★★☆☆☆ More shlock than shock, this tabloid-TV drama combines high and low notes, and gradually goes to hell.
Off-Broadway
At Home at the Zoo: Albee’s Something Old and Something New(er)
★★★ Edward Albee combined an early work with a late one, not altogether successfully.
Kings: Pols vs. the Machine, With Ruthless Clarity
★★★☆☆ Sarah Burgess spins a modernized age-old tale of political favor-trading, in an era far from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington politesse.
Kings: Checking Out D.C. Lobbyists, with Checkered Results
★★★ Some of Sara Burgess play is fun, but sometimes it feels disappointingly incomplete—in its writing and acting and even Thomas Kail’s direction.
Is God Is: Twisted Sisters Serve a Vengeful Goddess
★★★★★ Shades of classical tragedies, revenge plays, and spaghetti westerns, in a uniquely fierce, lyrical voice
In the Body of the World: Eve Ensler’s Fearless Cancer Monologue
★★★★☆ Vagina Monologuist Ensler delivers a smart, harrowing, humorous new piece that will inspire anyone confronted by serious illness.
Hangmen: McDonagh Kills With a Dark New Comedy
★★★★★ The tale of death and despair as is chilling, gripping, and invigorating as his best work.