Give it up for Ragtime, a sweeping, ambitious revival that, with the election of Barack Obama, carries added resonance. The musical, an adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's novel about early 20th-century America, is moving, stirring and not to be missed. Real historic figures, like anarchist Emma Goldman, Harry Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit...

"Brits Off Broadway," an annual lineup at 59E59 Theaters, imports stellar British productions each season. One bonus is restaging vintage material, such as 10 Saki short stories adapted for the stage in the piercingly funny Wolves at the Window. Whether zapping upper-crust attitudes about money, love or social rivalry, Saki,...

When August: Osage County, an astounding large-scale familial drama burst on Broadway, it trumpeted the arrival of Tracy Letts, who won the Pulitzer Prize. By contrast, his follow-up effort, Superior Donuts, is a quiet meditation on fathers and sons, hope and hopelessness. This round, Letts went smaller, more intimate. Though...

August Strindberg's taut 1888 drama about an upper-class woman's forbidden passion for her servant explodes nightly at the American Airlines Theater. Updated by British playwright Patrick Marber as After Miss Julie, the current setting is 1945, on the eve of Labour's history victory. The class wars may be erupting, especially...

The revival of the George Kaufman-Edna Ferber comedy The Royal Family is sheer perfection. A charming send-up of the illustrious Barrymores, theatrical and film stars of their day, this 1927 play is a charmer from start to finish. Set in a gorgeously designed East Side townhouse, the cast, particularly Rosemary...

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Still Life at the Lucille Lortel Theater speaks volumes.

An extraordinarily sensitive piece, it focuses on a tender love story. A talented photographer (Sarah Paulson) is suffering the equivalent of stage fright: She can't take pictures anymore. She falls for...

The Broadway musical is an American invention. Geniuses of the American Musical Theatre, just out from Applause Theater & Cinema Books, profiles 28 artists who helped transform its toe-tapping zip into legendary status. Musicals like "West Side Story," "Guys & Dolls" and "Gypsy" are iconic and enduring; many creators are...

J.R.R. Tolkien fans rejoice!

On Oct. 9 and 10, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring hits Radio City Music Hall in a multimedia extravaganza. Howard Shore's Oscar-winning score will be performed synchronized with the hit film, showcased on a 60-foot screen. Conductor Ludwig Wicki will...

Finding a caregiver can be a stressful responsibility for family members. Because medical emergencies arise suddenly, decisions must be made quickly. Many baby boomers are faced with aging parents who demand home-care assistance. Marki Flannery, president of Partners in Care, a not-for-profit that provides certified home health aides and nurses...

Emily Dickinson is one of our most esteemed and mysterious poets. By age 30, she refused to leave her home; in fact, she usually spoke to people through a partially opened door. Sensitive and intelligent, Dickinson has long intrigued scholars, who have speculated on the myriad reasons for her isolation....

British comedies have usually played well on American shores. The tart Blithe Spirit, now at the Schubert Theater, is no exception. The revival is a light-hearted trifle, but still manages to send up marriage, fidelity and the spirit world. And it doesn't hurt that it stars Angela Lansbury, Christine Ebersole...

Though it was written in 1664, Tartuffe's message is eternal: Every age must separate religious hypocrisy from true piety, real virtue from pretense, sincerity from posturing. Satire helps point the way. Now playing at the Pearl Theater, Tartuffe is a hilarious send-up of faux leaders and those who blindly worship...

The word "hero" is abused in our culture. It is applied so casually, it ceases to have real meaning. So when a legitimate example of heroism emerges, it humbles us all. Such is the power of Irena's Vow, the true story of Irena Gut Opdyke and the 12 Jews she...

There is a new fab four - Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden - and they light up the stage each night. Their collective performance in God of Carnage is spectacular. And it's a sobering reminder that beneath the veneer of civilization, we are all driven...

The clash between science and religion is never ending. When Obama signed his stem-cell bill, religious fundamentalists and conservative commentators cried foul. When Galileo, the 17th-century physicist trumpeted Copernicus' theory - the Earth revolved around the sun - the Catholic Church, which embraced the opposite view, spun out of orbit....

Obsession can serve society well - particularly when it is the handmaiden to genius. Two new plays tackle this theme, starring Beethoven and Galileo, respectively. The first is obsessed with writing piano variations for a seemingly trivial waltz; ultimately, his passion will explode the boundaries of musical composition. The second,...