All stories by Tony Frankel on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Off-Broadway Preview: A GHOST IN YOUR EAR (Audible Theater / New York) by Tony Frankel

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY SOUNDS Audible Theater’s immersive headphone horror transforms the oldest ghost story trick into a chilling theatrical experience Imagine listening to an audioboo…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:12AM[SHARE]

Cabaret Preview: MALTBY & SHIRE: OUR STORY GOES ON (Merkin Hall / New York) by Tony Frankel

THE STORY GOES ON—AND IT SHOULD The American Songbook Association celebrates Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire while reaffirming why America’s great songwriting tradition deserves to e…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:45AM[SHARE]
Monday, August 3, 2026

Dance Preview: FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL (New York City Center) by Tony Frankel

A WORLD OF DANCE IN TEN DAYS Eleven premieres and an extraordinary range of artists make New York City Center’s annual festival one of the season’s most rewarding events. For more than t…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Theater Review: NORTH BY NORTHWEST (The Old Globe / San Diego) by Tony Frankel

DIAL M FOR META Emma Rice’s inventive adaptation is an enjoyable ride; just don’t expect to be transported The movies lie to us in ways the stage cannot. Alfred Hitchcock’s North by No…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:00PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Theater Preview: PROOF (El Portal Theatre / North Hollywood) by Tony Frankel

THE PROOF IS IN THE FAMILY Ed Begley Jr. and daughter Hayden Begley bring David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama to the stage for a four-performance benefit supporting Parkinson’s r…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:58AM[SHARE]

Theater Review: MY ONE WOMAN SHOW (THE SEARCH FOR A TRUTHFUL MOMENT) (Madnani Theatre / Hollywood Fringe Festival) by Tony Frankel

ONE MAN, MANY TRUTHS An extraordinary performer turns theatrical self-examination into something unexpectedly profound Stefan Marks is a spellbinding storyteller, and My One Woman Show (The …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:43AM[SHARE]
Saturday, June 6, 2026

Theater Preview: TWELVE HOURS WITH TRACY LETTS (Circle in the Square) by Tony Frankel

A DAY WITH TRACY LETTS Animus Theatre Company presents a marathon reading festival with an all-star cast to support Circle in the Square Theatre School For theater lovers, the chance to expe…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:57PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Theater Review: KEERAH (Definition Theatre / Chicago) by Tony Frankel

KEERAH’S WAYWARD WANDERINGS: DON’T LOOK BACK—OR DO An ambitious meta-theatrical drama of love and loss boasts terrific performances but struggles to find its focus with too many detour…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:43AM[SHARE]

Evaluating Virtual Drama Academies: What Live Theater Criticism Can Teach Us About E-Learning Engagement by Tony Frankel

Evaluating virtual drama academies reveals how elements of live theater criticism can enhance e-learning engagement. You’ll find that interactive storytelling and real-time audience partic…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:05AM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 31, 2026

Theater Review: ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE (American Blues Theater / Chicago) by Tony Frankel

CRAZY FOR PATSY A warm-hearted tribute lets Patsy Cline’s music do most of the talking American Blues Theater closes out its 40th season with a rather left-field choice: the 1988 revue Alw…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:45AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Theater Review: TARTUFFE, OR, THE CHARLATAN (The Conspirators / Chicago) by Tony Frankel

PUNK, PRAYER, AND PURE CHAOS The Conspirators’ neo-commedia take on Molière finds fresh mischief in a timeless satire What could be better than a saucy, irreverent, seventeenth-century Fr…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:55AM[SHARE]

Dance Preview: SPECTACULAR BALANCHINE! (American Contemporary Ballet / Los Angeles) by Tony Frankel

WHEN BALLET BECAME AMERICAN American Contemporary Ballet celebrates the choreographer who traded princes and swans for jazz, swagger, and pure fun Before George Balanchine arrived in America…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:55AM[SHARE]
Monday, May 25, 2026

Theater Review: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (New Conservatory Theatre Center / San Francisco) by Tony Frankel

WIG IN A BOX, HEART ON A SLEEVE NCTC reinvents the cult classic with a fierce, funny, and deeply moving Hedwig John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch has trave…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:40PM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 17, 2026

Theater Preview: AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ (Ebony Rep / Nate Holden Performing Arts Center / Los Angeles) by Tony Frankel

FATS WALLER’S JOINT IS JUMPIN’ AGAIN Ledisi and an all-star cast bring the Harlem Renaissance roaring back to life at the Nate Holden Center Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a sizzling celebrati…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:00AM[SHARE]
Thursday, May 7, 2026

Theater Preview: MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT (Vineyard Theatre, NYC) by Tony Frankel

POLITICS, IN FULL DRAG: A CAMPAIGN LIKE NO OTHER Wayne Brady leads a wild, urgent, and unexpectedly timely ride through queer history and unfinished business. There have been outsider candid…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:29PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Theater Review: EELPOUT! (Shattered Globe at Theater Wit) by Tony Frankel

ICE FISHING, MALE BONDING, AND ONE VERY TALKATIVE FISH An uproarious and unexpectedly poignant Midwest comedy that finds connection in the unlikeliest of places. “There are only two or thr…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:53PM[SHARE]

