Broadway Reviews

'KPOP' review — the South Korean music phenomenon bursts onto Broadway with dazzle

KPOP definitely pops off the stage. No one could accuse this show celebrating Korean pop music of skimping when it comes to fervent flash and electrifying oomph. The production makes amazing use of Circle in the Square’s thrust stage and boasts enough dazzle and energy to power up two Broadway shows. On the other hand, KPOP, written by Jason Kim and directed by Teddy Bergman, has scarcely enough compelling substance to sustain its own first act. The plot retraces numerous behind-the-scenes tales...

'A Christmas Carol' review — Jefferson Mays's inventive solo adaptation is a holiday blessing

The splendid production of A Christmas Carol starring Jefferson Mays in a solo tour de force gets off with a bang. Suffice it to say that a rousing theatrical effect does its job. It grabs you by the lapels — actually, the eardrums — and commands your complete attention. This show and the actor playing some 50 roles deserve it. Drawn from Charles Dickens’s 1843 classic about transformation, redemption, and the Christmas spirit (in every sense), the adaptation by Mays, Susan Lyons, and director...

'& Juliet' review — the Bard meets 21st-century bops in energetic pop musical

Anne Hathaway – the wife of William Shakespeare, not the Oscar-winning actress – has a message for her famous husband. In a nutshell: Your star-crossed-lovers tragedy stinks. That’s the start of & Juliet, a slim but cheeky and eager-to-entertain jukebox musical bursting with chart-toppers made famous by Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Bon Jovi, Celine Dion, Backstreet Boys, and other pop stars. “What if Juliet didn’t kill herself?” muses Anne (Betsy Wolfe, goofy, gutsy, and serving gale-force...

'Funny Girl' review — Lea Michele is the greatest star in her triumphant Broadway return

Lea Michele in Funny Girl on Broadway is the theatre event of the season. It’s live theatre at its finest. It’s the perfect marriage of actress and role. The very nature of attending this show is theatrical. For the uninitiated, Lea Michele is a seasoned Broadway performer, who made her debut in Les Misérables at age 8 and rose to fame in her early 20s in the cult-hit Spring Awakening before going on to more mainstream television roles, namely the ambitious and talented Rachel Berry on Ryan...

'The Old Man and the Pool' review — Mike Birbiglia dives into his mortality and earns waves of laughter

Watching comedian Mike Birbiglia on stage is always a blast. It’s like reconnecting with an old friend, albeit one with infinite issues and a habit of taking the roundabout route to get to the point. Birbiglia is totally on brand in his largely delightful solo show, The Old Man and the Pool. The 44-year-old author and actor dives into the choppy waters of his own mortality and comes up not only with waves of laughs, but also deep reflections about love and appreciation for how lucky he is (and...

'Kimberly Akimbo' review — Victoria Clark and a talented ensemble shine in letter-perfect musical

She’s back! Following an Off-Broadway run that wrapped in January, Kimberly Akimbo is now in residence at the Booth Theatre with the original cast and every bit of its wondrous quirkiness intact. In fact, the show is more polished and endearing than before. Anyone (including myself) who fears this charmer might get swallowed up in a Broadway house can rest easy. The show, created by David Lindsay-Abaire (book and lyrics) and Jeanine Tesori (music), has found the ideal home. The luxury of a...

'Almost Famous' review — musical adaptation of hit film doesn't rock as hard

Cameron Crowe’s musical adaptation of his much-loved 22-year-old Oscar-winner, Almost Famous, gets off to a very promising start. So much so you silently hope Crowe (book and lyrics), Tom Kitt (music and lyrics), and director Jeremy Herrin can sustain the high level for the whole 2.5 hours. Long story short, no such luck. Fortunately, the show is filled with fine performances and getup that takes us back a half-century without looking like a costume party. The energizing early vignettes come...

'Walking with Ghosts' review — Gabriel Byrne conjures spirits and stories in his earnest solo show

The stage is set for memory lane at Gabriel Byrne’s low-simmering solo show Walking with Ghosts. A series of prosceniums that successively shrink as they recede from the audience simply and efficiently suggest traveling backward. That’s where the Irish author and actor heads in his adaptation of his 2021 memoir of the same title. Beyond some lighting cues and bits of music, the 2-hour production directed by Lonny Price (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill) is essentially a no-frills affair. Its...

'Topdog/Underdog' review — with Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, this play shows its lasting power

Back on Broadway in a top-notch new production, Suzan-Lori Parks’s 2002 Pulitzer Prize winner, Topdog/Underdog, bubbles over with timeless talking points. The always intriguing playwright reckons with race, identity, fractured families, and the elusive chase for grace. At its core – and right there in the title – the play also concerns power. Someone’s always got more of it, and that disparity breeds trouble. For this harrowing and humorous two-hander to reach its full firepower, it takes actors...

'The Piano Lesson' review — Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Brooks, and John David Washington strike all the right chords

The Piano Lesson at the Barrymore Theatre has been tuned to perfection. Under the deft guidance of LaTanya Richardson Jackson, who makes her Broadway directing debut, August Wilson’s stirring story filled with richly drawn characters, family drama, humor, and beyond-this-world mystery (cue the ghost!) comes vividly to life. Bluesy poetry and musicality are hallmarks of Wilson’s scripts. It’s easy to see – and hear – that here. Over the course of 2 3/4 hours, bits of boogie-woogie, spirituals,...