theater

'The Radiant' Rushes Through Its History

Diana LaMar is giving a strong, at times touching performance as Marie Curie in Shirley Lauro’s “The Radiant,” from Red Fern Theatre Company, but the sketchy script undercuts her.

Shuler Hensley On Playing 'Bad' Guys and Returning to the Classics With 'Carousel'

Shuler Hensley sat down with Backstage to talk about musical theater, classical training, and handling perceptions as an actor.

'What May Fall' Examines the Fragility of Life

The nine characters linked six-degrees style by a man’s random death in Peter Gil-Sheridan’s “What May Fall,” at Theatre of Note, are given delicate shading by a fine ensemble.

Engaging 'On the Head of a Pin' Needs a Blue Pencil

Although Frank Winters’ new play of dark deeds in Iraq, “On the Head of a Pin,” at 59E59 Theaters, is protracted and unwieldy, it does indicate a promising if undisciplined talent.

Boundary-Breaking 'Miss Julie[n]' Turns Strindberg Gay

“Miss Julie[n],” Ken Roht’s sensational multimedia take on August Strindberg’s classic, from Orphean Circus, Firehouse Theater Company, and MorYork Gallery, will haunt your dreams.

‘Sexsting’ Gets Too Cozy With Its Subject

In its L.A. premiere at Katselas Theatre Company, Doris Baizley’s “Sexsting,” about an FBI Internet predator investigation, offers strong performances but has a high creep factor.

'VGL 5’4” Top' Tells It Like It Is

Author-actor Lucas Brooks’ “VGL 5’4” Top,” a solo show in the Frigid Festival that surveys the sexual culture of gay men, is a boisterously perceptive if familiar entertainment.

‘Maison des Reves’ Is Not What Dreams Are Made Of

Directed by Gretchen Cryer in the Frigid Festival, Talie Melnyk’s “Maison des Reves,” about feminist prostitutes in Imperial Russia, comes across as stiff and agenda-pushing.

'Set in the Living Room of a Small Town American Play' Is Challenging but Rewarding

Jaclyn Backhaus’ “Set in the Living Room of a Small Town American Play,” from Theater Reconstruction Ensemble, exhilaratingly comments on the process of creating theater.

Winners for Ted Kennedy Prize Announced

Columbia University and Jean Kennedy Smith announced playwrights Dan O’Brien and Robert Schenkkan as the inaugural winners of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History.