Theater Review: FOR WANT OF A HORSE (Echo Theater Company, Atwater Village Theatre) by Tony Frankel

HOLD YOUR HORSES A provocative subject that proves hard to recommend—and harder to ignore Olivia Dufault’s For Want of a Horse tackles a subject most plays wouldn’t dare touch—and to…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:53PM[SHARE]
Friday, May 1, 2026

HOOP DREAMS: THE BIGGEST OSCARS SNUB IN MODERN HISTORY? by Tony Frankel

Ask anyone to talk about the greatest Oscars snubs in history, and you’ll likely get a long litany of grievances. There’s Alfred Hitchcock, five times nominated but never picking up a Be…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:00AM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 26, 2026

Theater Review: COCKROACHES (World Premiere at Revolution Stage Company, Palm Springs) by Tony Frankel

THIS SHOW BUGS ME A Southern Gothic that hints at something deeper but never quite gets there For all its promise, Cockroaches, the 2024 Del Shores Foundation Best Play winner by Emma Schill…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, April 24, 2026

Theater Review: TEEN BEAT LIVE | 80s MOVIE MIXTAPE (CineVita, Inglewood) by Tony Frankel

I LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE A high-energy 80s mixtape that actually leaves you wanting more For The Record has built a reputation on remixing cinematic nostalgia into immersive, high-octane theatri…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:37PM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 23, 2026

Theater Review: THE PRICE (Pacific Resident Theatre, Venice) by Tony Frankel

THE COST OF LOOKING BACK With a soaring first act, I’m willing to pay the price for a second that can’t quite keep up Arthur Miller’s The Price has always been a talky, introspective p…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 11:43PM[SHARE]

Event Preview: FUNDRAISER FOR SENATOR JON OSSOFF (Lin-Manuel Miranda Hosts Virtual Fundraiser) by Tony Frankel

BROADWAY GOES POLITICAL A starry virtual event blends music, activism, and marquee names If you’re going to tune into a political fundraiser, it might as well come with a Broadway-caliber …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:54PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Theater Review: “MASTER HAROLD” …AND THE BOYS (Geffen Playhouse) by Tony Frankel

MASTER PRODUCTION During the last half-hour of the exquisitely produced “Master Harold”…and the boys, the Geffen Playhouse becomes theatre as a temple: a transcendental, spiritual, em…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:25AM[SHARE]

Theater Preview: A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE (The Bent, Palm Springs Cultural Center) by Tony Frankel

SMALL MUSICAL, BIG HEART An intimate Irish story about courage, community, and the quiet power of living truthfully There’s a certain kind of musical that doesn’t announce itself with sp…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:30AM[SHARE]
Saturday, April 18, 2026

Theater Preview: 43RD ELLIOT NORTON AWARDS: NOMINATIONS & CEREMONY (Boston Theater Critics Association, The Huntington) by Tony Frankel

The Boston Theater Critics Association has announced nominations for the 43rd Annual Elliot Norton Awards, a wide-ranging snapshot of the current theater season in Greater Boston. The ceremo…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:50AM[SHARE]
Monday, April 13, 2026

Dance Preview: PARSONS DANCE (BroadStage, Santa Monica) by Tony Frankel

HIGH VOLTAGE DANCE, NO SAFETY NET A company built on athleticism, musicality, and sheer momentum returns to BroadStage Few choreographers have maintained the kind of sustained, high-energy a…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:58AM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 12, 2026

Preview: KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (Palm Canyon Theatre, Palm Springs) by Tony Frankel

DESIRE, DANGER, AND A SONG TO SURVIVE Palm Canyon Theatre dives into one of Kander and Ebb's most intoxicating musical Palm Canyon Theatre brings bold heat to the desert with Kiss of the Spi…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:13AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Theater Review: KIM'S CONVENIENCE (Ahmanson) by Tony Frankel

A SMALL SHOP WITH A BIG HEART A delightful, tender surprise arrives at the Ahmanson"and quietly wins you over Sometimes the most unassuming shows sneak up and steal your heart. Kim's Conveni…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:25PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Theater Review: YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU (Morgan-Wixon Theatre in Santa Monica) by Tony Frankel

BIG CAST, BIG LAUGHS, BIG HEART A  joyful Morgan-Wixson production proves this classic still delivers the goods Community theatre rarely aims this big"or lands this charmingly. The Morgan…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:30AM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 19, 2026

Theater Review: THE BEST BOARDING HOUSE IN DELAWARE (Electric Lodge) by Tony Frankel

HOME IS WHERE THE HORROR IS A boarding house of quiet menace and killer detail Writer/director Marja-Lewis Ryan is back, and her latest show arrives at The Electric Lodge in Venice with a ki…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:00PM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 12, 2026

Theater Review: GUYS AND DOLLS (CV Rep) by Tony Frankel

A BEAUTIFUL DOLL CV Rep's production is one bet you can't lose It's amazing. Were this masterpiece from Broadway's golden age an actual guy or doll, he or she would be scoring Social Securit…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:00AM[SHARE]

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