Victor Gluck

“School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play has some moments of bitterly divisive meanness but, with its plentiful laughs and tears, it’s also uplifting, unifying, and funny.”

“Felix Barrett’s production could not be better.”

“Nevertheless, this is ultimately a powerful theatrical experience.”

“Unless you are one of the few people who doesn’t like Golden Age musicals from Rodgers and Hammerstein through Frank Loesser, you will find Cinco Paul’s Schmigadoon! an absolute delight.”

“You can still have a good time at Beaches but you will leave the theater thinking that the movie was more successful.”

“The Balusters is the best play of the season and the funniest current night out.”

“Auburn pulls us instantly into this unfamiliar world of college mathematicians and makes us care about these people from the beginning.”

“What was once the most hilarious musical parody to play New York in many a year is now just another big Broadway extravaganza.”

“Byrne, O’Hara and Ellis turn Coward’s champagne bubble of a script into a showcase for comic finesse.”

“The point is that, properly cast and directed, Death of a Salesman captures Tonys and other awards the way a lepidopterist captures butterflies.”

“Not only is this Cats different from any you have ever seen before, it is the most dynamic musical show to be seen in New York right now.”

“Friedman Theatre (Photo credit: Matthew Murphy) Seen first Off Broadway in 2004, Tracy Lett’s Bug has now reached Broadway via the Steppenwolf Theatre Company production being presented by Manhattan Theatre Club.”

“Now he has attempted the same feat with Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, often named the world’s greatest play, and the results are thrilling.”

“Wohl’s play remains an important document of an earlier time when women’s liberation seemed just around the corner.”

“Not only is Real Women Have Curves a joyous entertainment, it is also a moving tribute to the Mexican immigrant experience.”

“Pirates! The Penzance Musical is a joyous evening in the theater with its lush melodies by Arthur Sullivan and its engaging fun and clowning.”

“As produced by Theater, this Floyd Collins revival is an interesting but failed attempt to tell this historic tale.”

“The show is fun but not cutting edge or unforgettable.”

“While Belflower’s play is clever and insightful, it is also contrived and manipulative, attempting to shoehorn almost every feminist hot button topic into one story overlaying The Crucible: date rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment on the job, toxic masculinity, patriarch dominance.”

“Theatre Company production of Kip Williams’ adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is a unique theatrical event not to be missed.”

“Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Purpose is the magnificent new American play we have all been waiting for, funny, sad, insightful and ultimately important.”

“Good Night, and Good Luck. by George Clooney and Grant Heslov is not a failure as it has a very powerful message but as it stands it is a film script shoehorned onto a stage.”

“Whether its humor is for you, only you can decide.”

“Given the meatiest role of her storied career, Audra McDonald as Rose devours the stage while creating a monstrous but sympathetic character you will not forget.”

“Cult of Love may turn out to be one of the best and most astute plays of the season.”

“Then why is it so unsuccessful as an evening in the musical theater?”

“Away is professionally staged, the limitations of John Logan’s story and characterization undermine its power and theme, the same fault to be found with his co-writing credit on the book for Sting’s The Last Ship in 2014.”

“One of the few totally satisfying musicals to come along in many years, Maybe Happy Ending is an instant classic from Will Aronson and Hue Park who should be on the verge of a brilliant career.”

“While Connor and Zegler are passionate as Romeo and Juliet, they display little chemistry when together.”

“It is a diverting evening in the theater although don’t expect any insights or revelations.”

“Grounded by Jim Parsons’ no-nonsense, emotionally charged performance as the Stage Manager and a multicultural cast split racially right down the middle, this is an Our Town perfectly suited for our times.”

“The problem with the play is that the author has not made up his mind what his point of view is and as a result this new play on the hot topic of Artificial Intelligence seems unfocused and confused.”

“Of course, with Farrow and LuPone under the direction of six-time Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien, this is an occasion for cheering although this comedy drama, a cross between a female version of The Odd Couple and Breaking Bad is both predictable and razor thin.”

