Michael Musto

“The net effect feels like its full of invention yet perhaps trying too hard, though the sexual scenes (including a quick glimpse of male-on-male ass play) manage to be compelling and hilarious at once.”

“Contributing to the detail-perfect representation, Pask, Heather Gilbert (lighting), David Bengali (video/projections), Daniel Kluger (sound), and Brenda Abbandandolo (costumes) all turn in stellar work.”

“Snook is a fireball of an actress, reminiscent at times of past British stage stars like Beryl Reid and Janet McTeer.”

“She is magnificent, giving a tingly performance that will be as hard to shake off as a tightened tassel.”

“Naughty double entendres are sprinkled throughout, with mentions of cum guzzling, giving head, and fingering that aforementioned hole—you must believe me—and there’s also a fetching reference to Madeline having made it with her legs thrown wider than anyone, I mean higher than anyone....”

“Directed by Rupert Goold (Ink, Patriots), this show is a guilty pleasure awash in a colorful struggle between good and evil.”

“There’s no show without the stars — their staccato interplay is expert — and while Silverman’s play often feels like it might evaporate through those beams, it’s nice to spend time with these two old friends.”

“In any case, this Cabaret doesn’t always trust the material, but there are also times when it breathes life into the show, becoming powerful as its ‘go for broke’ approach increasingly hits the jackpot.”

“Lively choreography and powerhouse vocal performances...overcome a so-so story.”

“Suffs is a winner, with a wonderful mixture of earnest storytelling, humor, and heart.”

“Well, more than four decades after it premiered to quizzical expressions, Merrily Along is a hit.”

“They are pretty much the stars of the show—and of course the car should be above the title.”

“You can still feel the multi-layered invention on parade, and it’s often breathtaking.”

“By the end of the show, the audience has submitted to the pizzazzy uplift.”

“But this play still works because it’s told through one person’s increasingly sensitized perspective.”

“It takes that play, messes with it, f**ks it up the ass, and soars.”

“Scott Pask’s set is a big wooden barn that practically gives you splinters when you look at it, and three-time Tony-winning director Jack O’Brien (Hairspray) and choreographer Sarah O’Gleby keep things moving so you don’t stop and ponder too much about plot developments dealing with who kissed whom, not to mention a dumb bit about the dual sets ...”

“Also, in lieu of CGI, this version relies on stagecraft to visualize the water, the weather, and the wildlife—and it’s done with great imagination and precision.”

“So, this is a mixed bag, but recommended because it’s an original play starring three Tony types, and it doesn’t cover obvious territory.”

“All of this plays a bit with historical facts, seeing as in actuality, Basquiat was thrilled to work with Warhol and craved his benediction.”

“That’s correct, if not exactly thrilling theater.”

“This time, Shannon is appropriately invasive and insistent—Frankie screams for him to go at one point—and Audra is skeptical yet obviously intrigued by someone who proposes marriage and kids on a first date.”

“Letts is a powerhouse in the role, wrestling fiercely with his conscience until the very last moment.”

“Slickly entertaining and feel-good in a good way...Well-crafted and refrains from constant back-and-forth switcheroos that would have been tedious...All the supporting players are knockouts...”

“I'm burning to see this again—and I pray there is never Burn This: The Musical.”

“Stoppard, Durang, Giraudoux, Beckett, commedia dell’arte, and the Theatre of the Ridiculous all come to mind...but though you’re laughing, the absurdism doesn’t seem based in enough grounding to fully take off, and the cast is directed at a pitch of hysteria...”

“Take this for what it is—a tourist-friendly spectacle with some memorable monkey business.”

“The cast is hardworking and talented, especially the amazing Bonnie Milligan as the more narcissistic of the two daughters and the Peter Scolari-ish Andrew Durand as the lead drag queen, who breaks fourth walls and romantic barriers.”

“Director Jack O’Brien has sculpted a dark, powerful production, which—like the revival of My Fair Lady uptown—earns its strength by reveling in moment-to-moment acting choices and glorious singing and staging.”

