Monthly Archives: November 2011

“Private Lives” on Broadway

The first of the three acts of Noel Coward’s Private Lives is a play in itself. It has a smart beginning, a quirky plot that’s revealed without obvious exposition, four distinctly drawn characters, wit-after-wit throughout its thirty minutes and a … Continue reading

Blog, Broadway, NY Theater

Better Than Broadway: “White Christmas” at Paper Mill Playhouse

They dance! They sing! Oh, how they dance and sing in Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. They also act out a story whose sappy style was obsolete ten years after the 1954 Bing … Continue reading

Blog, Professional, Regional

“Sweeney Todd” in Red Bank

During intermission on opening night of Phoenix Productions’ Sweeney Todd, a woman seated near me said, “Maybe it’s our age.” We were discussing our inability to discern a substantial portion of the lyrics. I pointed out that every syllable sung … Continue reading

Blog, Community, Regional

Don’t leave “No Child…” behind!

Nilaja Sun doesn’t just create a miracle; she is a miracle. No Child…, her one-woman play at Two River Theater, is as enlightening as it is entertaining, as heart-rending as it is amusing, and as richly populated as a big-screen … Continue reading

Blog, Professional, Regional

“Drop Dead” at Holmdel Theatre Company

Most of the characters in Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore’s farces are written to the edge of absurdity. Playing them ‘straight,’ or as written, is the key to pointing up their ineptitudes, awkwardness and downright foolishness. No matter how … Continue reading

Blog, Community, Regional

“SEVEN MAMMOTHS” FIND A HOME IN RED BANK

In pitching automobiles, insurance, whatever, there’s such a thing as ‘selling past the close.’ A client is ready to buy, but the salesperson keeps talking, paraphrasing and reiterating until the sale is lost. That’s the problem with Seven Homeless Mammoths … Continue reading

Blog, Professional, Regional