All stories by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI on BroadwayStars

Friday, April 1, 2011

Subdued Robin in 'Tiger' of a flawed stripe by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Robin Williams is in a tricky situation. If he launches into his familiar, manic style, he's accused of being predictable. If he soft-pedals and goes introspective, then he's underusing his …

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Monday, March 28, 2011

Metcalf at the head of the class by Elisabeth Vincentelli

So devastating is Laurie Metcalf in "The Other Place" -- so vivid her anguish, confusion and despair -- that at times she's hard to watch. But it's even harder not to. She's giving such a…

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'Cage' comeback by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There are big, fun, gaudy numbers in the beloved musical "La Cage aux Folles," but the show really hangs on the emotional strength of its stars. Happily, Harvey Fierstein and Christopher …

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Show's good, clean fund by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Daniel Radcliffe is so ador able in his Broadway musical debut, you just want to pinch his cheeks. It's not just his youth -- the "Harry Potter" star is 21 -- but the endearing amount of ded…

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Thursday, March 24, 2011

Sad HS drama not all it's chalked up to be by Elisabeth Vincentelli

David West Read's delicate new drama, "The Dream of the Burning Boy," makes its points gently. Too gently, perhaps -- the play feels slight, even if the cast hits precisely modulated grace n…

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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Droll play by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Comedy may make millions, but it doesn't get much respect, awards-wise. So whenever funny people want to be taken seriously, they get serious. Nowhere is this more obvious than on Broadway t…

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'Klown' suits Leguizamo by Elisabeth Vincentelli

John Leguizamo may be only 46, but he's been through enough to fill five autobiographical solo shows -- including 1998's "Freak," 2001's "Sexaholix . . . a Love Story" and now "Ghetto Klown,…

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Monday, March 21, 2011

Tryst or treat: 'Hello' not really a turn-on by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There's such a thing as too close for comfort -- espe cially when you're sitting inches away from thrusting buttocks. And there's a lot of pelvic action in Michael John LaChiusa's "Hello …

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Sunday, March 20, 2011

Queen of B'way by Elisabeth Vincentelli

So confident is "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" in its ability to ramp up the thrills that it doesn't wait for the finale to drop the confetti " it falls a mere 30 minutes in shamelessly fe…

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Divine 'Comedy' shakes up Shakespeare by Elisabeth Vincentelli

If you like your Shake speare genteel and stiff- upper-lipped, stay away from "The Comedy of Errors" at BAM. But if a Latin-lover cop and a nunchuk-wielding spinster delivering the Bard's…

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Thursday, March 17, 2011

The tedium is the message in tangled tale by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia" is witty, erudite and cunningly structured. David Leveaux's revival, which opened on Broadway last night, looks handsome, and its cast, including Billy Crudup and Ra…

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

This wilted 'Flower' should be scent back by Elisabeth Vincentelli

IN the right hands, old-fash ioned farce can still kill, as the 2008 revival of "Boeing-Boeing" proved. The return of "Cactus Flower" -- another French comedy from the mid-'60s, this one ada…

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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Spoof's a 'Swan' fake by Elisabeth Vincentelli

You know a movie's a bona fide phenome non when it spawns a spoof or a stage version. "Black Swan" delivers on both counts with "SWAN!!!," which the irreverent troupe QWAN (Quality Without a…

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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Little method in this badness by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Method acting, famously adopted by Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift, involves actors digging deep within themselves to find their character's emotional truth. Though the technique's lost c…

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Monday, March 7, 2011

Rebound not worth a shot by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The most exciting mo ment in "That Cham pionship Season" comes when Jason Patric's character, Tom, falls down a flight of stairs. For a couple of seconds, you're involved in what's happening…

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Friday, March 4, 2011

A mystery man in fantasy land by Elisabeth Vincentelli

TEN-year-old Michael has been going through some changes lately. His par ents are distracted by their new baby, and they've all just moved to a ramshackle house. When Michael explores the…

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Thursday, March 3, 2011

Onstage riches from poor folks in 'People' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Gritty, tough-talking, blue- collar characters are hardly a rarity onstage. But most of the time their low cash balance is part of the background: It provides color and gives set designers a…

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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Captivating boxing drama a ringside feat by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Boxing moves are often compared to ballet. "Beautiful Burnout" -- a high-octane show set in a boxing gym -- takes this analogy literally. The training and bouts explode on the elevated ring-…

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An entertaining way to get Bard by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Let's face it: You don't go to "Timon of Ath ens" expecting much -- if you go at all. Widely assumed to be co-written by Shakespeare and fellow playwright Thomas Middleton, this uneven tr…

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Friday, February 25, 2011

Location, location, location: enter 'Hallway' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Shared space plays a big part in Adam Rapp's new "Hall way Trilogy." It even extends to the Rattlestick Theatre itself, where the stage now runs along the entire side of the house. Hallways …

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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

French Quarter tale only half-good by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Tennessee Williams would have turned 100 on March 26, and the past months have been jammed with revivals. Except we're not seeing his hits but late-period curios like "The Milk Train Doesn't…

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Friday, February 18, 2011

Get a rush from star's insanely good turn by Elisabeth Vincentelli

There are star vehicles, and then there's "The Diary of a Madman," which is like a gold-plated, diamond-encrusted Ferrari for Geoffrey Rush. And the Australian actor -- a leading contende…

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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Staged Q&A session is a Gray area by Elisabeth Vincentelli

In the early '80s, the late mono loguist Spalding Gray created a show called "Interviewing the Audience" in which he did just that. He brought random theatergoers onstage and got them to ope…

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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

WASP-y 'Black Tie' doesn't have much sting by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The prolific A.R. Gurney has made a specialty of docu menting a certain slice of America: Northeast-based, white, middle-class families bound by a strong sense of kinship and precisely delin…

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Monday, February 7, 2011

Can 'Spidey' fly by Elisabeth Vincentelli

EDITOR'S NOTE: After nearly 70 previews and five delayed openings, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" has moved its official opening to March 15. Given the flurry of celebrity endorsements and …

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Friday, February 4, 2011

Apartheid tale a vital revival by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Although Encores! productions such as "Gypsy," "Chicago" and "Finian's Rainbow" have made it to Broadway, fans of the long-running City Center series know such transfers are beside the point…

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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Civil War-era drama goes out on a limb by Elisabeth Vincentelli

An early scene in the new off- Broadway play "The Whip ping Man" demonstrates the devastating power of words. We're in April 1865 and the war has just ended. A young Confederate soldier, …

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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Pain brings limited gain by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Doug is a living night mare for health- insurance companies: He's more than accident-prone -- he's a lightning rod for calamities. In Rajiv Joseph's uneven play "Gruesome Playground Injur…

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Sunday, January 30, 2011

It doesn't milk Williams' work for all it's worth by Elisabeth Vincentelli

While Tennessee Williams is acknowledged as a master, his later plays are theater's answer to the madwoman in the attic: Producers and directors either ignore them entirely, or tread gingerl…

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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Tabloid tycoon's tale back by popular demand by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The key character in "What the Public Wants" is a driven media tycoon who reaches millions via dozens of publications. Through them, he seeks to entertain the many and influence the mighty. …

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Pairs: when it doesn't sizzle by Elisabeth Vincentelli

When you think about David Auburn, author of the math-and-madness hit "Proof," farce isn't the first thing that comes to mind. So his decision to overhaul "The New York Idea" -- an obscure 1…

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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