theater

'The Grand Irrationality' Is Full of Ideas but Awfully Stiff

The actors do their best in Jemma Kennedy’s “The Grand Irrationality,” at the Lost Studio, but this tale of family feuds and love triangles is several drafts short of being stage ready.

'I, Malvolio' Mixes Cool Sophistication and Youthful Warmth

Tim Crouch’s “I, Malvolio,” a shrewdly clever portrait for young people of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” from a minor character’s point of view, has a split personality.

‘The Motherf**ker With the Hat’ Finds Its Laughs in Unlikely Places

Stephen Adly Guirgis’ ruthlessly funny “The Motherf**ker With the Hat,” about love, fidelity, and substance abuse, gets an expertly acted staging from South Coast Repertory.

'Ruff' Is a Freewheeling Cabaret of Confessions

Peggy Shaw’s “Ruff,” about her 2011 stroke, part of P.S. 122’s Coil Festival, is playful and moving, a surprising, multidimensional exploration of a uniquely human burden, the mind.

'Ganesh Versus the Third Reich' Raises Disturbing Questions

Uncomfortable silences, disturbing questions, and raw humor mark “Ganesh Versus the Third Reich,” from Australia’s Back to Back Theatre, in Under the Radar at the Public Theater.

'A Crucible' Fails to Turn Miller Into Mayhem

Brian Bauman’s “A Crucible,” from Perfect Disgrace Theater, about what happens when a Catholic high school stages the Arthur Miller classic, wants to be edgy but is just dull.

Moving to the Main Stem, ‘The Other Place’ Only Gets Richer

Laurie Metcalf is devastating in Sharr White’s penetrating dementia drama “The Other Place,” originally from MCC Theater and now on Broadway courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club.

'The Wonderful Wizard of Song' Salutes Composer Harold Arlen

“The Wonderful Wizard of Song” offers a brisk, affable, and professionally rendered survey of Harold Arlen’s work, but the iconic composer deserves greater emotional commitment.

Benjamin Walker Heats Up Broadway in 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'

Benjamin Walker returns to Broadway in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," opposite Scarlett Johannson, and discusses how he approaches the role and how he feels about being a sex symbol.

John C. McGinley On His 'Dreamy' 'Glengarry' Co-Stars and Returning to the Stage

Known for his work as Dr. Perry Cox on "Scrubs," McGinley chatted with Backstage about his "dreamy" co-stars, how he prepared for the role, and his big break.