★★★★★ Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Pulitzer Prize-winner is uncomfortably, defiantly spectacular
Off-Broadway
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
Much Ado About Nothing: Director Kenny Leon Sees Shakespeare’s Vision
★★★★★ Danielle Brooks as Beatrice and Grantham Coleman as Benedick lead the superb revival
Much Ado About Nothing: A Mostly Giddy Thing
★★★☆☆ We do spy some marks of love in this Shakespeare in the Park production starring Danielle Brooks