'Mary Jane'
Rachel McAdams makes her Broadway debut in Amy Herzog's play about an incredibly cheerful mother caring for a seriously ill child and navigating the Byzantine medical system.
From our review:
[Herzog] I'm not interested in locking down meaning. Like all good plays, “Mary Jane” catches the light at different times and from different directions, revealing different ideas. Despite the worst of the coronavirus, “Mary Jane” feels more like an exploration of the meaning of death than a parent's cry for more life.
Through June 16 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater. Read the full review.
critic's choice
A “healing'' family drama.
“Mother Play”
Paula Vogel's tragicomedy is a highlight for Jessica Lange, who plays the brutal matriarch of the sister and brother played by Celia Keenan-Bolger and Jim Parsons.
From our review:
Although her feminine grace is almost parodic; [Lange’s Phyllis] It is also as hard as a buffed nail. Phyllis is a monster in a sense, but Vogel doesn't traffic in monsters. As a writer, she understands that people do terrible things for terrible reasons: out of love, out of fear, out of loneliness.
At the Helen Hayes Theater until June 16th. Read the full review.
critic's choice
A show that every critic loves.
“stereophonic”
David Adjmi's rock drama is comprised of songs by a real rocker (Will Butler), in which a 1970s band (not dissimilar to Fleetwood Mac) joins a drug-fueled long-running new The film follows the story of a person trying to gain fame through the process of making an album.
From our review:
A realistic depiction of how people need and maliciously destroy each other, “Stereophonic'' is the most shocking family drama since “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' This real-time dissection of music-making, a collaboration of flawed and gifted artists in unison, is inventively funny and a sharp meta-commentary on the nature of art.
At the Golden Theater until August 18th. Read the full review.
critic's choice
A love story between a mother and daughter that you can sing along to.
'Hell's Kitchen'
This jukebox musical draws on Alicia Keys' own coming-of-age story and hit-filled discography to paint a portrait of a 17-year-old girl who becomes an artist.
From our review:
“Hell’s Kitchen” established itself on Broadway. The revised show is thrilling. … [The principal actors] They excel in different styles, but never seem to contradict each other or the score. …The movement pulsates with life and is perfectly integrated into the overall aesthetic of the show, but it is the attention to detail that is memorable.
At the Schubert Theater. Read the full review.
A lively revival stripped away from the original.
'cabaret'
Rebecca Frecknall's revival, which premiered in London, stars Eddie Redmayne as the creepy host of a Kit Kat Klub in 1930s Berlin, which is in the throes of economic and psychological crisis.
From our review:
Frecknall's staging is…spectacular in additive mode, illuminating the classic score by John Kander and Fred Ebb and a surprisingly sturdy book by Joe Masteroff. But too often ribs are broken in misguided attempts to resuscitate the show.
At the August Wilson Theater. Read the full review.
Sing songs about the stories of women's suffragettes.
“Saf”
Shaina Taub's musical depicts the heroic and sometimes dangerous movement for American women's right to vote from 1913 to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920.
From our review:
By the end, it feels like a rally with mottos and banners, but depending on what you want from a musical, that's not necessarily a criticism. “Suffus”…is a good show and good for the world. I also shed some political tears. But to be great, a musical (like great movement) has to grab you by the throat. Too often “Sahu” is solved by putting up a sign.
At the Music Box Theater. Read the full review.
A classic black interpretation of “The Wizard of Oz.”
“The Wiz”
The Tony Award-winning musical re-imagining of “The Wizard of Oz” gets a makeover in Cher Williams' new production.
From our review:
This Dorothy and her adventures are bright and neat, as is the overall direction, but the characters fall short. The animated backgrounds of Oz often have a cute, glossy Pixar movie feel to them. …All of this means that “The Wiz” is having a pleasant and profitable time in theaters, but this new production of a musical with a tradition of bringing blackness to one of Hollywood and Broadway’s favorite fairy tales As such, it's not very satisfying.
At the Marquis Theater until August 18th. Read the full review.
“Chekhov with everything except the main ones.”
“Uncle Vanya”
Heidi Schreck, along with a stellar cast including Steve Carell, brings to the stage a smooth, faithful, yet colloquial new version of Chekhov's classic.
From our review:
If Vanya isn't the hero in this entertaining but rarely deeply affecting work, it's because he's nobody. He disappears in despair.
At the Vivian Beaumont Theater until June 16th. Read the full review.
80's Nostalgia by Huey Lewis.
“The heart of rock'n'roll”
Big hits and lesser-known songs are incorporated into a jukebox musical with a general plot about a man deciding which dream to follow.
From our review:
The Heart of Rock and Roll is more the Huey Lewis of musicals than it is a Huey Lewis (and The News) musical. I don't take myself too seriously, I do what I'm good at, and I'm just happy to be on Broadway. …its easy-going spirit is reinforced by solid craftsmanship, and it would be foolish to turn your nose up at it.
At the James Earl Jones Theater. Read the full review.
