All stories by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI on BroadwayStars

Friday, January 25, 2019

Streaming Movie Review: 'Soni' Review: Two Delhi Policewomen Struggle Against Misogyny by Elisabeth Vincentelli

In the world described in Ivan Ayr's debut feature, men casually assume they are entitled to say or do whatever they want to women.

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Monday, January 21, 2019

Review: A Catalog of America's Problems in 'Awake' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

K. Lorrel Manning takes on racism, homophobia, sexism, police violence and immigration in nine short plays.

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Thursday, January 17, 2019

'LaBute New Theater Festival' Review: It's Neil LaBute in a Minor Key by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The festival, presented by St. Louis Actors' Studio, comprises three one-act plays by Mr. LaBute: "Great Negro Works of Art," "The Fourth Reich" and "Unlikely Japan."

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Monday, January 14, 2019

At BroadwayCon, Fans Get a Curtain Call by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Started in 2016, the three-day expo provides singalongs, meetups, workshops and, of course, "marketplace" booths targeting theater buffs.

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Wednesday, January 9, 2019

The Demolition Artist: 3 Critics Debate Ivo van Hove by Ben Brantley, Elisabeth Vincentelli and Jason Zinoman

Visionary stylist or one-trick pony? With "Network" on Broadway and "All About Eve" on the horizon, the multimedia-mad stage director is ready for his close-up.

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Monday, December 31, 2018

A Short Statement for the Exponential Festival by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Gracie Gardner's "Cowboy," which runs from six to 20 minutes, is part of a triple bill: "I just love having a single visual image onstage," she said.

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Despite Scary Buzz, Director at Under the Radar Says Don't Worry by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Peter Mills Weiss and his collaborator, Julia Mounsey, put the audience on edge with the simplest of theatrical tools.

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Sunday, December 16, 2018

Review: The Devil Wears Pleather but Can't Save 'Christmas in Hell' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

A musical must have a minimum of internal logic and some good tunes. "Christmas in Hell" comes up short on both counts.

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Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Critic's Notebook: Rib-Eye Steak With a Side of Shakespeare by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Our intrepid theatergoer ate her way through a spate of shows that make food part of the experience. Her stomach sometimes ended up fuller than her imagination.

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Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Review: 'Ruben & Clay' Reunites 'Idol' Rivals for Christmas Fun by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, who once competed on "American Idol," banter, sing and try to upstage each other in this holiday revue.

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Streaming Movie Review: 'The World Is Yours' Review: Isabelle Adjani Revitalizes the Comic Caper by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Adjani's turn as a flamboyant con artist sends up her own aloof image in this fun and sophisticated comic caper from Romain Gavras.

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Monday, November 26, 2018

Review: Exploring Addiction in 'Chasing the New White Whale' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The playwright Mike Gorman tries to equate Melville's "Moby-Dick" with the opioid crisis. The ambition is there, but the play falls short.

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Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Review: 'Bernie and Mikey's Trip to the Moon' Is Old-School Drama by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Scott Aiello's play about an Italian-American family dealing with a disabled daughter offers no-nonsense American realism.

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Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Review: A Hip-Hop Sidekick Eyes Center Stage in 'Hype Man' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Idris Goodwin's energetic but overstuffed play explores race, gender, police brutality and the quest for fame.

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Monday, November 19, 2018

critic's pick: 'Christmas Spectacular' Review: Where Rockettes and Drones Dazzle by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Radio City Music Hall successfully merges old-fashioned showmanship and state-of-the-art technology in this year's Christmas pageant.

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Wednesday, November 14, 2018

You Can't Spell Cher Without Her (and Her and Her) by Elisabeth Vincentelli

How three Broadway actresses capture the essence of one superstar: Thank the costumes, "Burlesque" " and white teeth.

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Sunday, November 4, 2018

Review: Lenny Bruce's Shifting Legacy, in 'I'm Not a Comedian' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Ronnie Marmo wrote and stars in this bioplay about the groundbreaking comic, who died in 1966.

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Friday, November 2, 2018

Review: A 'Midsummer Night's Dream' That's More Speedy Than Dreamy by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The Mobile Unit of the Public Theater focuses on the play's comic side in this energetic production.

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Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Review: In 'Travisville,' the Rocky Path of Change in a Southern Town by Elisabeth Vincentelli

William Jackson Harper's polished debut as a playwright, set in 1964, pits patient negotiation against disruptive activism.

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Review: Aasif Mandvi Makes You Want to Stop at 'Sakina's Restaurant' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Mr. Mandvi, who spent nearly 10 years as a correspondent on "The Daily Show," brings back his solo comedy act. It returns with new resonance.

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Sunday, October 7, 2018

Review: In 'Evolution of Mann,' Fumbling Cuteness Goes Only So Far by Elisabeth Vincentelli

An aspiring musical-theater writer is on the hunt for Ms. Right in this familiar romantic comedy.

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Monday, October 1, 2018

Defacing 'Art': After 20 Years, the Hit Play Gets a Brash Coat of Paint by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Yasmina Reza's tidy comedy has been produced in 45 countries and translated into 30 languages. How will it withstand a deconstruction by two experimental theater companies?

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Friday, September 28, 2018

Welcome to the Playhouse by Elisabeth Vincentelli

"Smugness is lethal," says the filmmaker Todd Solondz, who, with "Emma and Max," brings his sharp eye for hypocrisy to the stage for the first time.

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Thursday, September 27, 2018

Review: Shakespeare + Chekhov = 'Uncle Romeo Vanya Juliet' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

The Bedlam show, stitched together from parts borrowed from Chekhov and Shakespeare, should perhaps be credited to Chekspeare.

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Thursday, September 20, 2018

Review: Up All Night, With Rebecca Hall as Muse, in 'Soundstage' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Rob Roth's new multimedia show uses video to try to capture the relationship between an obsessive fan and the actress who's the object of his fantasies.

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Friday, September 7, 2018

A Birthday Tribute to the Other Ingmar Bergman by Elisabeth Vincentelli

A theater festival presented works he directed, stage adaptations of his films, and creations he influenced. Even a "Seventh Seal" for kids.

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Can Critics Learn to Love the Jukebox Musical? by Jesse Green, Ben Brantley, Elisabeth Vincentelli and Scott Heller

They are often Broadway sensations, but jukebox musicals rarely get good reviews. We invited our critics to stop snarking and tell us what they want.

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Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Review: Besties With Rasputin in 'Red Emma and the Mad Monk' by Elisabeth Vincentelli

In this winning new musical, a 12-year-old girl is spurred to action by her far-flung imaginary friends.

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Monday, August 20, 2018

Review: 'R.R.R.E.D' is a Bad Hair Day by Elisabeth Vincentelli

A future-shock musical comedy about redhead rights could use a makeover.

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Friday, August 10, 2018

Critic's Notebook: So, You're Going to Call Your Play _____? by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Naming a show can be tricky. Some recent titles are obscure, others extremely long. And then there's the weird punctuation. What's going on?

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Tuesday, July 31, 2018

What Do 525 Ventriloquists Do at a Convention? Ask Their Dummies by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Scenes from an annual "vent" gathering in Kentucky, where puppets rule and their masters crave respect for an unappreciated art form.

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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