★★★★☆ Fledgling playwright Julia Izumi works out Tolstoy’s dictum about families unhappy and otherwise in this loopy portrait of three adult Asian adoptees.
Off-Broadway
White Girl in Danger: Michael R. Jackson Musical in Danger
★★★☆☆ The Pulitzer and Tony winner’s sudsy soap opera, directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz
Smart: Hot Emotions in Cool Artificial Intelligence Age
★★★☆☆ Mary Elizabeth Hamilton’s timely three-hander, directed by Matt Dickson
The Wife of Willesden: Zadie Smith Pays Homage to a Centuries-Old Tale
★★★★☆ Clare Perkins gives a tour de force performance as the very liberated much-married woman of Chaucerian fame
The Wife of Willesden: Ever Willing, and Then Some
★★★★☆ Chaucer’s outspoken, sex-positive “Wife of Bath,” as updated by Zadie Smith, has some insights to share, along with a remedial agenda.
Tao of Glass: A Theatrical Paean to Philip Glass
★★★★☆ Improbable co-founder Phelim McDermott delivers a vividly theatrical expression of his lifelong obsession with Glass’ music.
According to the Chorus: Advice from Backstage, with a Few Too Many Strands
★★★☆☆ Karen Ziemba cracks wise in Arlene Hutton’s backstage comedy
Vanities—The Musical: Jack Heifner’s Three Female Friends Return, Singing (Again)
★★★☆☆ The long-running off-Broadway play-turned-long-developing musical returns, enlivened by a winning cast
Vanities–The Musical: Three BFFs Sing and Dance
★★★☆☆ Jack Heifner’s play with David Kirshenbaum tunes, directed by Will Pomerantz
Yes, I Can Say That!: Judy Gold Hilariously Makes Her Voice Heard
★★★★☆ The comedian talks about her influences and the corrosive effects of censorship on comedy in her one-person show.