★★★★★ A classic documentary on Afro-Cuban musical greats is transformed into a sparkling Broadway delight
About Bob Verini
Purpose: The Painful Legacy of Dreams Deferred
★★★★☆ Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins explores a prominent family’s ethical drifts in the muscular Steppenwolf Theater tradition
From Massachusetts: Diary of a Tap Dancer, or Bring In ’Da Joy
★★★★☆ Ayodele Casel’s guide to great female tap dancers of yesterday and today makes for an unforgettable night at the theater
Swept Away: Adrift on a Dark, Dark Sea
★★★☆☆ Talent, taste, and Avett Brothers sea-chanties serve a grim morality tale that doesn’t quite stay afloat
Elf: Ho-Ho-Hokum Done With Flair
★★★★☆ Splashy stage version of the holiday movie perennial offers visual delight for the moppets, and wit for the grownups
From Maine: My Best Friend’s Wedding Deserves a Grateful RSVP
★★★☆☆ Musicalizing a hit ’90s rom-com gains luster from the hit ’60s playlist of Bacharach and David
Once Upon a Mattress: Medieval Hellzapoppin With Laughs for Days
★★★★☆ Sutton Foster unleashes her inner clown in a torrent of hilarity, bringing new luster to a familiar property
From Maine: A Little Night Music, Big Smiles of a Summer Night
★★★★☆ Julia Murney, Kathleen Turner and an excellent ensemble collaborate on an atypically sensual take on a Wheeler/Sondheim masterpiece
Oh, Mary!: Lincoln, Drinkin’ and Todd
★★★★☆ Cole Escola writes and stars in a Bizarro World version of Honest Abe’s spouse as cabaret diva
Hell’s Kitchen: Alicia Keys’ Life Inspires a Swell Musical
★★★☆☆ A tender coming-of-age extravaganza, with characters to root for and music to die for