilapidated for a Show by Alexis Soloski

The Woodshed Collective's latest site-specific work is "The Tenant," to be staged at the West-Park Presbyterian Church.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:38PM[SHARE]
Thursday, July 28, 2011

The mystery of theatre's missing detective plays by Alexis Soloski

Detective fiction is thriving, so why does theatre make do with workmanlike adaptations in place of real stage whodunnits?When I was very young, I used to think that a mystery play must be a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:34AM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 30, 2011

Enter a Royal Ensemble, Preceded by Its Stage by Alexis Soloski

The Royal Shakespeare Company builds an auditorium in New York for its summer run.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:27PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Drama out of disaster: do we need another 9/11 play? by Alexis Soloski

Rupert Goold's 'immersive' retelling of the events of September 11 will mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. But are there some places theatre should not tread?Strange as it may sound, …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:58AM[SHARE]
Friday, June 10, 2011

Tell us about your worst night at the theatre by Alexis Soloski

In my time as a theatre critic I've been stalked in my seat and groped onstage. What's your lowest theatrical moment?What's your lowest theatrical point? I don't mean the sort of evening whe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:30AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Broadway burnout: how much theatre is too much? by Alexis Soloski

I can handle seven shows a week on a diet of falafel. But keeping oneself fit to sit in the theatre is crucial for survivalRecently, I have found myself beset with a strange predicament: I c…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:07AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Is it time for theatre to leave 'avant garde' behind? by Alexis Soloski

Many of the terms we use to define dramatic success belong in the distant past. How to describe the freshest and most exciting work out there?Once upon a time, the "avant garde" didn't refer…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:54PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Pop Goes Dad in Born Bad and Urge for Going by Alexis Soloski

He ain't the man in two new productions

SOURCE: Village Voice at 01:11PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 6, 2011

My Girlfriend's Boyfriend--Better Off Wed by Alexis Soloski

Is there a comedian cuddlier than Mike Birbiglia? His girth and dress sense suggest a fraternity brother gone to seed, but his pleading eyes and...

SOURCE: Village Voice at 09:55AM[SHARE]

The Tremendous Tremendous Parties Like It's 1939 by Alexis Soloski

The Mad Ones head off to the New York World's Fair

SOURCE: Village Voice at 09:55AM[SHARE]
Saturday, April 2, 2011

The Dream of the Burning Boy Feels Teenage Grief by Alexis Soloski

Marked 'Late'"the Roundabout's new high school drama centers on a dead student

SOURCE: Village Voice at 09:47AM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off