“The Band’s Visit—with a score by David Yazbek and a book by Itamar Moses, based on the 2007. Eran Kolirin screenplay—feels fresh and innovative, just like Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen did before it, in very different ways.”

“Still, Prince of Broadway is a mixed bag that theater maniacs might find worth grabbing into, for the showmanship and history it celebrates.”

“Pure entertainment of the most delicious kind.”

“There are musical numbers along the way, helpful subtitles pop up behind the actors, and the intermissionless 100 minutes are impeccably staged by Rebecca Taichman (who’s credited with co-creating the piece with Vogel)...”

“Something as silly as this could only work if it was put together with serious craft, and it was, like a pristinely assembled jigsaw puzzle that, when put together, makes you scream with laughter.”

“The play is nothing new—the eternal bachelor who has problems with the dating game is a familiar theme—but it’s done with wit and pathos, and having a lead character who just happens to be gay gives the whole thing a fresh twist. Gideon Glick is tremendous...”

“Wilson’s language is rich and the characters are deftly drawn...As directed by Tony winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, the production starts with a mimed sequence in which various characters are introduced, and then it launches into chatter about the characters’ jagged pasts and uncertain futures.”

“It's more like a 'really nice' than a transformative 'OMG,' but still, all these years later, 'Falsettos' still deserves high-pitched praise.”

“I enjoyed it…The show is a cappella, not just to put musicians out of work, but to give it a throbbing, real NYC feel, which is well carried off, complete with a sort of narrator emitting sound effects…The actors were terrific, especially Justin Guarini and Moya Angela, who’s hilarious...”

“My third time with 'The Great Comet' was the best of all, especially because the environmental staging worked so well with the theater transformed into a mass of runways.”

“Lampanelli’s lines particularly zing—‘Weight Watchers, as in ‘Wait, watch her gain it all back’ ’—but there’s also pathos and feeing to make this a full meal, smoothly directed by Jackson Gay.”

“Jessica effectively captures the woman's isolation, loneliness, and regret.”

“As directed by Jeremy Herrin, the result hops over the contrivances of the script, balancing pure silliness with awesome precision while making you realize how important terrific actors are to this play about terrible actors.”

“It's been said that a musical has to have at least three 'wow' moments to really grab an audience. Well, the Diane Paulus-directed revival of the 1972 musical Pippin has at least seven.”

“As the monologue grows in texture, Midler shines, serving less of a caricature and more of a person--someone who it turns out has some real feeling lurking beneath the caftan and the zingers.”

“By the end, the talented Porter has veritably become Whitney Houston while learning the importance of being a man.”

“In the uneven but boisterously affecting result, McAlary's pure love of journalism--like Ephron's--shines through like a cigarette in the dark.”

“Taylor is splendid, capturing the humor, decency, and abrasive energy in the woman while smoothly going from speech to phone call to more yakking.”

“If you ask me, I'm still glad to have been part of the mob who demanded an original drama, but The Anarchist could have used a lot more blood and tears.”

“But despite the chuckles, The Performers tended to remind me of one of the satirical porn titles mentioned in it: I Ate Chinese and Now I'm Hungry Again.”

“This one does quite nicely, with splendid sets, good casting, and solid attention to the score.”

“Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain is a fine actress who seems incapable of a false move, giving a naturalistic performance, though I found some of her moments flat, needing a bit more awakened fire.”

“The three-plus hour, three-act play is done with a crackling intelligence, a sense of immediacy and realness making the material fresh again.”

“The Columnist, it turns out, is well-written, nicely designed, talky, and a little bit dull.”

“The result (and the coda) can be heavy handed but in the context of such a bold gimmick, the incisive Clybourne Park is worth spending 50 years with.”

“So while this might not be the best Best Man -- except for some of the women -- the play still provides enough topical pleasures to warrant blackmailing someone for a ticket.”

“Yes, there have been better Salesmen, but this production is a solid reminder of the play's sturdy brilliance in dissecting the dark side of the American dream.”

