★★☆☆☆ Emily Mann directs a prosaic revival, Tom Daly, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Lea DeLaria act
Off-Broadway
Buena Vista Social Club: From Album to Screen to Triumphant Musical
★★★★☆ Marco Ramirez (“The Royale”) provides the book for this show featuring the music of legendary Cuban musicians.
Buena Vista Social Club: Go for the Music Alone
★★★☆☆ The book could use a some beefing up, but the music is a treat – an extraordinary experience in so intimate a space.
Manahatta: History Repeating Itself, Didactically
★★★☆☆ Mary Kathryn Nagle’s play parallels the past and present struggles of Native Americans.
Manahatta: A Smart Focus on Who Really Owns Manhattan
★★★☆☆ Mary Kathryn Nagle examines Wall Street then and now, how it’s changed and hasn’t
Life & Times of Michael K: Puppets Lend Visceral Immediacy to a Modern Literary Classic
★★★★☆ The travails of a born outsider, coping with inconceivable hardships in the South Africa of four decades ago, tragically resonates to this day.
Madwomen of the West: Henner, Adams, Mayron, Aaron Let Loose
★★★☆☆ Sandra Tsing Loh’s play about the stage-screen-tv performers reuniting, Thomas Caruso directs
Spain: A history play that stays mainly in the plain.
★★☆☆☆ Jen Silverman’s comedy-drama revolves around the figures involved in the making of the landmark 1937 anti-fascist documentary “The Spanish Earth.”
The Gardens of Anuncia: LaChiusa- Daniele Memory Musical Memorable
★★★★☆ Composer Michael John LaChiusa, director-choreographer Graciela Daniele tell her affecting story
Hell’s Kitchen: A Musical Neighborhood Worth Visiting
★★★★☆ Featuring old and new songs by Alicia Keys, the musical is loosely based on the performer’s early life.