Saturday, April 10, 2010

Theater

More in Theater »
Theater Review | 'Anyone Can Whistle'

A Sondheim Tribute to Politics and Other Craziness

By BEN BRANTLEY
Donna Murphy is the spotlight-loving mayor in a concert version of “Anyone Can Whistle,” the1964 musical by Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim, at City Center.
Chad Batka for The New York Times

Donna Murphy is the spotlight-loving mayor in a concert version of “Anyone Can Whistle,” the1964 musical by Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim, at City Center.

An Encores! concert version of “Anyone Can Whistle,” the composer’s biggest flop, hints at the greatness that followed.

Theater Review | 'The Addams Family'
“The Addams Family”: Tiptoeing through the tombstones at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater: from left, Adam Riegler, Jackie Hoffman, Nathan Lane, Zachary James, Bebe Neuwirth, Krysta Rodriguez and Kevin Chamberlin.

Buh-Da-Da-Dum (Snap Snap)

By BEN BRANTLEY

Imagine, if you dare, the agonies of the talented people trapped inside the collapsing tomb of “The Addams Family,” a genuinely ghastly musical.

Theater Review | 'Uncle Vanya'
Tatyana Schuko, seated in the foreground, Alexander Zavyalov, above her, and Sergey Kuryshev to his left, in “Uncle Vanya.”

Chekhov’s Aristocrats, Ever Absorbed in Themselves

By CHARLES ISHERWOOD

The Russian company Maly Drama Theater portrays Chekhov without the repression that sometimes plagues other productions.

ArtsBeat Blog

Who Will Win Pulitzer Prize for Drama?

By PATRICK HEALY

Any informed speculation, gut calls, or plain guesses on which play or musical will win the Pulitzer Prize for drama on Monday?

Away
ENCHANTED COTTAGE Jessica Molaskey and John Pizzarelli at their rustic retreat from Manhattan show business in Carmel, N.Y.

A Bit of Broadway Nestled Along a Lake

By JOANNE KAUFMAN

The cabaret performers Jessica Molaskey and John Pizzarelli are staples of Manhattan urbanity, but their choice of a getaway is a rustic lakeside cottage in Carmel, N.Y.

Theater Review | 'Inner Voices'
Judith Blazer in “Whida Peru: Resurrection Tangle,” one of the two entries in the “Inner Voices” series at 59E59 Theaters.

Unhappy Medium Searches for Clarity

By CHARLES ISHERWOOD

Judith Blazer and Heidi Blickenstaff star in “Inner Voices,” a program devoted to cultivating the solo musical form.

ArtsBeat Blog
A scene from the Public Theater’s production of “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.”

Politics and Show Tunes

By BEN BRANTLEY

Recently politicians and the song-and-dance show have snuck back into bed together, making a new kind of music with surprisingly electric results.

ArtsBeat Blog
Five Questions for Donna Murphy

Five Questions for Donna Murphy

By ERIK PIEPENBURG

The actress talks about performing in the Encores! production of the musical "Anyone Can Whistle."

Arts Beat

Actors' Equity Withdraws From 'Come Fly Away'

April 9, 2010

A Prosperous Union for 'Tony N' Tina' and Actors' Equity

April 9, 2010

Arts & Leisure Preview: Dennis Hopper, Rocco Landesman, 'Glee' and More

April 9, 2010

More Theater News in Arts Beat »

Theater Listings: April 9 — 15

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Selective listings from theater critics of The New York Times.

Multimedia
Video
Beyond Black

A look at the costumes for the Broadway musical "The Addams Family," narrated by Julian Crouch, the co-designer and co-director.

Video
A Pop Presidency

The director Alex Timbers narrates a look at the show "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson."

Slide Show
‘Red’

Photos from the new Broadway play about the painter Mark Rothko.

More Reviews
Theater Review | 'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson'
Benjamin Walker as Andrew Jackson in “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” which opened on Tuesday at the Public Theater.

Old Hickory, Rock Star President

By BEN BRANTLEY

“Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” is the most entertaining and most perceptive political theater of the season.

