Maya Phillips

“But by the time the sun comes up in “All Nighter,” which opened Sunday at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space, this underwhelming play feels as if it has left a lot of unfinished work on the table.”

“Blistering? Yeah. Vulgar? Certainly. And viciously entertaining.”

“All of which is to say that “The Wiz” is a pleasant, serviceable time at the theater, but as a new production of a musical with a legacy of bringing Blackness to one of Hollywood’s and Broadway’s favorite fairy tales, it’s less satisfying.”

“This play left me breathless, and I’m not just using a manner of speech.”

“If only the rest of this stiff production, adapted by Matthew Spangler from the popular 2003 novel by Khaled Hosseini, exuded such elegance.”

“And yet, it seems as if there is no measure of praise that could be too much; after all, this is a show that allows a Black gay man to be vulnerable onstage without dismissing or fetishizing his trauma, desires and creative ambitions.”

“If I could direct a scene representing why I love theater, it would look something like this: Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse delivering crushing performances.”

“Instead, this Roundabout Theater Company production gets caught in a superficial cycle of wannabe profundities and emotional pantomimes.”

“Its musical counterpart feels unsure of what notes to hit, what jokes to rewrite and what updates to add to be relevant.”

“It always comes back to Nanny, with her stiff back and neatly folded arms; Santiago-Hudson's rendering evokes a Cicely Tyson type, a strong Black matriarch not to be trifled with.”