All stories by Frank Scheck on BroadwayStars

Friday, January 27, 2012

Review: Wit by Frank Scheck

Margaret Edson has just written one play in her life, the brilliant Wit, now receiving its Broadway premiere a mere seventeen years after it was first produced and went on to win nearly ever…

SOURCE: Scheck on the Arts at 06:58AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Review: Petula Clark at Feinstein's at Loews Regency by Frank Scheck

The British songstress long-awaited return to the New York nightclub scene proved to be a truly triumphant evening.

SOURCE: TheaterMania at 10:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 24, 2012

'Claywoman' half-film, half-live & half-baked by Frank Scheck

In "The Mystery of Claywoman," we meet a 500-million-year-old extraterrestrial who's become a cult-like figure. She's a fascinating character " too bad we don't get to see more of her. Half …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:38PM[SHARE]
Monday, January 23, 2012

Ghost story's a vision but not clear by Frank Scheck

Though "Stopped Bridge of Dreams" is based on 17thcentury Japanese writings, its style couldn't be more contemporary. Written, directed and designed by MacArthur "Genius" Award winner John J…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:40PM[SHARE]
Sunday, January 22, 2012

He'll charm your pants off by Frank Scheck

You can tell that George Bernard Shaw was still a young man when he wrote "The Philanderer." This infrequently performed comedy has a breezy playfulness, unlike the playwright's more heavy-g…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:21PM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 21, 2012

Poor 'Instinct' stinks by Frank Scheck

The four scientists in "Instinct" spend most of the play's 85-minute running time debating parenthood, religion and sexual identity. Oh, and they're also trying to halt an epidemic killing h…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:36AM[SHARE]

Off-kilter 'Earth' lacking in gravity by Frank Scheck

A Midwestern mother and her businesswoman daughter travel to a small American city. Their purpose? To identify the body of a family member who committed suicide.Hilarity ensues.If that sound…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:36AM[SHARE]
Thursday, January 19, 2012

Review: Richard III by Frank Scheck

Reunited with his American Beauty director, Sam Mendes, Kevin Spacey pulls out all the stops with his devilishly entertaining turn in the title role of the Bridge Project’s production …

SOURCE: Scheck on the Arts at 05:58AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Review: The Road to Mecca by Frank Scheck

The plays of Athol Fugard often require heavy lifting on the part of an audience. That’s particularly true of his 1987 drama The Road to Mecca, now being given its Broadway premiere in…

SOURCE: Scheck on the Arts at 04:54AM[SHARE]
Monday, January 16, 2012

Arresting, but only on the screen by Frank Scheck

I* capturing the monotony and anger that marks the daily life of New York City cops, "Newyorkland" makes a powerfully compelling film.The problem is, it's supposed to be a theater piece. The…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:23PM[SHARE]

Plot as sloppy as a drunk by Frank Scheck

Why does every show set in Dublin seem to take place in a bar? Hot on the heels of the Broadway-bound "Once" " where you can step up onstage and buy a pint of Guinness before the show and at…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 01:49AM[SHARE]
Friday, January 13, 2012

Review: The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess by Frank Scheck

Composer Stephen Sondheim will probably be appeased when he sees The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, the reconceived revival of the classic opera by George and Ira Gershwin and, oh yes, lib…

SOURCE: Scheck on the Arts at 06:40AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Post-apocalyptic story survives by its wit by Frank Scheck

Flip around the radio dial lately? You probably won't find anything as entertaining as the programming put on by Soviet Free Radio Order. Especially its "At Home Field Guide," a homespun com…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:05PM[SHARE]

Family drama no kin do by Frank Scheck

Bridesburg is a run-down neighborhood in south Philadelphia. If Victor Kaufold's drama set there is any indication, you won't want to go there . . . or to "Bridesburg," for that matter.To it…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:51PM[SHARE]

Review: Outside People by Frank Scheck

The Chinese language is all that one seems to be hearing lately. Not only did presidential candidate Jon Huntsman resort to Mandarin while rebuking Mitt Romney during a recent debate, but Da…

SOURCE: Scheck on the Arts at 06:43AM[SHARE]
Monday, January 9, 2012

Class science friction by Frank Scheck

Imagine a cross between "Inherit the Wind" and David Mamet's charged student-versus-teacher drama "Oleanna," and you have some idea of "How the World Began." Catherine Trieschmann's new piec…

