Charles Isherwood

“Ms. Bioh’s sentimental but satisfying comedy is set in a private school in Ghana in 1986.”

“Best of all, the shocker revelation explaining the shivery occurrences is haunting and persuasive—within the wide parameters of the genre, of course.”

“Although the score, by the rock band the Rescues, is a cut above most Broadway pop, the musical is nevertheless overscaled, over-earnest and overlong.”

“All of these are served in ample proportions in this richly funny if schematic comedy.”

“The evening’s spirit is exuberantly affectionate.”

“Broadway has not seen a more delectable diversion this season than the bubbly revival of Noël Coward’s early comedy ‘Fallen Angels,’ starring the glittering duo of Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara.”

“A quietly transfixing performance from Ayo Edebiri provides reason enough to see the Broadway revival of ‘Proof.’”

“While Mr. Brody has a lithe, lanky and compelling presence, he can bring only limited bursts of animation to a play that never gains much dramatic propulsion, a liability of its oppressive setting and the slow trudge of the narrative.”

“There’s no such thing as a definitive staging of ‘Death of a Salesman,’ but this version ranks as the finest Broadway production of any classic play in many years.”

“The same company has revived it at its Broadway house, the Hayes Theater, in a crisply staged and terrifically acted production directed by Trip Cullman that keeps the play’s serrated edges as cutting as ever.”

“It’s lively and funny, but it doesn’t reimagine the film or fully recreate its propulsive energy.”

“Thanks in no small part to the radiant emotional authenticity Mr. Radcliffe brings to the role, the narrative of the protagonist’s life maintains our interest as he matures and himself begins to suffer from a persistent melancholy.”

“It’s a thriller that turns the screws so unnoticeably you begin squirming before you notice how efficiently the play has gotten, well, under your skin.”

“The conclusion we take away from the haunting final scene of Mr. Harrison’s probing drama is that if technology arrives at creating near-perfect replicas of people, they will be shinier, more placid and ultimately hollow versions of human beings.”

“The show's minimalism extends to its set by Soutra Gilmour: two oversize piles of luggage on a turntable—conceptually clever even if it may trigger unpleasant memories of long, foot-tapping waits at airport carousels.”

“The musical wilts under the weight of its many bombastic numbers and passages of clichéd dialogue.”

“Nevertheless, it’s a Grand Guignol finish to what has previously been an effective, affecting and strictly naturalistic new interpretation of this canonical drama.”

“This sterling production, with its flawless cast and admirable trenchancy amid an extraordinarily complex plot, augurs well for her tenure.”

“Throughout, he enlivens an already lively evening by giving us a peerless example of the fine art of comic acting.”

“It’s a terrific performance, but one that nevertheless remains constrained by the material’s limitations.”

“One episode of this effects-drenched but stubbornly uninvolving Broadway spectacle was enough.”

“Although its subject is inherently sad, ‘Floyd Collins’ depicts the title character and his family with a tenderness that allows the musical to transcend any abiding sense of despair.”

“It’s a ferociously smart, and rewardingly funny, depiction of how literature has the power to change lives in unforeseen ways, and more movingly a story of young women growing into a sense of self-discovery and self-determination.”

“But as they extend into the second act, the busy convolutions of the plot—will Ivy, Karen or Chloe ultimately win the role of Marilyn, and does one really care?—become repetitive and mildly preposterous, even for the purportedly madcap world of showbiz.”

“The headliners are wonderfully showcased.”

“In any case, few among them are going to come away enlightened—or even consistently entertained.”

“Mr. Mamet’s savage comedy may be his finest achievement, along with ‘American Buffalo,’ which deals with similar themes and similarly desperate men.”

“The pity of it—so much talent deployed to such little effect.”

“Audiences are always receptive to flights into jubilant escapism—perhaps particularly now—and this plucky musical provides it in generous doses.”

“After the savory meal of the play’s first half, many are likely to leave feeling more overstuffed than satiated.”

“Nevertheless, many might prefer a visit to one of the country’s natural history museums that offer similarly spectacular and immersive video experiences—minus the clanking dialogue and creaking mechanics of ‘Redwood.’”

“A delicate, buoyant comedy about a small group of adults studying the language of the title, the play disarms and delights with its depiction of ordinary Iranian citizens seeking with determination to expand the horizons of their lives.”

“The event has been shaped by the A-list director Alex Timbers (‘Moulin Rouge!’) into a largely satisfying whole.”

“Any production of ‘Gypsy’ rises or falls on its Rose, and Ms. McDonald’s lifts this staging to majestic (sorry) heights.”

“McDonald’s ‘Rose’s Turn’ feels like a once-in-a-lifetime event; the sort of unequivocal theater magic that you one day tell your grandkids about.”

