★★★☆☆ Lydia R. Diamond casts new light on the Negro League legend and first lady of professional baseball
Off-Broadway
A Strange Loop: The Cycle of Life, on Repeat
★★★★☆ Michael R. Jackson takes on identity, and Tyler Perry, in a funny, haunting and truly original new musical
Fairview: The Play About Race America Needs Now
★★★★★ Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Pulitzer Prize-winner is uncomfortably, defiantly spectacular
Fairview: A Shape-Shifting Study In Black and White Perceptions
★★★★☆ Jackie Sibblies Drury’s 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama reopens in a larger theater
Life Sucks: Playwright Aaron Posner Fun-Fools With Anton Chekhov
★★★★☆ An expert cast, directed expertly by Jeff Wise, has fun tossing a Chekhovian theme salad
Julie Madly Deeply: A Drop of Golden Sun
★★★★☆ Sarah-Louise Young’s musical tribute to Julie Andrews is full of heart, enthusiasm, and a totally voluntary singalong
The Secret Life of Bees: Finding Honey in Hard Places
★★★★☆ Duncan Sheik and Lynn Nottage team up for a musical adaptation of the long-cherished novel
The Secret Life of Bees: The Honey Is Sweet, But It Doesn’t Stick
★★★☆☆ Duncan Sheik and Sam Gold do their best to make a dramatic musical from milquetoast coming-of-age novel
Handbagged: Elizabeth vs. Maggie the Cat
★★★★ Two Queen Elizabeths and two Margaret Thatchers battle it out, with caustic wit
Handbagged: Unpacking British History
★★★☆☆ Tea and scant sympathy are shared by Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher