The internet magazine of stage reviews and opinion

David Spencer

CALL ME IZZY

CALL ME IZZY by Jamie Wax Directed by Sarna Lapine Starring Jean Smart Studio 54 Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer A problem with traveling your selected roads through contemporary-slash-popular culture…never particularly reaching a destination…but having reached a certain age…is that the territory starts to repeat itself. As with the active backgrounds in those limited

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HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL (2025)

HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL  (2025) Book, Music and Lyrics by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe Based on the screenplay by Daniel Waters Directed by Andy Fickman New World Stages Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer Heathers, though off-Broadway, was the Broadway-scale sleeper of its debut in 2014. Upon its return—and to the same venue—it’s still quite effective.

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COLLECTED STORIES (2025 Revival)

COLLECTED STORIES by Donald Margulies Directed by Lori Kee Starring Grace Kiley and Christina Toth East Village Basement Tickets and Info Reviewed by David Spencer Among the most delicate and complicated re­la­tion­ships in the world of the arts is that between men­tor and protégé. Especially when at the start the mentor is a curmudgeon and

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REDWOOD

REDWOOD Book by Tina Landau Music by Kate Diaz Lyrics by Kate Diaz and Tina Landau Conceived by Tina Landau and Idina Menzel Additional Contributions by Idina Menzel Directed by Tina Landau Nederlander Theatre Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer   Prelude 1 I’m a dyed-in-the-wool liberal (more so in the current political climate than

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THE ANTIQUITIES

THE ANTIQUITIES by Jordan Harrison Directed by David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan Playwrights Horizons Reviewed by David Spencer There are theatrical evenings about which I, as both theatre critic and professional dramatist, can offer a reasonably objective, sometimes even definitive, view. There are others about which I have to cop to a subjective view, though

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LINDA LAVIN — Interview by Frank Evans

LINDA LAVIN: She’s Singing! She’s Singing! Come Listen! Interview by Frank Evans [Editor’s note: Back in the early years of Aisle Say, when I still had the industry and stamina to feature a few other writers, my late friend, new talent advocate and fellow musical dramatist, FrankEvans (1946–2017), would write the odd review under a

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A WONDERFUL WORLD: The Louis Armstrong Musical

A WONDERFUL WORLD: The Louis Armstrong Musical Book by Aurin Squire Conceived by Andrew Delaplaine and Christopher Renshaw Directed by Christopher Renshaw Featuring James Monroe Igleheart Directed by Christopher Renshaw Studio 54 Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer Well, how wonderful a world is it really? With regard to the fecund and profitable subgenre of

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THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (Arlekin)

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE written by William Shakespeare adapted & directed by Igor Golyak for Arlekin Theatre Company at the Classic Stage Company Theatre Reviewed by David Spencer I suppose it’s not unknown for an experimental company to be hit-and-miss, but after what has to be characterized the triumph of Our Class, which returned a

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McNEAL

McNEAL by Ayed Akhtar Directed by Bartlet Sher A Production of Lincoln Center Theater at the Vivian Beaumont Starring Robert Downey, Jr. Reviewed by David Spencer For all its being a high-tech-fueled tragi-comic diving into the controversies of Artificial Intelligence, and its impact on culture, art, society and relationships, McNeal, at its core, very familiar:

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OUR CLASS (Return Engagement)

OUR CLASS by Tadeusz Słobodzianek Adapted by Norman Allen, from a translation by Catherine Grovesnor Directed by Igor Golyak An Arlekin Players Presentation at Classic Stage Company Play and Production Website Reviewed by David Spencer  Our Class is an unambiguously inventive evening or afternoon of theatre—but also very much an eye-of the-beholder one. An epic

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KING LEAR via Compagnia de’ Colombari

KING LEAR Adapted and Directed by Karin Coonroad A Production of Compagnia de’ Colombari Company Website Show Webpage Recently at LaMama Further Venues TBA Reviewed by David Spencer   There are, to broadly oversimplify, only two ways for a director to newly interpret a classic piece—assuming a certain essential faithfulness to text; within those two

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THE GREAT GATSBY (Triggering vs Earning – Part 2)

THE GREAT GATSBY (Triggering vs Earning—Part 2) Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald Book by Kait Kerrigan Music by Jason Howland Music by Nathan Tyson Directed by Marc Bruni Broadway Theatre Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer The Great Gatsby is best described as factory fresh Fitzgerald. It looks Art Deco great, it

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SUFFS (Triggering vs Earning – Part 3)

SUFFS (Triggering vs Earning—Part 3) Book, Music and Lyrics by Shaina Taub Directed by Leigh Silverman Music Box Theatre Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer Suffs is about the fight for women to vote in America, book-music-lyrics by Shaina Taub—who, shades of Lin-Manuel Miranda, has also written herself the leading role of suffragette Alice Paul.