Theater Review | 'Bellona, Destroyer of Cities'

New Kid at Large on Urban Chessboard

By CLAUDIA LA ROCCO

“Bellona, Destroyer of Cities” is Jay Scheib’s adaptation of Samuel R. Delany’s science-fiction novel “Dhalgren,” about a ravaged, metaphorical city.

Theater Review | 'I Never Sang for My Father'

That Old Equation: Dad + Son = Clash

By KEN JAWOROWSKI

A revival of a 1968 play by Robert Anderson raises questions about relationships in families.

Theater Review | 'The Irish Curse'

Support for Irish Who Aren’t So Lucky

By NEIL GENZLINGER

“The Irish Curse” is an often funny but formulaic play about a support group for men with notably small penises.

Theater Review | 'Looking for Billy Haines'
“Looking for Billy Haines”: Jason T. Gaffney, left, and Joseph Cullinane in this comedy at the Lion Theater.

Choosing Gay Identity in Old Hollywood

By ANITA GATES

“Looking for Billy Haines” follows two threads, one about a gay movie star in the 1920s, the other about an aspiring young actor today.

Theater Review | 'Lend Me a Tenor'
“Lend Me a Tenor”: Clockwise from left, Brooke Adams, Tony Shalhoub, Mary Catherine Garrison and Jay Klaitz at the Music Box Theater.

It’s Not Over Till the Zonked Guy Flings

By CHARLES ISHERWOOD

The heady ether of prime farce never materializes in the labor-intensive but laugh-deficient revival of “Lend Me a Tenor.”

Theater Review | 'Rescue Me'

Featuring Iphigenia, Videos and In-Jokes

By JASON ZINOMAN

“Rescue Me (A Postmodern Classic With Snacks),” the Ma-Yi Theater’s irreverent update of “Iphigenia in Tauris,” melds the serious and the silly.

Theater Review | Connecticut
ONE-WOMAN SHOW Nilaja Sun, directed by Hal Brooks, plays more than a dozen characters in “No Child ... ,” about bringing theater to a Bronx high school.

School Where Acting Is a Hard Sell

By ANITA GATES

Nilaja Sun portrays more than a dozen characters in “No Child ...,” her play about theater class in a Bronx school.

Theater Review | New Jersey

Apollo Made Him Do It

By ANITA GATES

Two River Theater Company presents “Orestes: A Tragic Romp,” an adaptation of the Greek tragedy by Euripides.

Theater Review | 'Red'
Eddie Redmayne, left, as an artist's assistant, and Alfred Molina as Mark Rothko in “Red.”

Primary Colors and Abstract Appetites

By BEN BRANTLEY

“Red” is an intense and exciting bio-drama about the Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko and his ambitious young assistant.

Theater Review | 'Love Is My Sin'

Shakespeare’s Sonnets Get a Turn on the Stage

By CHARLES ISHERWOOD

Peter Brook’s theatrical adaptation of select Shakespeare sonnets leaves behind a haunting afterimage of the struggle to make evanescent things defy life’s inevitable endings.

More News & Features

Top Grossing Broadway Shows

Week Ending April 4
  1. Wicked, $1,686,510
  2. The Lion King, $1,544,633
  3. The Addams Family, $1,391,177
  4. Billy Elliot, $1,339,244
  5. Mary Poppins, $1,292,512
  6. The Phantom of the Opera, $1,169,253
  7. West Side Story, $1,126,751
  8. Jersey Boys, $1,094,039
  9. Mamma Mia!, $1,066,795
  10. A View From the Bridge, $988,455
Source: The Broadway League

Opening Soon

Many of these shows are currently in previews.

Readers’ Favorites

The following shows have received ratings of at least four stars from Times readers.

BROADWAY OFF BROADWAY

Most Highly Rated Shows »

From the Archive
Multimedia Features
Multimedia Features

Interviews with performers, designers and others in the theater, on Broadway and off.

Critics’ Picks

Ben Brantley RECOMMENDS Charles Isherwood RECOMMENDS

More New York Times Critics' Picks »

MOST POPULAR - THEATER

Advertisements