★★★☆☆ A well-meaning new play documents a family’s struggles after being separated from its undocumented matron
Off-Broadway
Endlings: Extinction and Creation
★★★★☆ Celine Song’s powerful NYTW debut looks legacy, obligation, pride, and a dying ancient tradition
Unknown Soldier: Unraveling a Century-Spanning Family Drama
★★★☆☆ A new musical by Daniel Goldstein and the late Michael Friedman gets a handsome production at Playwrights Horizons
Mr. Toole: A Creative Life Cut Short, Leaving Love and Anguish Behind
★★★★☆ A new play reflects on a literary hero, and on the toll and rewards of inspiration
The Perplexed: Richard Greenberg Play Perplexes
★★★☆☆ Lynne Meadows directs 10 committed actors with little payoff
The Perplexed: Pretty Pointless
★★☆☆☆ Richard Greenberg writes a play overstuffed with nothing interesting
Coal Country: 2010 Mining Disaster Stunningly Mined
★★★★☆ Theater documentarians Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen are in top form
Coal Country: Telling a Sorrowful Story as Old as the Hills
★★★☆☆ Grammy-winning songwriter Steve Earle lends authenticity to a docudrama
Bundle of Sticks: Women as Unhappy Gay Men!!
★★★☆☆ J. Julian Christopher’s play about dreaded conversion therapy
The Hot Wing King: Smart and Sassy
★★★★☆ Katori Hall composes a satisfying dramedy about black men who happen to be gay