★★☆☆☆ Tracy Letts’ new play is part satire, part black comedy, and all head-scratcher
Broadway
American Buffalo: Mamet’s Classic is in Mint Condition
★★★★☆ Sam Rockwell, Laurence Fishburne and Darren star in this superbly acted Broadway revival of Mamet’s 1975 drama.
Cyrano de Bergerac: James McAvoy As a Swoon-Worthy Swashbuckling Poet
★★★★★ The Jamie Lloyd Company reinvents Rostand’s nosey Frenchman for the 21st century
The Little Prince: Gallic Whimsy Doesn’t Translate
★★☆☆☆ This dance and acrobatics-filled adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic novella arrives on Broadway for a limited engagement.
Birthday Candles: A Quirky Time-Hopping Rom-Com
★★★☆☆ Debra Messing ages 90 years—playing a daughter, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother—in a 90-minute play
Birthday Candles: Casts a Dim Theatrical Flame
★★★☆☆ Debra Messing stars in Noah Haidle’s dramedy spanning 90 years in the central character’s life.
Take Me Out: Two Decades Later, and Still Swinging
★★★★☆ Richard Greenberg’s gay-ballplayer comic tragedy fares well in revival, despite mixed performances
Take Me Out: A Solid Three-Bagger
★★★★☆ An entertaining revival of Richard Greenberg’s award winner about baseball and identity sacrifices some edge
Paradise Square: Allies and Rivals, in Song and Dance
★★★★☆ Choreographer Bill T. Jones and a vibrant cast led by Joaquina Kalukango make a Civil War musical fly
Plaza Suite: Feels Like (Very) Old Times
★★★☆☆ Sarah Jessica Parker shines, at least, in this dated, disappointing Neil Simon revival