“‘Death Becomes Her’ may be one of the funnier new musicals to splash down on Broadway, in a nearly blinding glare of sequins, in recent seasons.”

“‘Swept Away,’ like the recently opened ‘Maybe Happy Ending,’ is an anomalous Broadway musical: refreshingly modest in scale but suffused with an ambitious desire to expand the possibilities of the form.”

“Ms. Brayben brings both vocal power and emotional nuance to her portrayal of the televangilist, though the musical itself struggles to find the right tone between camp and compassion.”

“The musical has been directed by Michael Arden, who won a Tony for the recent revival of ‘Parade,’ with a gossamer touch that allows the emotional resonance to sneak up on us gradually, just as love takes Claire and Oliver by surprise.”

“This backstage musical about a '70s rock band making an album is a marathon of emotional and artistic intensity that rewards patient theatergoers with an experience of rare authenticity.”

“...Sam Gold’s frenzied, youthful staging of the Shakespeare tragedy.”

“Mr. Lloyd’s production is otherwise impeccable.”

“Mr. Leon’s ‘Our Town’ is polished and marked by moments of humor and melancholy, but they do not cohere into a powerfully affecting production.”

“Jim Parsons brings a gentle, contemplative presence to the Stage Manager role, while Katie Holmes delivers a touching performance as Mrs. Webb in this affecting revival.”

“Mr. Hwang has created a work that is both deeply personal and bracingly political.”

“Instead, he’s an exhausting person to spend any length of time with, and Downey’s natural charisma can only go so far in offsetting Jacob’s more insufferable qualities.”

“The revival of 'Cabaret' at the Kit Kat Club transforms the Theatre into an immersive experience.”

“It’s an intriguing notion in a play that toys with many of them but unfortunately lacks both dramatic momentum and narrative cohesion.”

“Mr. Butterworth has created a family saga that feels both intimate and epic, with dialogue that crackles with wit and pain in equal measure.”

“This Broadway production, directed with consummate skill by Jack O'Brien, validates Silverman's distinctive gifts, in particular a frisky, quirky humor and a sensitivity to the emotional minefields in women's lives.”

“A musical-theater performance of genuine perfection, such as Ms. Foster provides, is likewise a true anomaly.”

“Escola's brilliantly loopy writing and knockabout performance — which also recalls the great gifts of Carol Burnett — won me over.”

“‘Home’ brings its beleaguered hero back South for an ending that is both sentimental and slightly predictable.”

“In this handsome but hollow production, this great play’s dramatic and emotional texture feels thinned out and etiolated—it’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ on Ozempic.”

“The musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel brings lavish spectacle to Broadway, though it sometimes struggles to capture the source material's deeper themes.”

“Justin Peck's dance-driven musical adaptation of Sufjan Stevens' album creates moments of transcendent beauty, even if the storytelling sometimes feels as ephemeral as morning mist.”

“Jessica Lange plays a hapless, helpless and hopelessly bad single mother in Paula Vogel’s bluntly titled ‘Mother Play,’ a funny and affecting but slight and fragmentary drama depicting Ms. Lange’s Phyllis and her tortured relationship with her son and daughter across several decades.”

“In fact Mr. Morgan’s engrossing play, now on Broadway after an acclaimed London run, depicts the rise of Boris Berezovsky, one of the Russian oligarchs who amassed vast wealth, often by shady means, during the tumultuous years after the fall of the Soviet Union.”

“Theatrically sizzling if emotionally tepid Broadway revival of ‘Cabaret.’”

“Above all, Ms. Moon provides the musical with an emotionally captivating center.”

“This ambitious musical about a rock band recording an album in the 1970s is a triumph of theatrical storytelling that captures the creative process in all its messy, exhilarating glory.”

“‘Suffs’ largely succeeds in showcasing the accomplishments of its creators and performers, particularly with regard to Ms. Taub’s rich and often rousing score and the terrific cast, all radiating vivid engagement in the history unfolding before us.”

“Shaina Taub's musical about the women's suffrage movement is an ambitious and often stirring work that brings passion and intelligence to an important chapter in American history.”

“This revival of 'The Wiz' brings fresh energy and spectacular design to the beloved musical, though it occasionally feels overstuffed with contemporary references that don't always land.”

“‘Lempicka’ often seems to be all visible brushstrokes, a neatly constructed but surprisingly conventional show that turns the wild, imperious and wayward woman into a fairly standard-issue heroine.”

“For anyone looking for a nostalgic wallow in teen anguish, ‘The Outsiders’ will hit the bull’s-eye.”

