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Thursday, November 6, 2014

Theater Review: Holly Hunter and Bill Pullman in David Rabe's 'Sticks and Bones' by Ben Brantley

Bill Pullman, Holly Hunter and Ben Schnetzer star in a revival of "Sticks and Bones," David Rabe's 1971 drama about a soldier just home from Vietnam and his inadequately welcoming family.

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Theater Review: Geoff Sobelle's 'The Object Lesson' at BAM by Ben Brantley

For "The Object Lesson," a performance space has been packed with towering cardboard boxes that the audience and the author, Geoff Sobelle, explore in a meditation on human detritus.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:41PM[SHARE]

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Theater Review: 'The Real Thing,' With Ewan McGregor and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Opens on Broadway by Ben Brantley

This revival of Tom Stoppard's Tony Award-winning 1982 play about marital love and infidelity offers some lessons in chemistry.

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Friday, October 24, 2014

Theater Review: Ivo van Hove Brings 'Angels in America' to BAM by Ben Brantley

Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" lends a striking universality to its portrait of life and imminent death in the early years of the AIDS epidemic in New York.

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Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Theater Review: 'Fortress of Solitude,' Now With Musical Numbers, at the Public Theater by Ben Brantley

"The Fortress of Solitude," a stage musical based on Jonathan Lethem's novel, opens at the Public Theater.

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Monday, October 20, 2014

Theater Review: '4:48 Psychosis,' a Polish Adaptation of Sarah Kane's Play by Ben Brantley

A stunning reinvention of Sarah Kane's play "4:48 Psychosis," by the TR Warszawa company, is at St. Ann's Warehouse.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:51PM[SHARE]

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Theater Review: 'Lippy,' a Chilly Play From Ireland's Dead Centre by Ben Brantley

"Lippy," from the Dublin-based Dead Centre company, explores an apparent suicide pact among four women.

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Thursday, October 16, 2014

Theater Review: 'On the Town' Revival Opens on Broadway by Ben Brantley

In the ebullient Broadway revival of "On the Town," New York is a bustling, jostling cartoon that also floats like a swan.

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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

The Week Ahead: 'The Belle of Amherst,' Starring Joely Richardson by Ben Brantley

'The Belle of Amherst,' Starring Joely Richardson

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:00AM[SHARE]

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Theater Review: Karen Finley Relives the AIDS Epidemic in 'Written in Sand' by Ben Brantley

In her performance piece "Written in Sand,' Karen Finley rages disconsolately about the loss of friends to AIDS.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:26PM[SHARE]

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Theater Review: Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane and Stockard Channing in 'It's Only a Play' on Broadway by Ben Brantley

The revival of Terrence McNally's "It's Only a Play," a Broadway star vehicle about a Broadway star vehicle, allows theatergoers to feel as though they're among the insiders.

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Theater Review: Dave Malloy's 'Ghost Quartet' at the Bushwick Starr by Ben Brantley

"Ghost Quartet," a rapturous little show at the Bushwick Starr, goes beyond zombies and vampires.

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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Theater Review: Three Beckett Plays About Time at BAM by Ben Brantley

Lisa Dwan plays all the roles in "Not I," "Footfalls" and "Rockaby," short Beckett plays that are part of the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:27PM[SHARE]

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

An Appraisal: How Marian Seldes Took the Stage by Ben Brantley

Regardless of the size of the role, Marian Seldes, who died Tuesday at 86, made her theatrical performances memorable, with precision and flourish.

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Sunday, October 5, 2014

Theater Review: 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' Opens on Broadway by Ben Brantley

Simon Stephens adapts Mark Haddon's best-selling novel in "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time."

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Theater Review: Blythe Danner Stars in 'The Country House' by Ben Brantley

"The Country House," a Donald Margulies play inspired by Chekhov, stars Blythe Danner as an aging actress presiding over a crowded home.

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Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Theater Review: Tom Stoppard's 'Indian Ink' Focuses on English Sisters by Ben Brantley

Romola Garai and Rosemary Harris bring Tom Stoppard's aristocratic Crewe sisters and old British imperialism to New York in "Indian Ink."

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Theater Review: 'The Old Man and the Old Moon,' From PigPen Theater by Ben Brantley

In "The Old Man and The Old Moon," at the New Victory, a man who keeps the moon stocked with light leaves his post, causing havoc.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:36PM[SHARE]

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Theater Review: 'You Can't Take It With You,' Handled Properly, Ages Well by Ben Brantley

Those who saw, or performed in, "You Can't Take It With You" in high school should not let that trauma taint the Broadway revival of that show.

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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Theater Review: 'The Money Shot,' by Neil LaBute, Satirizes Hollywood by Ben Brantley

"The Money Shot," Neil LaBute's new play, depicts two actors who are trying to negotiate an explicit scene.

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Monday, September 22, 2014

Theater Review: 'Scenes From a Marriage,' Adapted From Ingmar Bergman by Ben Brantley

"Scenes From a Marriage," a play adapted from a 1973 TV mini-series, uses three sets of actors to portray the same couple.

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Thursday, September 18, 2014

Theater Review: 'The Valley of Astonishment,' by Brook and Estienne by Ben Brantley

In "The Valley of Astonishment," Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne explore the world of people with synesthesia.

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Friday, September 12, 2014

Theater Review: 'Dry Land,' a Drama on Abortion by Ruby Rae Spiegel by Ben Brantley

In "Dry Land," two girls on a high school swim team form a complicated friendship as one of them faces the terrible fact of a pregnancy.

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Thursday, September 11, 2014

Theater Review: 'This Is Our Youth' Stars Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin and Tavi Gevinson by Ben Brantley

Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin and Tavi Gevinson bring to full-blooded life the angst of bright and sullen young things in a Broadway revival of Kenneth Lonergan's "This Is Our Youth."

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Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Critic's Notebook: 'The Adults' and '99 Breakups' at the FringeArts Festival in Philadelphia by Ben Brantley

Works at the FringeArts festival in Philadelphia deal with the many ways both nature and human relationships can go wrong.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:54PM[SHARE]

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Theater Review: Early-'60s Absurdism in 'Red Eye of Love' by Ben Brantley

"Red Eye of Love," like "The Fantasticks," is about a boy, a girl, crushable ideals, minimal scenery and tinkling piano music.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM[SHARE]

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

The New Season: Hugh Jackman in 'The River,' One of Several Compact Shows by Ben Brantley

Tantalizing theater comes in small packages this season.

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The Week Ahead: Blythe Danner Stars in 'The Country House,' a New Play by Ben Brantley

Blythe Danner plays the high bohemian matriarch of an artistic clan in "The Country House," the new play by Donald Margulies.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:05PM[SHARE]

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Theater Review: Kieron Barry's 'Tomorrow in the Battle': A Love Triangle by Ben Brantley

Kieron Barry's "Tomorrow in the Battle," at Stageworks/Hudson, follows powerful, self-destructive Londoners in a romantic triangle.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:19PM[SHARE]

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Checking Back: 'The Book of Mormon' on Broadway Retains Its Charms by Ben Brantley

After more than three years on Broadway, "The Book of Mormon" retains its peppiness and devotion to the musical comedy spirit.

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The Week Ahead: Sister Sylvester's Riff on 'Look Back in Anger' by Ben Brantley

In "Dead Behind These Eyes," the theater company Sister Sylvester lends a mike and a soundtrack to a set of characters inspired by John Osborne's "Look Back in Anger."

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:42PM[SHARE]

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