You know, as much as I liked Matilda, I did not leave thinking a lot about the look of Bertie Carvel's Miss Trunchbull. Clearly many people did depart the show thinking of such things. Numerous critics described The Trunch's appearance in very colorful terms and went out of their way...

I've never been a gigantic Barbra Streisand fan. This may rank as the least Jewish thing I've ever said, with the possible exception of a few weeks ago when I told my dinner companions that I sing "Silent Night" to myself when I can't sleep. But it's true. I don't...

It is rare that I am as impressed with a show as I am with Matilda. It has a real intelligence to it -- from the inventiveness of Rob Howell's set to Tim Minchin's witty lyrics, it all sort of works. I give a lot of credit to director Matthew...

As I've written here before, you generally get what you ask for when you request something of the generous Tony Awards Administration Committee. So it was not surprising Cinderella got categorized a "revival" -- after all, as Michael Riedel wrote a couple of weeks ago, that means it is...

I usually hate the spring. As it approaches the Tony eligibility deadline, everyone in the theater industry becomes a little nuts. Even people without shows on the boards seem a bit more high-strung than normal.

But, regardless, there is much I am excited about this spring. I love heartwarming...

I love going to regional theaters. Often, on vacation, I find myself at the theater. This seems odd to people, because I go to the theater so often in New York, but it makes perfect sense to me; I enjoy the theater. I'm also fascinated by the different audiences around...

While waiting for my guest to arrive at Classic Stage Company's Ivanov in November, I overheard a man say: "I have never been to this theater, it's awfully small for the caliber of work they do." Indeed, for those of you who have not been there, the rundown lobby of...

I love tough Tony Award races. I love when there are so many eligible contenders for a given category, I don't even know who is going to be nominated. So I am super excited about the Best Actress in a Play Tony Award category.

In my decade plus career,...

Everything is about the wrapping. A crappy gift seems nicer when topped with a beautiful bow. A stunning exterior shows thought and caring. It's all presentation. This is true not only of tokens given to each other but also applies to shows and films. Sets are an essential element of...

It was not a very good fall season. I say that almost every winter, but it seems especially true this one. Disasters abounded, as did mediocrity. As the dust settled, I asked a bunch of industry people to comment anonymously on what they consider to be the biggest surprises of...

Some of you still want to give the last minute gift of theater tickets. I know, because my voicemail and email box are filled with people asking: "What show would my [girlfriend/boyfriend/mother/aunt] like?" It is always hard to recommend theater for people you do not know, but this season I...

Every week the Broadway grosses tell us a lot. Others write weekly on the tidbits that can be mined from the data (which is nicely provided by The Broadway League); I cover them more rarely. But sometimes I feel compelled. This is such a week. The Broadway grosses...

First came Roundabout Theatre Company's Roundabout Underground, then came Lincoln Center Theater's LCT3 and, now, here she is, boys, Manhattan Theatre Club's The Studio at Stage II. The Studio at Stage II, where MTC claims "bold, new work meets bold, new audiences," makes its official debut this week with the...

The Rebecca fiasco did not beget many winners, but there was one: Sierra Boggess. This may sound completely bizarre; let me explain.

Boggess, who I will now and forever think of as the Little Mermaid, had been involved with Rebecca since 2009. The team loved her. She was set...

Every once and a while when the lights come up at the start of intermission of a play, I am confused because I feel like I haven't been sitting in the dark all that long. It feels too quick for an intermission. Such was the case at the Manhattan Theatre...

While we're no longer in the age of David Merrick, producers continue to have a tremendous impact (for better or worse) on their shows. They put together the money and can completely steer the ship. Being a producer is often not an easy job; I sometimes wonder why the majority...

Before my official NY fall preview, I wanted to write a little bit about some shows that just left NY and are hitting the road, and some shows that are originating outside of NY.

In the last few weeks, Broadway saw the closing of Sister Act, One Man, Two Guvnors...

Ladies and gentlemen -- everything comes back around; everything old is new again; if you wait long enough, people forget. Except, I rarely completely forget in-development Broadway musicals. And I don't like when journalists treat old things as new.

So it was with a shake of the head that I...

A couple of weeks ago, the Post's Michael Riedel wrote an amusing column about Chaplin and its funding source, a frozen food conglomerate. My favorite "producers" this season have nothing to do with Rich's, however; they sell fancier products, supposedly at least. Who am I talking about?...

In I Remember Nothing, Nora Ephron writes that one of the things she will miss when she dies is Shakespeare in the Park. This brought a little smile of recognition to my face when I read it originally because I always miss Shakespeare in the Park when it's not around.