new york

‘I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers’ Barely Scratches the Surface

In John Logan’s solo show “I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers,” Bette Midler is disappointingly content to reprise her Divine Miss M persona, and Mengers goes missing.

‘Orphans’ Offers Fine Actors Playing Synthetic Power Games

Lyle Kessler’s 1985 play “Orphans,” making its Broadway debut starring Alec Baldwin, remains a tiresome mix of pilfered Pinter and stolen Shepard enlivened by flashy performances.

‘The Big Knife’ Cuts Sharply and Deeply

In Doug Hughes’ tough-minded production for Roundabout starring Bobby Cannavale, “The Big Knife,” Clifford Odets’ gimlet-eyed look at selling out, wreaks harrowing emotional devastation.

‘The Nance’ Is Bold, Brave, and Flawed

Eminent theatrical boulevardier Douglas Carter Beane reaches for something deeper and darker in Lincoln Center Theater’s “The Nance,” starring Nathan Lane in a tour de force turn.

Flimsy ‘Lucky Guy’ Relies on Hanks for Heft

Tom Hanks makes his Broadway debut in Nora Ephron’s “Lucky Guy,” a breezy but thin account of the life and career of columnist Mike McAlary, displaying potent theatrical technique.

Entertaining ‘Ann’ Brings Holland Taylor Back to Broadway After 30 Years

Author-actor Holland Taylor has found the role of her career in “Ann,” a solo show about former Texas governor Ann Richards, on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Odets’ ‘Golden Boy’ Gets Golden Revival From Lincoln Center Theater

Lincoln Center Theater’s formidable revival of Clifford Odets’ “Golden Boy,” under Bartlett Sher’s acute direction, has a knockout performance from Seth Numrich in the title role.

‘Elf’ Is Full of Holiday Fluff

This returning holiday musical retains some of the charms of the 2003 film, but lead actor Jordan Gelber is no match for Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf.

'The Performers' Is an Embarrassment for All Concerned

Names such as Henry Winkler, Cheyenne Jackson, and Alicia Silverstone can’t save David West Read’s cynical “The Performers,” which plays like a square and very bad 1960s sex comedy.

NY Review: 'Fela!'

The national touring production of Bill T. Jones' exuberant "Fela!" is slightly less involving than the Broadway original but still packs a wallop.