Two history-based dramas from The National Theatre: One zings, the other doesn’t
From Stratford, Ontario: The Plays – and the People – Are the Thing
The Stratford Festival does Canada proud with a range of offerings, including wildly innovative approaches to Shakespeare
From Boston: Taylor Mac Displays a Soulful Change-of-Pace with Joy and Pandemic
★★★★☆ Taylor Mac surprises with an Ibsenesque take on a long-ago plague parallel to our own
Sweeney Todd: God, That’s Great
★★★★★ Josh Groban, Annaleigh Ashford, and “Hamilton” creatives elevate a musical classic to unprecedented heights
Parade: An American Tragedy, Stunningly Musicalized
★★★★★ Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown examine the historical roots of our national malaise, in this bold, character-driven staging starring Ben Platt
From Connecticut: Christmas in Connecticut, With Tidings of Comfort
★★★☆☆ Musicalization of the 1945 holiday classic is easy to swallow, like a good eggnog
Some Like It Hot: Nobody’s Perfect, But This Comes Close
★★★★★ A high-octane, audience-pleasing vaudeville, spun out of a cinematic classic, creates a bunch of glittering new stars
Ohio State Murders: Grabbed by the Throat—By Racism and Memory
★★★★★ Audra McDonald brilliantly brings to life a masterful examination of bigotry and violence by a 91-year-old Broadway novice
Kimberly Akimbo: The Sweet Musical Treat We Need Right Now
★★★★★ David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori transform a quirky black comedy into a tuneful affirmation of life and difference
From Boston: Chekhov’s Cherry Orchard in High-Tech Makeover
★★★☆☆ Ukrainian artist Igor Golyak plays fast and loose with a classic text, to intriguing if mixed results (with Baryshnikov)