★★★★★ Anna Deavere Smith’s one-person show still burns bright with star Michael Benjamin Washington and a timely-as-ever theme
Off-Broadway
Broadbend, Arkansas: Inspired Musical Look at Racism’s Toll
★★★★☆ Ted Shen, Ellen McHugh, Harrison David Rivers create strong piece with director Jack Cummings III
Broadbend, Arkansas: A Family’s African-American Dreams, and Struggles
★★★☆☆ A new musical examines decades of injustice, and hope, through the eyes of a father and daughter
Cyrano: Great Edmond Rostand Play Less Than Great in Musical Tune-up
★★☆☆☆ Peter Dinklage plays the iconic swordsman in director Erica Schmidt’s adaptation
Cyrano: A New Musical Based on an 1897 Classic Comes Up Short
★★★☆☆ Peter Dinklage plays the title role in The New Group’s world premiere
Dr. Ride’s American Beach House: Unsaid Feelings Vibrate Up on the Roof
★★★★☆ Liza Birkenmeier’s sensitive new drama studies lesbian mindsets of yesteryear
One Discordant Violin: The Lasting Effect of Potent New Music
★★★★☆ Actor-adapter Anthony Black brings a right-smart Yann Martel short story to the stage
The Big Apple Circus: A No-Frills Edition Still Packs a Few Thrills
★★★☆☆ A Wheel of Death, a pack of cats, and a hand-balancing duo are the top acts
A Woman of the World: Emily Dickinson Well Remembered, Almost
★★★★☆ Kathleen Chalfant radiant as poet Dickinson’s friend(?) Mabel Loomis Todd
A Woman of the World: Promoting a Poet, and Herself
★★★☆☆ Kathleen Chalfant turns in a luminous performance as Emily Dickinson’s editor in a new play by Rebecca Gilman