There is no way around it. This production is - I hate saying this, but it's true - flat out bad.

It should not be this bad. Brilliant directors like Ian Rickson, who have shown that they can handle the trickiness of Chekhov with incredible dexterity and delicacy (see his production of The Seagull, a gorgeous limited run on Broadway this past ( Read more... )

You have probably heard a great many things about the recent Broadway production of Christopher Hampton's Dangerous Liaisons. You have probably heard the Ben Daniels as the Vicomte de Valmont carried the show, that the costumes were gorgeous, and that Laura Linney as the Marquise de Merteuil was - despite all expectations - mediocre, miscast, even ( Read more... )

Hello! I've been watching various videos of different versions of Richard and Anne's courtship scene from Richard III, and thought I ought to share them with you all.

Laurence Olivier and Claire Bloom:

Part One

Part TwoI don't love this interpertation. I really think splitting the scene up weakens the impact, and it truly seems rather as though ( Read more... )

For the first time in my memory, I find the plays infinitely more interesting than the musicals.

Well, of course, I'd like Sunday in the Park with George to win a bunch of things, particularly the technical awards (there is a great magic in this production, I believe, and that's so utterly neccesary for any production of that musical), and it ( Read more... )

I only rarely do memes, but this one was too much fun to pass up.

( Read more... )

A combination of Jekyll and Hyde, Jane Eyre and a dash of Dracula the Musical, with projections out of Lestat: if that sounds attractive to you, cancel your tickets for Mel Brooks' Young Frakenstein:; Mark Baron and Jeffrey Jackson's new off-Broadway Frankenstein the Musical is the show for you ( Read more... )

The interviews/promotional videos from Frankenstein the Musical (review forthcoming) are hysterical.

First you have Hunter Foster going, "This is all really new and innovative and awesome - but it's not better than Young Frakenstein. No, really, it's not. In fact, I think you should all see both of them! In the same day, even! Because neither of ( Read more... )

Charles Mee, you are crazy.

Yes, I've been reading the "Imperial Dreams" Tetralogy.

First, an observation: you know that you're sitting close to the stage when you can smell the actors' perfume.

The new production of Euripides' Iphigenia at Aulis at La Mama Experimental Theatre company has been put on by the Gardzienice Theatre, which originates in Poland and emphasizes using music and dance to tell the story as much as they use ( Read more... )

It was amazing. No, I am not surprised, and neither, I imagine, is anyone else. What I was surprised about, however, was how flawlessly Ian Mckellen's performance fit into what was, in fact, a wonderful ensemble show. The New York Times was unjustified in praising Ian Mckellen's performance but calling the rest of the show 'spotty'. No, this was a ( Read more... )