Theater Review

Inner City Rhythms and Blues

George Heymont | Posted 05.23.2012

Read More: Tristan Cunningham, Tenderloin, Cutting Ball Theatre, Mark Ellinger, David Sinaiko, Michael Uy Kelly, Annie Elias, Rebecca Frank, San Francisco Theater, San Francisco Around Town, Theater Review, Video, Arts News

As the cast of Tenderloin brings the show's characters to life, the nervous energy that is often found outside the theatre starts to seep inside its walls.

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Star Power: Peter and the Starcatcher

Bess Rowen | Posted 05.18.2012

Read More: Theater, Peter and the Starcatcher, Theater Review, New York, Peter Pan, New York Theater, Culture News

I am not saying that cross-dressing can't be funny, but I am saying that it is not a joke in and of itself. It is also simply old hat to laugh at a male character who seems emasculated. Haven't we moved past this?

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Billy Elliot Has Stars Dancing the Red Carpet at Pantages (SLIDESHOW)

Charles Karel Bouley | Posted 04.19.2012

It's not easy being a Billy. Although one would never know it to meet one. And yes, there's more than one; there are four to be precise, each able to carry the load of the entire multi-million-dollar tour of Billy Elliot.

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On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

Howard Kissel | Posted 02.11.2012

Read More: On a Clear Day You Can See Forever Score, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Broadway Shows, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever Review, Broadway, Broadway Musicals, Theater, Musicals, Theater Review, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever Revival, Arts News

I hope enough time passes that every time I listen to the cast album that will accompany the revival of Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane's 1965 On a Clear Day You Can See Forever -- and I know I'll listen to it often -- I won't be reminded of the tackiness of the production itself.

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The Mountaintop: Big Stars Can't Do It All

Danny Groner | Posted 01.02.2012

Read More: Angela Bassett, Samuel L. Jackson, Martin Luther King, Play, Broadway, Martin Luther King Jr., The Mountaintop, Civil Rights, Broadway Review, NY Around Town, NY Theater, Theater Review, New York News

The Mountaintop does not aim to call Martin Luther King's life and legacy into question; rather, it hopes to make him a more relatable character -- he smokes, curses, and, yes, even goes to the bathroom.

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Dr. King's Volcanic Mountaintop Seductively Explosive

Lonna Saunders | Posted 12.18.2011

Read More: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Dr. Martin Luther King, Samuel L. Jackson, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Kenny Leon, Fences, Jr., Jesse Jackson, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Viola Davis, Katori Hall, Dr. King, Mountaintop, Morehouse College, August Wilson, NY Around Town, Theater Review, Entertainment News

This is not a play for the faint-hearted, but it is a celebration of life, love, and country.

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'Cashdollars,' Canvas & The Castro: Haiku Reviews

Posted 11.23.2011

Read More: Installation Art, Video, Art, Peter Frank, Art Reviews, Drypoint, Sculpture, Drawing, Theater, Art Los Angeles, Los Angeles Art, George Heymont, Theater Review, Prints, Painting, Haiku Reviews, Arts News

HuffPost Arts' Haiku Reviews is a weekly feature where invited critics review exhibitions and performances in short form. Some will be in the traditio...

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Voca People: Music from a Foreign Land

Danny Groner | Posted 11.07.2011

Read More: Off-Broadway, A Capella, Voca People, Music, Comedy, Reviews, A Capella Show, NY Around Town, NY Theater, Theater Review, New York News

From the bit I'd read about the unique a capella show Voca People, I hoped that it would be a night to remember. Yet, while the music and mischief of the show was entertaining, it fell short of being an a capella sensation.

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The Presentment -- Father Doesn't Know Jack!

Ellen Snortland | Posted 11.01.2011

Read More: Gay Priests, Pasadena Playhouse, Presentment, Theater Review, Heresy, D. Paul Thomas, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Arts News

I highly recommend The Presentment, though I would love this show to play in areas that aren't "the choir" but rather the persecutors and haters of its message.

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PHOTOS: Minimalism & The Apocalypse: Haiku Reviews:

Posted 10.11.2011

Read More: Classical Music Reviews, Laurence Vittes, Peter Frank, Art Show Reviews, Slideshow, Los Angeles Art, George Heymont, Theater Review, Haiku Reviews, Art Galleries, Slidepollajax, New York Art, Arts News

HuffPost Arts' Haiku Reviews is a weekly feature where invited critics review exhibitions and performances in short form. Some will be in the traditio...

