★★★★☆ Cole Escola writes and stars in a Bizarro World version of Honest Abe’s spouse as cabaret diva
Broadway
Oh, Mary!: Don’t Ask for Subtle Comedy
★★☆☆☆ Cole Escola brings a Mary Todd Lincoln cartoon to Broadway
Home: Not Always Easy to Go Back
★★★☆☆ The Samm-Art Williams play receives its first Broadway revival, directed by Kenny Leon.
Home: Is Where the Art Is, at Roundabout
★★★☆☆ Tory Kittles, Brittany Inge and Stori Ayers make glowing Broadway debuts
Illinoise: Lots of Good Noise To Dance To
★★★★☆ Choreographer Justin Peck presents a stage adaptation of Sufjan Stevens’ boffo album with total finesse
Illinoise: Sufjan Stevens’ Popular ‘Illinois’ Sung and Danced to Some Effect
★★★☆☆ Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury adapt, Peck directs and choreographs a game singing and dancing troupe
The Great Gatsby: Fitzgerald’s Roaring ’20s Classic Musicalized as a Loud Whimper
★★☆☆☆ Bookwriter Kait Kerrigan, composer Jason Howard, lyricist Nathan Tyson director Marc Bruni caught with their talents down
The Great Gatsby: All That Glitters, But Short on Depth
★★★☆☆ All the fixings – including some snazzy sets and standout stars – don’t suffice to hoist this musical into the top rank.
Mother Play: Evicting Not-So-Dear Old Mom, with Martinis
★★★★☆ Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jessica Lange, and Jim Parsons star as Paula Vogel’s struggling family
Mother Play: A Memory Play, Plus Cockroaches
★★★☆☆ Jessica Lange, Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Jim Parsons star in the world premiere of Paula Vogel’s comedy-drama depicting the lives of a mother and her two children over the course of decades.