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WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (Triggering vs Earning – Part 4)

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (Triggering vs Earning—Part 4) Book by Rick Elice Music and Lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co. Based on the novel by Sarah Gruen Directed by Jessica Stone Imperial Theatre Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer   Water for Elephants is a musical adaptation of the novel by Sara Gruen, a memory story as

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SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by James Lapine Directed and Choreographed by Eamon Foley Axelrod Performing Arts Center Reviewed by David Spencer I write this on Wednesday, March 20, 2024—and I write quickly and in brief because as of tonight, there are only seven more performances (through

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I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD DIE

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD DIE Written and Performed by Mona Pirnot Directed by Lucas Hnath New York Theatre Workshop Reviewed by David Spencer Theatrical experimentation is a good thing, especially when it leads to breakthroughs in nuts-and-bolts technique or augments theatrical vocabulary or shifts the paradigms of perception via staging new material or

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THE LIFE AND SLIMES OF MARC SUMMERS

THE LIFE AND SLIMES OF MARC SUMMERS Written by Alex Brightman Music by Drew Gasparini Directed by Chad Rabinowitz Starring Marc Summers New World Stages Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer I texted a good friend and sometime collaborator that I was en route to seeing The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers, and ID’d the

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THE CHRISTINE JORGENSEN SHOW

THE CHRISTINE JORGENSEN SHOW By Donald Steven Olson Directed by Michael Barkavia and Zoë Adams Featuribng Jesse James Keitel and Mark Nadler 59E59 Reviewed by David Spencer The Christine Jorgenson Show took me completely by surprise, and in a way it would be good if it took you by surprise too—the power of a genuine, sneak-up-on-you

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SPAMALOT

SPAMALOT Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle Music by John Du Prez & Eric Idle A new musical (lovingly) ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python And The Holy Grail Directed and Choreographed by Josh Rhodes St. James Theatre Official Website  Reviewed by David Spencer   Since its debut in 2005, there have been three

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I NEED THAT

I NEED THAT By Theresa Rebeck Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel Starring Danny DeVito A Production of the Roundabout American Airlines Theatre Reviewed by David Spencer   Theresa Rebeck is not only one of the most prolific American dramatists ever, and among the best; she’s also one of the most versatile. A veteran TV seies dramatis

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MIND MANGLER

MIND MANGLER by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Fields Directed by Hannah Sharkey New World Stages Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer English actor-writer-raconteur Stephen Fry, during an interview some 11 years ago, made a fascinating comparison between American and British comedic heroes, in particular as featured in sitcoms. American sitcom heroes, he said, always

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SCENE PARTNERS (Vineyard) WAITING FOR GODOT (Polonsky) ARCADIA (Bedlam)

SCENE PARTNERS (Vineyard) WAITING FOR GODOT (Polonsky) ARCADIA (Bedlam) Reviewed by David Spencer Here’s a quick overview of some shows that are nearing their run—in some cases extended run—completions Scene Partners, at the Vineyard—live-streaming its final four performances this week, worldwide—is a kind of mash-up play by John J. Caswell, Jr. Ostensibly it’s about the saga

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DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS

DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS  by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen Directed by Gordon Greenberg New World Stages Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer   Theatrical parody of genre tropes is tough to get right. Too often, the target is misunderstood, or not sufficiently understood (under-understood?) and the proceedings descend into camp—or worse, are used as

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PART ONE: End-of-22/23-Season Tie-Up

PART ONE: End-of-22/23-Season Tie-Up Reviewed by David Spencer   This season has been such a personally busy time for me—family stuff (mostly positive, but complex); writing, completing, designing, revising a dream project book (publication imminent); and on the heels of that starting another dream project book—that I haven’t had time to review as much as I

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THE LIFE OF PI

THE LIFE OF PI Based on the novel by Yann Martel Adaptation by Lolita Chakrabarti Direction by Max Webster Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer High seas adventure. Eastern culture. Puppet animals. Extravagant theatricality. Philosophy. Alternate realities. Hit British import. Based on an international bestseller that also spawned an internationally successful hit movie.

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SHUCKED

SHUCKED Book by Robert Horn Music and Lyrics by Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally Directed by Jack O’Brien Nederlander Theatre Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer You’ll already have heard a lot of enthusiasm about Shucked, the countrified musical comedy at the Nederlander, and none of it is misleading. Despite the kind of cornpone ambience that

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PARADE

PARADE Book by Alfred Uhry Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown Co-conceived by Harold Prince Directed by Michael Arden Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer   I’ve always kind of admired Parade—the construction of its libretto by Alfred Uhry, the inventive brilliance of its apt score by Jason Robert Brown—without being

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BAD CINDERELLA

BAD CINDERELLA Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber Book by Emerald Fennell (Adaptation by Alexis Scheer) Lyrics by David Zippel Imperial Theatre Official Website Reviewed by David Spencer Bad Cinderella—Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest—is worse than you might imagine, even from the jokes about Bad having been added to its US title as a warning; and the

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Part I: DEATH OF A SALESMAN

Part I: DEATH OF A SALESMAN By Arthur Miller Directed by Miranda Cromwell Starring Wendell Pierce and Sharon D. Clarke Hudson Theatre Official Website   Reviewed by David Spencer   Where the classics are concerned, there’s legitimate reimagining through the prism of  inclusion and diversity…and then there’s layer-adding and remonstration—most neutrally described as Theme-splaining.             What

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TOPDOG/UNDERDOG

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG by Suzan Lori-Parks Directed by Kenny Leon John Golden Theatre Official Website   Reviewed by David Spencer There’s a lot of symbolism carried by Topdog/Underdog, an acclaimed play in an acclaimed revival at the John Golden theatre. Suzan Lori-Parks’ simple tale of two African-American brothers, in a one-room utility flat in an unidentified city. The

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REMEMBER THIS: THE LESSON OF JAN KARSKI

REMEMBER THIS: THE LESSON OF JAN KARSKI by Clark Young and Derek Goldman Directed by Derek Goldman Starring David Strathairn Polonsky Shakespeare Center A Production of Theatre for a New City Reviewed by David Spencer   To summarize the odyssey of Jan Karski is even more than his Wikipedia page can do, let alone this review,

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