Off-Broadway Reviews

Appropriate

Review by Tulis McCallWhat is fascinating and brave about Mr. Jacobs-Jenkins' writing is that he is hauling old sins out into the light. I was speaking to some folks after seeing Appropriate at the Signature Theatre, and the particular sins, that Jacobs-Jenkins examined, seemed to be news to them. The matter of lynching, despicable in its own right, is laid out on the table in the form of a photo album. Lynchings were a social occasion that people documented. They brought their children to bear...

Vanities

A review by Tulis McCallOh, they try, these women. They do try. They sing. They dance. They change clothes onstage. They try so hard they make you tired, and you aren't doing much of anything except sitting through this long, dull toothache of an evening.This is the story of three best friends from Texas, whose accents may come and go, but their friendship remains solid. More or less. Mary (Lauren Kennedy ) is a rebel, Joanne (Sarah Stiles) wants to grow up so she can be a wife and have...

Latin History for Morons

NOTE: This is a review of the Off-Broadway premiere of Latin History for Morons at the Public Theater.John Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons, now at the Public Theater is not for morons, and it is not just a history lesson. It is an homage to heritage, to parenthood, to Leguizamo's family and specifically to his son. Not bad.Of course as soon as I wrote the above I transcribed my notes and discovered that there was a boatload of history in this show. None of it very happy making.At first I...

Meet Me In St Louis

Music & Lyrics by: Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane Book by: Hugh Wheeler Directed by: Charlotte Moore Cast: George S. Irving, John Hickok, Sarah Pfisterer, Becky Barta, Danielle Piacentile, Gabrielle Piacentile, Doug Boes, Merideth Kaye Clark, Kerry Conte, Ashley Robinson, Bonnie Fraser and Colin Donnell. Synopsis: The story of the Smith family as they eagerly anticipate the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis just after the turn of the century. Optimism and young love are severely tested and of course,...

THE BOOK OF GRACE

Review by Tulis McCall 18 Mar 2010Well, folks, there is trouble in River City and her name is Grace. Well, she is not the trouble really, but she surely has a way of attracting it to her.Set in nowhere Southwest, near the Fence that is supposed to be keeping aliens out of the country, Grace lives with her husband, known only as Vet. Grace looks for the good while Vet looks for the borders. Borders define what is yours and what is mine. For Vet, pretty much everything falls into the "what is...

Avenue Q

The New York Theatre Guide last reviewed the New York production of Avenue Q seven years ago, so we thought it was high time we re-visited Princeton, Kate Monster and co. at New World Stages to see if that fur-covered musical magic is still alive and well. I'm happy to report that Avenue Q is still right up my (Sesame) street!In 2003, this musical comedy from the creative genius of Jeff Whitty, Jeff Marx and the now EGOT-winner Robert Lopez defied all conventions and broke the mold of modern...

Spring Awakening

Music by: Duncan Sheik Book and lyrics by: Steven Sater Based on play by: Frank Wedekind Directed by: Michael Mayer Choreography by: Bill T. Jones Cast: Jonathan Groff (Melchior Gabor), Lea Michele (Wendla Bergman), John Gallagher, Jr. (Mortiz), Skylar Astin (Georg), Lilli Cooper (Martha), Gideon Glick (Ernst), Brian Johnson (Otto), Lauren Pritchard (Ilse), Phoebe Strole (Anna), Jonathan B. Wright (Hanschen), and Remy Zaken (Thea), Stephen Spinella (Male Adult characters) and Christine Estabrook...

The Piano Lesson

This is a production of substance and grace. It is stacked with relationships so layered and family history branches so deep and convoluted that you practically need hip boots to wade on in to this tale. And wade on in you will definitely want to do. No question about that.It is 1936 Pittsburgh. Boy Willie (Brandon J. Dirden) and his friend Lymon (Jason Dirden) have driven up from Mississippi, and the trip has taken them two days on account of their truck breaking down more than once. They...

Big Love

Review by Tulis McCall 25 February 2015Charles Mee lives on a planet very near the one that Bill Irwin calls home. I don't know where it is, but I do know I have visited it, several times. With Big Love now at the Pershing Square Signature Center, he has achieved lift-off once again.Big Love is based on the The Danaids by Aeschylus. Fifty perspective brides are fleeing fifty pursuing grooms. In Mee's version, the time is the present and the place is a stunning location designed by Bret J....

Mauritius

It�s musical chairs time at the MTC Biltmore. Theresa Rebeck�s new play Mauritius, her debut on Broadway, is one of those roundelays in which each of the five characters is trying to screw the others out of his/her interest in some very rare objects (here, postage stamps) and the whole thrust of the show is to find out which one(s) will be standing when the music stops and the final curtain falls.It is tightly plotted and full of the kind of snappy dialogue that one is familiar with from TV...