“Director Lear deBessonet gives Sutton Foster the role of a lifetime and the star twinkles ever more brightly as she demonstrate the huge range of her her talent.”

“With an energetic cast, splashy and highly colorful design, and a collection of pleasant and enjoyable songs, The Wiz is still a diverting musical comedy.”

“Rebecca Frecknall’s production reinvents this 1966 show so that you may feel that you have never seen it before.”

“Ultimately, Hell’s Kitchen is a touching coming of age story suggested by the life of Alicia Keys but not strictly faithful to the facts of her life.”

“While Lila Neugebauer’s revival of Uncle Vanya in the new Heidi Schreck version is always easy to understand, it does the play a disservice in reducing it to its lowest terms.”

“Unfortunately, neither the score nor the book lives up to her high standards.”

“The musical version of Water for Elephants is one of the few film-to-stage adaptations in many years to be as successful as the cinema version.”

“The musical version of The Notebook is pleasant enough and its sentiment quotient is kept low until the end when audible sobbing can be heard in the theater.”

“Herzog's new adaptation could not be timelier after the pandemic which we just underwent”

“Appropriate is the most satisfying new American play on Broadway at this time and should not be missed.”

“Jocelyn Bioh whose career continues on an upper trajectory has a potential hit with Jaja’s African Hair Braiding which is both funny and serious, revealing and surprising.”

“However, those who want to be taken by surprise and offered something new will be vastly disappointed.”

“A hit summer comedy would be a pleasure in this hot season in New York, but this does not fill the bill.”

“It may entrance many of the Princess of Pops fans with all her most famous songs but it is the weakest of the five as a stage musical.”

“While it removes the abusive relationship between Jimmy and Francine from the film, in doing so it waters down the story to a rather old-fashioned ‘newcomers make good in the big city’ tale we have seen before.”

“Sean Hayes, up till now best known for his Emmy Award-winning performance as Jack McFarland on "Will and Grace," gives a titanic performance as humorist, raconteur and pianist Oscar Levant once called the wittiest man in America, in Doug Wright’s new play "Good Night, Oscar.”

“The Thanksgiving Play is a satire that entertains while it makes some very real and needed points about political correctness when dealing with unpleasant American history.”

“It is to be hoped that future musical revivals of golden age shows will either trust the original material or their audiences to know that things were different in earlier decades.”

“Life of Pi is a unique theatrical experience with its animal puppetry, depiction of 227 days on the ocean, and bringing to life an Indian city, circa 1977.”

“Though entertaining, it is neither a convincing satire nor a lush romance.”

“In any case, Jamie Lloyd’s production of A Doll’s House is a major dramatic event and should not be missed by anyone interested in serious plays with something to say.”

“McCarten’s play is not entirely convincing although it is certainly effective as an entertainment.”

“Although Adrienne Kennedy’s Ohio State Murders is brief, Audra McDonald elevates this to an acting tour de force as she plays the same woman 40 years apart as well as shifting mood over and over again.”

“Jordan E. Cooper is a remarkable new talent both as writer and performer.”

“& Juliet is a refreshingly clever and entertaining show offering eye-filling scenes and ear-catching songs.”

“In this production conceived by director Michael Arden and designer Dane Laffrey, it gives new meaning to Theater with a capital T.”

“As the stage show offers nothing the movie did not already do and the new score is not very memorable, they will most likely be disappointed.”

“Susan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog handles this beautifully and never lets attention flag for a moment.”

“Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt is a powerful achievement, a history of our time as well as a cautionary tale.”

“The story still creates its own spell but is greatly diminished from the strengths of the novel.”

“The current Broadway production staged by Lear deBessonet may be the most definitive of them all.”

“Joaquina Kalukango whose memorable performance is certain to go down in the record books and be a top contender for the Tony Award makes this a must-see show.”

“Thornton Wilder’ The Skin of Our Teeth remains a landmark of the American theater while still confusing some audience members with anarchic plot.”

“Fine actors like Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga who have demonstrated their top-flight acting chops on stage elsewhere have not been aided by the bizarre direction.”

“While Hangmen originally played like a thriller Off Broadway, it is now that rare item, a comedy of menace that is extremely funny.”