“A big blast of boomer pleasure has arrived on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre, where the thunderous and thoroughly intoxicating revival of ‘The Who’s Tommy’ has opened, giving a seismic jolt to the mostly lusterless musical season.”

“Still, the largely pasteurized manner in which the musical depicts the often-sordid lives of circus folk of the period lends ‘Water for Elephants’ an anodyne weightlessness, at least until the denouement.”

“Purists may question Ms. Herzog’s fresh interpretation of Thomas, who in this version is less ornery and scorching in his denunciation of those who oppose him.”

“For all its sweetness and polish ‘The Notebook’ never rises to truly transporting heights—except when Ms. Plunkett, as the heroine, Allie, in her later years, and Dorian Harewood, as her husband, Noah, are the focus.”

“The production affords, among other things, the pleasure of watching these two supremely good stage actors going toe to toe.”

“It’s a heartrending, unforgettable performance—perhaps Ms. O’Hara’s finest to date.”

“Now the play resounds with a chilling immediacy that lends it even greater and more unsettling power.”

“The Broadway production, directed with skillful focus by Lila Neugebauer, features a superb cast, highlighted by the return to the stage of Sarah Paulson.”

“The bright bloom of the performances is such that looking for lurking shadows seems misguided.”

“The energy expended laughing nearly nonstop for 2 1/2 hours will prove a tonic for any flabby abs.”

“Timely it may sadly be, but a theatrical triumph it still isn’t.”

“Mr. DeVito infuses the play, which is more a character study than a complex drama, with bustling energy and a warm if combative vitality.”

“Even at a fairly pacey two hours the fun eventually turns to wheel-spinning, since the central gag—the ludicrous mismatch between content and form—is established from the start and then merely elaborated.”

“On a larger stage, it shines as an even more luminous achievement.”

“Such is the case with Ms. Bioh’s warm and buoyant play, set in the Harlem hair salon that gives the comic drama its title.”

“The play remains radical today, and for the same reason.”

“‘The Shark Is Broken’ is not a play for the ages, or even for those who have never seen ‘Jaws,’ but it’s a frisky and continuously amusing diversion—perfect late-summer entertainment if you want to stay away from the ocean.”

“But the musical as a whole never achieves liftoff, or even the stage equivalent of 88 miles an hour.”

“And yet ‘The Cottage’ doesn’t sustain the kind of adrenaline needed to keep non-farce-lovers from lapsing into lethargy.”

“The irresistible score is similarly like nothing else on Broadway, to use an exhausted phrase that is in this case the simple truth.”

“Ms. Simard, seen before in ‘Company’ and ‘Hello, Dolly!,’ is one of Broadway’s unsung, or undersung, treasures, and her performance alone brings sufficient pleasure to make this trip to Britney-land worth a visit.”

“Mr. Edelman has crafted a show that is both deeply personal and universally resonant, finding humor in the most unlikely places while never minimizing the gravity of his subject matter.”

“Mr. McPherson has crafted a genuinely scary piece of theater that makes effective use of the intimate Lyceum Theatre space to create an atmosphere of mounting dread.”

“On its own terms, the play is an unalloyed pleasure: clever in its allusions to and occasional modest borrowings from Shakespeare’s mighty drama, frank and funny in its depiction of a family in the throes of transition, and acted with infectious exuberance.”

“The sign of the title is one of support for O’Hara...attesting to Sidney’s idealism as well as his naivete.”

“The Broadway musical ‘New York, New York,’ set in the heady days after the end of World War II, is an unabashedly rhapsodic love letter to the city.”

“This urgent drama about the legal and emotional brutalities women often endure when they file charges of rape strikes home with scalding power.”

“The closer you look, and listen, and the more you reflect upon it, the deeper grow its rewards.”

“For all its knife-sharp humor, the play might be compared to a delicious Thanksgiving meal that nevertheless makes you feel a bit overstuffed, and slightly tired of your family, too.”

“James Ijames' Pulitzer Prize-winning play 'Fat Ham' is a raucous, irreverent and ultimately moving riff on 'Hamlet' that brings Shakespeare's tragedy into a contemporary Black family's backyard barbecue.”

“But the onslaught is so constant that it eventually reaches overkill, and the returns gradually diminish.”

“...audiences attending this accomplished production are in store for a vastly ... pleasurable journey.”

“Beauty, horror, innocence, humor: By some mysterious alchemy, ‘Sweeney Todd’ excels at illuminating them all, exploring the best and worst of humanity in one of musical theater’s most thrilling, and chilling, works.”

“To dismiss the show as bad is perhaps hyperbolic, but this whimsical revision of the fairy tale is mostly uninspired and toothless in its attempts at contemporary relevance.”