All stories by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI on BroadwayStars

Thursday, June 23, 2011

A look back at not-so-gay days at Harvard by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It was possible to be gay at Harvard in 1920, but it was risky. Exactly how dangerous was detailed in a 2002 article in the Harvard Crimson, which revealed "secret court files" documenting t…

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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Zippy 'Sex' attractive, but leaves us wanting by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It's not like there's anything terribly wrong about Michael Mitnick's new "Sex Lives of Our Parents." But there isn't anything terribly right, either. The Second Stage Uptown play that op…

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Monday, June 20, 2011

Goes the distance by Elisabeth Vincentelli

If a TV series can sprout a spinoff, why not a play? The most appealing character in Amy Herzog's heavy-handed drama "After the Revolution," which ran at Playwrights Horizons in November,…

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Thursday, June 16, 2011

Getaway from Broadway! by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The first stop on any itinerary should be the Williamstown Theatre Festival (wtfestival.org, 413-597-3400). Located in the bucolic college enclave of Williamstown, Mass., the fest has drawn …

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Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Spidey's back! by Elisabeth Vincentelli

At long last, Spider-Man is ready to do some serious web-slinging on Broadway. And what do we get after $70 million, nine years of work and 183 previews? Silly string and paper streamers. We…

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Spidey through the years by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It's been a long wait through false starts, injuries, firings and mishap after mishap. But the finished "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" has finally opened. Here's our web-slinging timeline. …

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Sunday, June 12, 2011

Don't keep little-seen play at arm's length by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Tennessee Williams has been a very famil iar presence on New York stages for the past three years or so. What's cool is that for every famous "Glass Menagerie" or "A Streetcar Named Desire,"…

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

A sweetly 'Shaggs'-adelic tribute to '60s girl group by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There's a particularly illumi nating scene in the second act of the new musical "The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World," wherein the three sisters who make up the title band are in a recording…

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Monday, June 6, 2011

This 'Glass' is half empty by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Carey Mulligan is a terrific actress. The luminous Londoner has earned raves for movies such as "An Education" and "Never Let Me Go," and she could easily have spent her summer shooting some…

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Sunday, June 5, 2011

Clever college sex musical scores big by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There are many, many ways a musical can go awry. How great, then, to see everything click into place in the new "Lysistrata Jones." Produced by the Transport Group company ("The Boys in the …

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Thursday, May 26, 2011

Tribute is sometimes more sigh than Cy by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Show tunes have become so complicated and serious: Yes, Sondheim is a genius, and rock musicals are edgy -- but sometimes you just want sass, flash and old-fashioned va-va-voom. In short,…

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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

A marry-go-round by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The new dramedy "Cradle and All" re lies on a promising narrative gambit: The first act takes place in the Brooklyn apartment of the stylish, childless Claire and Luke; the second act puts u…

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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Papa-to-be does preach, way too much by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There you are, settling in for a quiet meal out, and the guy at the next table just won't stop yakking. He seems nice enough, but boy, does he love hearing himself talk. Sitting through J…

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Friday, May 20, 2011

All kitschy on the western front by Elisabeth Vincentelli

With 20 different songs (and a few reprises), the kitschy new country musical "Lucky Guy" is overlong and overstuffed. No wonder: It was written and directed by the man, Willard Beckham, …

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Monday, May 16, 2011

Hyperactive 'Radio' waives calm and coherence by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Ever wondered what a pothead version of Gar rison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" would be like? Wonder no more: "Radio Play" is here. The show is the brainchild of Tommy Smith and R…

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Sunday, May 15, 2011

Troupe of show-vinist pigs by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It was bound to happen. In shows like "The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side" and "Happy in the Poorhouse," the Amoralists delivered a high-octane, cartoonishly manic twist on 1970s Hollywo…

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Monday, May 9, 2011

High-Nottage stars in H'wood sendup by Elisabeth Vincentelli

In 2009, Lynn Nottage had an unlikely hit with the Pulitzer Prize-win ning "Ruined" -- a gut-wrenching drama about sex crimes in war-torn Congo. For the follow-up, the playwright has made…

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Sunday, May 8, 2011

Slow show a clerical error by Elisabeth Vincentelli

A marriage's happy balance is upset by the arrival of an in terloper. It's a fairly banal scenario, but in his play "Candida," George Bernard Shaw spiced it up by layering in a strong politi…

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Friday, May 6, 2011

Ruler's crown and out by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Did we really need this "King Lear"? That depends. If you love the play, you may want to catch this production from London's Donmar Warehouse just to see what Derek Jacobi -- of "I, Claud…

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Thursday, May 5, 2011

Much gets aired, but play's awash in woes by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Watching Tony Kushner's new drama is like being in a washing machine: soak, agitate, spin. And repeat: "The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scrip…

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Monday, May 2, 2011

Hits 'Widow' peak by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Melody isn't ready to handle life. How could she possibly handle death? That's the question at the heart of "Be a Good Little Widow," Bekah Brunstetter's lovely new play at Ars Nova. A…

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Holy Moliére, great update! by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It's been a long, action- packed theater season, but make time for "The School for Lies." A delectable offer ing from David Ives, this is a bright, refreshing sorbet of a show, brought to ir…

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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Holocaust musical brings oy to the world by Elisabeth Vincentelli

'Goodbye and good luck to you all," a woman said as she fled Studio 54 at intermission like a bat out of musical-theater hell. It wasn't clear whether she wished that to the audience memb…

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Old 'Heart' rates second viewing by Elisabeth Vincentelli

When Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart" premiered off-Broadway in 1985, it had a "right here, right now" impact. Set in 1981-84 New York, it imparted a powerful, radical immediacy to almost-c…

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'Baby' it's not you! by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Every night's a baby boomer's delight at the Broadhurst, where the new jukebox musical "Baby It's You!" rolls out one golden oldie after another. And this happy-clappy show has a large inven…

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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

'Leaves' a strong impression by Elisabeth Vincentelli

'The House of Blue Leaves" is a roughly stitched patchwork of styles and ideas. The first full-length effort by John Guare ("Six Degrees of Separation"), the 1966 play mixes tones -- dark, c…

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Monday, April 25, 2011

Winning revival 'Born' a gem by Elisabeth Vincentelli

It takes a lot of smarts to act dumb -- and make it funny without condescending to the character or the material. Playing the tricky role of Billie Dawn in the new Broadway revival of "Bo…

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

This play feels a bit 'Picked' over by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The nominal lead in the misguided new drama "Picked" is a 20-something actor, Kevin (Michael Stahl-David), who gets chewed up and spit out by the Hollywood machine. But the only semi-interes…

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Sisters have 'Act' together by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Big, glitzy numbers are the toast of Broadway musicals. The only thing better? Big, glitzy numbers . . . with nuns! "Sister Act" has plenty of both " and it's one of the season's happiest su…

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Turner show's got hell and grand dame-nation by Elisabeth Vincentelli

To be remotely bear able, the ham-fisted melodrama "High" requires a larger-than-life icon who can sink her teeth into its ripe dialogue, then chomp. Thankfully, it has Kathleen Turner. …

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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Alice is lost in Blunderland by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There's a lot of talk about time in "Wonderland." There's also so much laborious exposition and overexplaining, you'd think this flat new Broadway musical was inspired not by Lewis Carroll, …

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