★★★☆☆ A Buddhist-style death wish is examined from a perspective not sympathetic to religion
Marys Seacole: An Everywoman Play That Hits and Misses Targets
★★★☆☆ Jackie Sibblies Drury’s work tributes a famous healer but doesn’t entirely heal itself
The Play That Goes Wrong: Rarely Does Anything Go So Right
★★★★★ The long-running British send-up moves to a new address, keeping its old hilarity
Switzerland: Patricia Highsmith in Person Niftily Fictionalized
★★★★☆ Joanna Murray-Smith imagines how the thriller author might handle a non-Tom Ripley young man
My Very Own British Invasion: A Warped Brit-Based Jukebox Tuner
★★☆☆☆ Herman’s Hermit’s lead singer Peter Noone’s story, via Rick Elice, with nostalgic rock ditties
The Light: Playwright Loy A. Webb Tackles Woman-Man Problem
★★★★☆ McKinley Belcher III and Mandi Masden give their impressive all under director Logan Vaughn
Mies Julie and The Dance of Death: Strindberg Strengthened, Weakened
Yaël Farber’s Mies Julie ★★★★ smartly transforms Strindberg, while The Dance of Death revival ★★ merely smarts
Call Me Madam: Irving Berlin’s Tuneful Laugh at 1950s Politics
★★★★☆ Carmen Cusack goes for broke and nicely gets there in the satirical Ethel Merman showcase
Gatz: Elevator Repair Service’s Penthouse-High Great Gatsby Transfer
★★★★★ Every word of Fitzgerald’s masterwork faithfully read and acted with loving urgency
Eddie and Dave: Amy Staats Salutes Van Halen With a Half-Salute
★★★☆☆ A musical spoof that amuses for a while before becoming a typical rock-band demise tale