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"Commencement": Changing the World One Perverted CEO At A Time

Ellen Snortland | Posted 10.08.2011

Read More: Now That She's Gone, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Multinational Corporations, Marlborough School, Revenge Fantasy, Theater Review, Edinburgh Fringe, Feminism, Theatrem, Entertainment News

Edinburgh, U.K. -- Eye-crossing, mind-boggling numbers of art-loving, hard-drinking people and arts events pack the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every Au...

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Baby It's You!: Oldies, But Not So Goodies

Danny Groner | Posted 08.30.2011

Read More: Jersey Boys, Scepter Records, Play, Rock of Ages, Broadway, Florence Greenberg, Frankie Valli, Theater, The Shirelles, Baby It's You!, Music, New York Around Town, Theater Review, New York News

Baby It's You! isn't the show that critics wanted it to be. Reviewers compared it to the beloved Jersey Boys. It's a natural comparison to make, but Baby suffers as a result of these lofty expectations.

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Theater Review: Elusive Beauty of the Nightingale

Marc Porter Zasada | Posted 06.21.2011

Read More: Theater Review, Eccentricities of a Nightingale, Tennessee Williams, April 2011, Los Angeles, A Noise Within, Deborah Puette, Jason Dechert, Damaso Rodriguez, Los Angeles News

Nightingale is not quite a romance and not quite a tragedy -- more a mystery of the human heart. Director Dámaso Rodriguez has captured the elusive beauty of this Tennessee Willliams' classic.

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Knickerbocker Holiday

Howard Kissel | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Victor Garber, American Symphony Orchestra, Knickerbocker, Theater Review, New York Theater, New York, Musical Theater, Arts News

The 1938 musical Knickerbocker Holiday is being given a gorgeous concert revival by the Collegiate Chorale and a distinguished group of soloists at Alice Tully Hall.

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High Spirits and Expectations at A Noise Within

Melinda Brocka | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Glendale, Great Expectations, A Noise Within, Blithe Spirit, Charles Dickens, Noel Coward, Theater, Los Angeles, Theater Review, Arts News

Both Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit and Charles Dickens' Great Expectations a Glendale's A Noise Within were hilarious, extremely well-acted and included creative use of props and wardrobe.

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Old Time Laughs at the Largo

Tara Settembre | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: La Cienega, Radio Show, Theater Review, Lake Bell, Los Angeles, LA Culture, Acker & Blacker, LA Events, Los Angeles News

I was at the Largo on a Friday night for the sold out, monthly Acker & Blacker's Thrilling Adventure Hour, a staged show in the style of old-time radio.

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Next Fall on Broadway

Regina Weinreich | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Sheryl Kaller, Maddie Corman, Geoffrey Nauffts, Next Fall, Patrick Heusinger, Theater Review, Entertainment News

One powerful message of the play Next Fall is contained in its title. Simply, don't put things off: life may not wait till next fall.

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The U.K. National Theatre's Phedre Could Change the Reach of Theater -- or Not

Divina Infusino | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: England, London, Helen Mirrin, UK, UK National Theatre, Theater, Theater Review, Hd, Satellite, Phèdre, Entertainment News

Live theater has no natural digital companion. The U.K. National Theatre's production of Phèdre, starring Helen Mirren, has been an attempt to change that.

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Take a Cue in Life from Angela Lansbury

Dr. Tian Dayton | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Aging Gracefully, Theater Review, Broadway, Angela Lansbury, Noel-Coward, Shubert Theater, Theeater, New York News

The Angela Lansbury moment was so extraordinary because somehow she is a symbol of how to live the full length and breadth of one's life.

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Stage Door: Coward at Christmas, James Barbour, Shrek the Musical

Fern Siegel | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Theater, Cabaret, Entertainment, Shrek the Musical, Musical Adaptations, Broadway Review, Restuarant Seasonal, Kids Play, Coward at Christmas, Theater Review, Shrek, Restuarant Review, Entertainment News

Shrek the Musical at the Broadway Theater is notable for being loud and unnerving. The original film was layered; the musical translation is all campy surface. The Lion King this isn't.

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Stage Door: Occupant, Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy

Fern Siegel | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Broadway, Theater, Occupant, Theater Review, Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, Entertainment News

Insightful, and astounding, Albee's Occupant reveals the true grit behind an artist's calling. By contrast, Goldberg's Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy focuses on the wholly physical -- stretching, literally, what the body can do.

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Is Ballet Dead? Never! New York City Ballet Presents an Enticing Evening of New Work

Tonya Plank | Posted 05.25.2011

I had a wonderful night at New York City Ballet the other night. The program, titled "Here and Now", focused on some of the company's newest works, and was kind of a celebration of the future, of 21st Century ballet.

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