“Tracy Letts’ The Minutes is both a fine political comedy as well as an indictment of how most Americans live today.”

“Noah Haidle’s latest play Birthday Candles uses an interesting theatrical device but does not allow him to go as far as he might have in depicting the life of one ordinary woman.”

“Scott Ellis’ production for Second Stage gets the maximum energy out of its shocking story.”

“As such, the show remains a big disappointment considering the amount of talent that has gone into the new production.”

“The excellent cast does what it can with the skimpy and emaciated story but cannot save it from seeming like a missed opportunity and a big disappointment considering the talent involved.”

“Marianne Elliott’s brilliant update of Company makes this look and sound like a brand new show.”

“As the dangerous and intimidating Clyde, she gives an indelible performance; just try to take your eyes off of her when she is onstage.”

“It is to be regretted that Alice Childress’ Trouble in Mind had to wait this long to reach Broadway but it was worth the wait.”

“Under the direction of debuting director Zhailon Levingston, the fine cast makes the play seem better than it is and offers many new faces to the Broadway stage.”

“Under Richard Eyre’s unobtrusive direction, Laura Linney gives a lovely and compelling portrait of a woman who has lived through much grief but has come out the other side whole.”

“Its timely themes make the story much greater than itself while telling an engrossing story of people we come to care about.”

“Whatever your view, the play is hilarious, real, poignant and recognizable, and adds luster to Tracy Letts’ continuing output.”

“Glenda Jackson in Sam Gold’s King Lear is never dull but like the uneven production is never memorable except for the wrong reasons.”

“Hadestown is probably the most exciting musical to be seen in New York at present with its all-inclusive staging, ingenious design, classic story and colorful score in various styles and genres.”

“This ribald yet philosophical downtown comedy is making its debut at the Booth, usually home to sedate, serious dramas.”

“Joe Iconis, long thought to be one of the most promising new theater composers, makes good on that promise, and Joe Tracz demonstrates for a second time that he can put difficult material on the stage.”

“This is not only a fascinating deconstruction of the original musical but also a brilliant reinvention.”

“A riveting production by Ivo van Hove and his team of theater artists, Network is scarily relevant and you will probably never think of television news the same way ever again.”

“Enjoy Bernhardt/Hamlet for what it is but the play ultimately seems less than the sum of its parts.”

“However, this statement belies the fact that the show is both generic and clichéd, borrowing pieces of much more successful shows such as The Full Monty, School of Rock, Bandstand, Groundhog Day, The Wedding Singer, and going all the way back to Bye Bye Birdie.”

“Under Michael Mayer’s fast-paced direction, Head Over Heels starts badly and busily but eventually slows down to a delightful Elizabethan parody on love and gender.”

“A challenging comedy of ideas on art, politics and memory, Travesties will prove caviar to the general but intoxicating theater for those who are disposed to its intricacies.”

“Mean Girls is not only better than the film but it is also vastly entertaining.”

“Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero has stood the test of time, seeming more pertinent today that when it was first seen 17 years ago.”

“Frozen is not a T.K.O. but it is a memorable, enjoyable evening in the theater.”

“With Uma Thurman in the title role, the play is excellent entertainment without being very memorable or impressive.”

“This reinvented revival is one of the most exciting and transformative to come along in many years, a great improvement over its original production.”

“As Gallimard, the usually suave and masculine Owen has chosen to play him as awkward, though he seems less a man uncomfortable in his own skin than an actor who hasn’t found the center of his role.”

“A Doll’s House, Part 2 is that rare play, an historical drama that plays as though it is of and about our time.”

“Sophisticated, chic and elegant, War Paint is an absorbing and magnificent story of two remarkable women who climbed their way to the top of their profession only to find that there were still things they could not accomplish.”

“The new Miss Saigon is as hypnotic in its storytelling as it is overwrought in depicting its small tale of five people caught up in events beyond their control.”

“With another bravura performance by John Douglas Thompson, as well as fine work from the rest of the ensemble, this is a play that must be seen.”