★★★☆☆ A new rock opera set in 1979-80 New York may move and even thrill you, but offers few insights.
Gardner
Mummenschanz’s you & me: The Sounds of Silence
★★★☆☆ A new show from the long-established troupe makes us ponder the power of quiet contemplation and connection.
On A Clear Day You Can See Forever: Lovely Evermore
★★★★☆ Irish Repertory Theatre’s Charlotte Moore refreshes the Lane/Lerner musical while mining its enduring charms
Log Cabin: Other People’s Progress
★★★★☆ Jordan Harrison explores the challenges of moving forward in a provocative new play.
Skintight: Chasing Beauty, Ruthlessly
★★★☆☆ Joshua Harmon and Idina Menzel look at the search for eternal youth and the bad behavior it can encourage
Pass Over: A Tragic Quest, in Black and White
★★★☆☆ Antoinette Nwandu’s account of doomed black men is powerful and vexing, on different levels.
Secret Life Of Humans: Progress and Its Problems
★★★☆☆ David Byrne draws on an acclaimed book to ponder our animal nature and other big ideas in a theatrical context
Peace For Mary Frances: Old Clichés Lifted By Timeless Talent
★★★☆☆ A radiant Lois Smith leads a supple cast in a not-always-fresh look at family dysfunction and mortality.
Our Lady of 121st Street: Spicy Soul Food, Served Warm
★★★★★ Director Phylicia Rashad mines the spiritual curiosity under Stephen Adly Guirgis’s exquisitely crushing dialogue in a stirring revival.
Paradise Blue: Race, Music, and Madness In Detroit
★★★☆☆ The second play in a trilogy by Dominique Morisseau looks at jazz and change in a gentrifying city.