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

One man's world of tiny wonders by Frank Scheck

Let's say you've flipped through a newspaper, reading this or that; sponged the breakfast crumbs off the table, loaded the dishwasher and wrestled your child into a car seat for a trip to yo…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:06PM[SHARE]
Sunday, January 8, 2012

Magic and tragic at under the radar by Frank Scheck

The Under the Radar festival is a much-needed showcase for adventurous theater companies whose work isn't exactly commercial " for better or worse. Two recent cases: the New York troupe the …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:13PM[SHARE]
Monday, January 2, 2012

The most festive time of year by Frank Scheck

The tourists may have left, but the city's about to be invaded by a new force of thousands. And Mark Russell is ready. The arts festival he produces may be called Under the Radar, but there'…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 10:49PM[SHARE]
Monday, December 26, 2011

Shooting straight to the top by Frank Scheck

By any measure, this year was a real roller-coaster ride for Jeremy Jordan. Like the Frank Sinatra song, the 27-year-old actor's been up and down and over and out, having made a splash with …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:30PM[SHARE]
Friday, December 23, 2011

Review: Close Up Sapce by Frank Scheck

David Hyde Pierce somehow always manages to project a vaguely uncomfortable, awkward quality in his characters. It feels totally appropriate for Close Up Space, the uncomfortable, awkward ne…

SOURCE: Scheck on the Arts at 03:56AM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 22, 2011

Review: Farm Boy by Frank Scheck

In what surely must be purely coincidental timing, Farm Boy has arrived for a holiday engagement at 59E59 Theaters. Michael Morpungo’s “sequel” to his War Horse has opened …

SOURCE: Scheck on the Arts at 05:33AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Review: Misterman by Frank Scheck

The cavernous St. Ann’s Warehouse provides the perfect theatrical environment for Misterman, Irish playwright Enda Walsh’s one-person play starring Cillian Murphy in his U.S. sta…

SOURCE: Scheck on the Arts at 05:24AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 18, 2011

A 'Schlemiel' fit for a king by Frank Scheck

You'll probably head straight for a deli after "Shlemiel the First," the delightful morsel of a 1994 klezmer musical based on Isaac Bashevis Singer's "Chelm" stories. In this world, food is …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:04PM[SHARE]
Friday, December 16, 2011

Review: Elective Affinities by Frank Scheck

Good luck scoring an invitation to the most exclusive social reception in town. It’s being held at the palatial and luxurious Fifth Avenue townhouse belonging to the very wealthy Mrs. …

SOURCE: Scheck on the Arts at 07:14AM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 15, 2011

Review: Lysistrata Jones by Frank Scheck

The near demise of commercial off-Broadway has resulted in a plethora of unsuitable Broadway productions of tiny shows that look awfully wan in big theaters. The latest example is Lysistrata…

SOURCE: Scheck on the Arts at 05:57AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Less-than-saintly Santas by Frank Scheck

Had enough Sugarplum Fairies to last you a lifetime? Tired of seeing the Rockettes kicking up their heels again? Bah, humbug, indeed. Hey, this is New York City, so no problem. There's plen…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 12:19AM[SHARE]
Monday, December 12, 2011

Review: On a Clear Day You Can See Forever by Frank Scheck

In the musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, we learn that the central character experienced a past life and suffered an untimely end, only to be reborn in a new incarnation. Such is t…

SOURCE: Scheck on the Arts at 05:21AM[SHARE]
Friday, December 9, 2011

A nice hello by 'Bai' by Frank Scheck

If there was ever a show that should begin with the disclaimer, "Kids, don't try this at home," it's the Cirque Shanghai's "Bai Xi." This Chinese acrobatic spectacle " the title, not exactly…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 11:45PM[SHARE]

Review: Stick Fly by Frank Scheck

It’s a long weekend’s journey into night at Stick Fly, Lydia R. Diamond’s overstuffed play about an African-American family’s tumultuous reunion at their summer home …

SOURCE: Scheck on the Arts at 05:34AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Hurt's so good at BAM by Frank Scheck

Could there be an actor more perfectly suited for Samuel Beckett's works than John Hurt? Not only does his gaunt face and wiry hair recall the playwright, but he has the ravaged look of a ma…

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

All that Chat