“Her vehicle is not all smoothly entertaining--the play within a play is less riveting than the actor-versus-playwright dynamic, and without an intermission, it's a long sit--but for a pristinely acted literary sex comedy, it's hard to beat Venus In Fur, except with a stick.”

“And supporting turns by Jayne Houdyshell, Terri White, and Rosalind Elias deliver socko old-school showmanship that reminds you why, even if theaters shutter, vaudeville will never die.”

“The tone is wrong -- distancing, unpleasant, not funny enough.”

“Any serious theatergoer who misses an event like this should be bulldozed in favor of condos.”

“And you watch a lot of the show smiling despite yourself.”

“In this wack musical, things just seem desperate.”

“So go. I think you'll enjoy this even more than that other spoof of Mormonism -- the Donny and Marie Christmas Show.”

“It's just a glorified excuse for musicalizing and hijinks.”

“Richard Greenberg's adaptation of Truman Capote's classic novella Breakfast at Tiffany's turns out to be earnest, talky, and rather lifeless despite its good intentions.”

“At least when Brick gets to tell his ‘half-assed story’ about how ‘clean’ his relationship with his departed close buddy Skipper was, Walker finds texture in the material, and Williams's angsty glow shines through.”

“It's definitely the most energetic performance of the year.”

“And it was worth the ass-busting.”

“This would seem like an impossible project to musicalize, but they've managed it with humor and charm.”

“It's thin stuff and difficult to pull off because a lot of the action happens offstage and is merely recounted, but this production has moments, while not really soaring into the absurdist yet warming stratosphere.”

“Alas, for the most part, High gave me a crisis of my own.”

“He doesn't come off as someone trying to act earnest to get ahead but as someone who's just plain earnest. It's weird.”

“McAnuff's presented the show in a sleek, clean way that reduces gimmicks and makes it all move very quickly, while getting to the heart of the betrayed-icon rock operatics.”

“Tyne is earthy, sharp, bitchy, and moving. When she teaches a student (Sierra Boggess, in Audra's old role) how to play a full-throttle wicked Lady Macbeth, it's almost like Callas is instructing Daly on how to instruct Boggess.”

“Matilda will surely go waltzing home with some Tonys.”

“It's all too much (in fact, the scene where we learn JFK has been assassinated gets an unwanted giggle), but the script moves better in Act Two, with less jokiness getting in the way of the motion.”

“Guvnors often has you hoarse from laughing, and allows you the rare chance to brag about seeing something extremely tony that also happens to be incredibly Benny.”

“The comedy varies (‘You like me! You really, really like me!’ Ugh) and the switch to total earnestness at the end doesn't fly, but in digging into the roots of a familiar tale, Peter catches enough stardust, especially when it's at its most wicked.”

“So the play about dashed hopes colliding with awakened desires isn't nearly as electric as it could be, but it's still a vintage trip back to muddled 1950s morality and the poetic hopes that rose up in spite of it.”

“In the cast, Tony Sheldon gives a warm and funny star turn as Bernadette, while Nick Adams (above) is zesty as the ‘Madonna-be’ Felicia... Is it Mary Stuart? No, it's not even Mary Poppins. Do I recommend it? Sure.”

“The result is an unwieldy but crowd pleasing concoction that ends up being reasonably entertaining despite its jarring multiple tones.”

“Performances are strong and they have a wonderful ensemble cast.”

“Run to the Golden Theatre if you want to be reminded of how alive you are.”

“The Other Place might lack poetry--or Wit--but its emotional moments are potent.”

“Start shining the Tony award for Cicely Tyson, who's just plain wonderful in The Trip To Bountiful.”

“The cast is very good and Hedges does the best he can with the rather colorless role of the grandson/narrator...But Elaine is pretty much the whole show to the point where you miss her when she’s offstage...”

“I became hopeful on learning that the new Broadway revival, directed by Schele Williams, stars 24-four-year-old Nichelle Lewis, making her Broadway debut, and sure enough she more accurately conveys the innocence of adolescence, with big sad eyes burrowing into the audience at odd moments.”

“The play is filled with inside theater jokes, scorching barbs, and real soul.”