★★★★☆ Michael Shannon and Paul Sparks deliver lived-in chemistry in this sturdy revival of the absurdist masterpiece.
Off-Broadway
Waiting for Godot: Beckett’s Masterpiece Revived, Worth the Wait
★★★★☆ Arin Arbus directs scrupulously, Michael Shannon, Paul Sparks act at the top of their forms
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea: Stale Pretzels, Cheap Beer, and Dive-Bar Dreams
★★★★☆ Fueled by stale pretzels and cheap beer, volatile strangers form a tenuous connection in John Patrick Shanley’s two-hander
Arcadia: Tom Stoppard’s Heart-Felt Play in Weakened-Heart Revival
★★☆☆☆ Eric Tucker puts Bedlam players, including outstanding Caroline Grogan, through unrewarding paces
The Frogs: They’re Back and Bouncier Than Ever
★★★★☆ Nathan Lane hosted an evanescent revival of his too rarely seen collaboration with Stephen Sondheim.
Pal Joey: At City Center, Purists Are In for a Surprise
★★★☆☆ With additions from the Rodgers & Hart songbook, this updated interpretation is juicy if not entirely cohesive
Sabbath’s Theater: Philip Roth’s Sexually Explicit Novel, Unabashedly Staged
★★★☆☆ John Turturro plays the licentious former puppeteer in this stage adaptation which he co-wrote, also featuring Elizabeth Marvel and Jason Kravits.
Sabbath’s Theater: Philip Roth’s Ribald Novel Now Stage Struck
★★★☆☆ Ariel Levy, John Turturro adapt, Turturro acts with Elizabeth Marvel, Jason Kravitz, Jo Bonney directs
Poor Yella Rednecks: A RIchly Colorful Comedy with an Asian Accent
★★★★☆ The refugee family from Vietgone returns to Manhattan Theatre Club with new adventures, more rap music and their kick-ass puppet son
Merry Me: Lesbian Sex Comedy Not That Sexy, Not That Comic
★★☆☆☆ Hansol Jung writes, Leigh Silverman directs, seven actors have a go at doing their stuff