Theatre Is Easy: “Present Laughter”
BOTTOM LINE: This revival should be funnier. What is the male version of a cougar? Because that’s the crux of Garry Essendine, the lead character in Present Laughter, Noel Coward’s...
BOTTOM LINE: This revival should be funnier. What is the male version of a cougar? Because that’s the crux of Garry Essendine, the lead character in Present Laughter, Noel Coward’s...
Surprise! Ed Asner is still alive, and his latest project -- the political drama It's Up to Us Alone -- has Jack Feerick asking How Bad Can It Be?...
By the early 80s Robert Altman was at an impasse in Hollywood. The success of MASH (1970) and Nashville (1975) was mitigated by numerous critical and/or financial flops, including Quintet...
Some stage plays and musicals are adapted into films. Others are simply filmed. That would seem to be the easier gig—but if you’ve suffered through one where the camera never...
BOTTOM LINE: A new musical with lots of singing, lots of dancing, and lots of joy. Rarely while watching a musical do I experience a 180-degree turn in opinion. I...
Bottom Line: Very few will walk away from this production without a smile on their face. Wicked is a Tony Award winning musical that, for all its Broadway accolades and...
BOTTOM LINE: It’s like watching two guys with multiple personality disorder on uppers. Know who the two hardest-working men in show business are? They have to be Robert Stanton and...
BOTTOM LINE: Traditional musical theatre at its best. It wasn’t really time for a revival of Ragtime. The new musical first opened on Broadway in 1998 and ran for two...
BOTTOM LINE: A cleverly written story about five unique people in an acting class. First-rate performances and a touching script make for a quality night of theatre that’s not to...
The extremely popular "dirty puppet musical" Avenue Q has moved from Broadway to off-Broadway. Has it lost any of its charm? Molly Marinik has the answer in her latest edition...
BOTTOM LINE: A nicely executed production with two great performances. This play is intense in all the right ways. David Mamet is known for writing sharp, biting dialogue and creating...
BOTTOM LINE: A well-done revival of a very funny play. Some theatrical experiences are just perfect: all of the elements (cast, design, technical aspects) come together is a totally satisfying...
BOTTOM LINE: There is nothing more ridiculous than reading a celebrity memoir. There is nothing more entertaining than having Rachel Dratch read it to you. Long live the comedians of...
BOTTOM LINE: An incredible dance show, unlike anything you’ve seen before. The Groovaloos are a dance company from LA. They’re hip-hop dancers with diverse backgrounds who came together a while...
How does a family cope when one of them is about to die? Molly Marinik explores their absurdly inappropriate methods in her review of the off-off-Broadway play The Bereaved....
The long-running worldwide dance sensation Burn the Floor has reached Broadway, and Molly Marinik is here to tell you all about it....
The legendary New York International Fringe Festival is here, and Molly Marinik has your best bets in today's edition of Theatre Is Easy! ...
It’s no surprise that Broadway producers like to cast celebrities in their shows. If your show, let’s say, is a dramatic British play about horses that wouldn’t attract the average...
BOTTOM LINE: A G-rated, candy-coated musical revue full of 1950s girl pop. It’s the least edgy show ever, but it’s a great night out if you’re looking for wholesome entertainment....
BOTTOM LINE: Two plays in rep at Atlantic Stage 2 offer intense productions of socially relevant historical dramas. The mission of Potomac Theatre Project, or PTP/NYC, is to provide audiences...
BOTTOM LINE: Check your theatre pretensions at the door. Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, and Allison Janney in 9 to 5: The Musical Dolly Parton’s sassy new musical, 9 to...
BOTTOM LINE: It’s nearly impossible to not have a good time at Rock of Ages. Maybe it was the Blue Moon in my hand. Maybe it was my appreciation for...
BOTTOM LINE: Alvin Ailey meets Disney-on-Broadway meets the sale rack at JC Penney. Ashanti and James Monroe Inglehart in The Wiz The Wiz is an urban musical version of The...
Miss the Tonys? Never fear -- our trusty theatre critic, Molly Marinik, is here with the highlights and the lowdown....
With 11 Tony nominations and at least one super-cranky Internet impersonator to his name, Brian Yorkey has plenty to talk about; luckily for all of us, Molly Marinik was happy...
The Tony Awards are next Sunday, and Molly's got reviews for most of the big nominees in this week's Theatre is Easy post....
Situational comedy doesn’t need bells and whistles. Interesting people in amusing situations can be plenty. Alan Ayckbourn’s The Norman Conquests introduces six characters at their sick mother’s house over one...
Molly Marinik finds herself pleasantly surprised by the excellence of the historical drama Mary Stuart....
Molly Marinik reviews Offices, the new play by Ethan Coen, and finds giggles aplenty....
BOTTOM LINE: An exciting new musical with a lot to like — and, well, a lot to dislike. Aaron Tveit, Alice Ripley, and J. Robert Spencer in Next to Normal...