The Phantom of the Opera Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
A disfigured man who lives in secret beneath the famed Paris Opera House becomes obsessed with a beautiful young singer named Christine and "haunts" the owners of the theater until they agree to make her the star of the opera.

Broadway Review
This long-running romantic Broadway musical tends to be especially well-loved by female audiences, but in its 20-year Broadway run Phantom has become immensely popular with viewers of all ages and types. The lush Andrew Lloyd Webber score boasts modern classics such as "Music of the Night," "Think of Me," "The Phantom of the Opera," and "All I Ask of You". Despite the Phantom's penchant for seductive ballads, he is in fact a pretty disturbed guy, so be aware that this often eerie musical does feature such unsavory activities as kidnapping and murder.

Next Fall Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
This new play about faith, love, and commitment examines the five-year relationship between Adam, an atheist, and Luke, a fundamentalist Christian.

Broadway Review
A mix between a family drama and a romantic comedy, Geoffrey Nauffts' time-shifting play examines the evolution of an unlikely gay couple's relationship. Next Fall deals with some big themes, from euthanasia to the effect that an extreme difference of religion can have on a couple, and it does so in a way that is powerful but not too heady. Although it is not exactly groundbreaking, Next Fall is a smart and funny original play that is ultimately, simply, about the transformative power of love.

The Miracle Worker Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
William Gibson's dramatic masterpiece tells the true story of how Annie Sullivan (Alison Pill) finally taught deaf-and-blind girl Helen Keller (Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin) how to communicate with the outside world.

Broadway Review
With vital lessons about perseverance, the importance of communication, and learning to see beyond disability, this timeless story is great for students, families, and people of all ages. Breslin, an articulate young actress, has the challenge of taking on a role in which she can only communicate through action and grunting, and she does a wonderful job. She is effectively the antagonist though, as this is really Sullivan's story, and the always-excellent Pill (reasons to be pretty, The Lieutenant of Inishmore) is perfect as the determined teacher, herself once a stubborn little girl yearning to see.

A Behanding in Spokane Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Irish playwright Martin McDonagh's latest black comedy is about a man (Christopher Walken) looking for his missing hand, a pair of con artists on the make (Anthony Mackie and Zoe Kazan), and a curious hotel clerk (Sam Rockwell).

Broadway Review
This is McDonagh's first attempt at writing a play about Americans, set in America. Although it still has the scribe's signature touches (unsavory characters, comical violence, and clever dialogue), A Behanding in Spokane is McDonagh Lite. It doesn't have the weight of some of his previous plays, which have dealt ingeniously with subjects like terrorism and torture; nor is it quite as funny as those more substantial works. Mackie and Kazan's characters seem underwritten and overacted, but the moments that Walken and Rockwell are together on stage are pure gold.

Chicago Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Blonde bombshell Roxie Hart kills her lover and, as a result of the ensuing media frenzy, she becomes an overnight celebrity in this cynical satire of corruption in the criminal justice system set in 1920s Chicago.

Broadway Review
There is virtually no set in Chicago, so don't go to this particular Broadway musical expecting bright colors and big flashy sets. The appeal of this long-running Broadway revival (which also became an Oscar-winning movie starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere) is its sharp sense of humor, the sexy Bob Fosse-style choreography, and those unforgettable jazzy tunes by the songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb ("All That Jazz"). Skimpy costumes, suggestive dancing, and sassy anti-heroines who murder without remorse make this Broadway musical suitable for more mature audiences.

Billy Elliot Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Set against the backdrop of a lengthy coal miners' strike that took place in 1980s Northern England, Billy Elliot is about a motherless boy who wants to give up his boxing lessons and learn to be a dancer.

Broadway Review
A musical adaptation of the popular British independent movie of the same name, Billy Elliot has been an enormous hit in London's West End and is now amazing Broadway audiences as well. Lee Hall has written a solid and sometimes pleasantly surprising stage version of his own original screenplay, and together he and legendary singer/songwriter Elton John have created a functional score that is good, though seldom soars. Billy Elliot's greatest strengths are its stars (a few extraordinarily talented young performers who alternate in the title role), director Stephen Daldry's inspired staging, and Peter Darling's electric choreography.

West Side Story Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
West Side Story transports William Shakespeare's timeless romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet to the streets of Manhattan in the 1950s. Instead of warring Montague and Capulet families, there are warring gangs of teenagers, the Jets and the Sharks. Instead of young lovers Romeo and Juliet, we have Tony and Maria, two teens who are torn between ethnic loyalty and their intense love for each other. The Broadway musical's beloved score includes such songs as "Tonight," "Maria," "Somewhere," and "Something's Coming."

Broadway Review
This exciting new production of the Golden Age favorite features an energetic young cast and faithfully re-creates Jerome Robbins' iconic choreography and Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's extraordinary score. The production is directed by the show's scribe, Arthur Laurents, who has also added a twist (and some extra authenticity) by having the Sharks speak and sometimes sing in their native Spanish tongue.

South Pacific Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Set during World War II, this classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical is about a United States Navy nurse named Nellie Forbush, who finds love with handsome French plantation owner Emile de Becque while stationed on an island out in the South Pacific.

Broadway Review
A glorious production that does justice to one of the most beloved musicals of the Golden Age of Broadway, Lincoln Center Theatre's South Pacific revival deals with important themes like love, war, loyalty, and intolerance - and it does so with memorable songs such as "Some Enchanted Evening," "Younger Than Springtime," and "There's Nothing Like a Dame".