If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the musical theatre world must be very flattered by Schmigadoon. This loving parody of Golden Age Broadway (which recently got 12 Tony nominations) will entertain both fans of the Apple TV series and new audiences. As in many shows of this type,
In families, the math sometimes doesn’t add up. Exhibit A is the Broadway revival of Proof, David Auburn’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play. The emotional dynamic in this piece (directed by Thomas Kail) will resonate with anyone who’s had a personal or professional disagreement with a loved
Plays about meetings might sound boring, but they often make for compelling drama, whether the venue is a city council (The Minutes) or a school board (Eureka Day). Building on this trend, David Lindsay-Abaire’s The Balusters zeroes in on a homeowner’s association. The play touches on common HOA
Audiences get a new perspective on a literary titan in Giant, which puts beloved children’s author Roald Dahl under the microscope. The play takes place on an afternoon in 1983, soon after Dahl wrote an anti-Semitic book review. His new novel, The Witches, is about to be published, so
Daniel Radcliffe is more than Harry Potter; he’s also one of the best stage actors working today. From How to Succeed and The Cripple of Inishmaan to The Lifespan of a Fact and Merrily We Roll Along, you can’t take your eyes off him. That streak continues in
It’s a gutsy move to include “Puttin’ on the Ritz” in a new Frankenstein movie since it’s so closely associated with Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. But like many of the bets in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride, it pays off. The film transposes the story of the Bride
Blizzards and bitter cold kept me away from Broadway for several weeks, but I came back to an absolute gem. While I’m all for theatrical glitz, there’s nothing like a well-told story. Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is exactly that. The deceptively simple premise that
Desperate times call for desperate measures. It’s a common theme, and two recent movies take it to both dramatic and comedic places. Dead Man’s Wire Fans of gritty 70s crime films like Dog Day Afternoon will find a lot to like in Dead Man’s Wire, a tense
Although it deals with artificial intelligence, Marjorie Prime has a deep humanity that will resonate with anyone who’s cared for an aging relative. Set in the near future, Jordan Harrison’s play focuses on Marjorie (June Squibb), an older woman with dementia. To help jog her memory, her conflicted
Happy New Year! As we turn the page on 2025 (a week late in my case due to illness), I wanted to share my favorite film, theatre, and TV of the year. All 12 of them (listed alphabetically) are well worth your time. Happy viewing! Black Bag This twisty thriller
This Christmas week, I’m sharing a Grinch-like opinion: most Hollywood blockbusters bore me. Marvel movies feel like homework, and I literally fell asleep during a Transformers flick. There are some exceptions: The Quiet Place movies scratch my jump scare itch, and the Planet of the Apes films are an
One of this year’s leading Oscar contenders, Hamnet powerfully shows how art can heal. The film traces the love story of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, who’s dogged by rumors that she’s the daughter of a forest witch. Regardless, the couple marries and raises three children,