American Idiot Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Based on Green Day's Grammy Award-winning album, American Idiot follows the lives of frustrated working class youth struggling to find their place in a society that they feel alienated from.

Broadway Review
As in director Michael Mayer's previous foray into the teenage wasteland, Spring Awakening, American Idiot both looks and sounds spectacular, thanks to an excellent young cast, Green Day's many memorable songs ("When September Ends," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," etc.), Tom Kitt's fine arrangements, and all-around terrific design elements (including Darrel Maloney's clever video design). However, the loose concept that makes Green Day's American Idiot album feel like a cohesive story is very weak when put up onstage, so the show is better appreciated as a staged concert than as an actual Broadway musical. Even then, it seems that American Idiot would fare better in a smaller concert-friendly venue that would allow the audience to rock along. (Or maybe the show just needs to take a page from Rock of Ages' book and find ways to create a more festive atmosphere.)

Red Broadway Show Revew

Show Summary
Alfred Molina stars as the legendary abstract painter Mark Rothko in this new play about the artist's struggle with fame, fortune, and the challenge of creating new work.

Broadway Review
John Logan's two-man drama is a thrilling look at the artistic process and also a fascinating biographical sketch of a methodical painter who defied the stereotype of the reckless artist. Those who consider abstract art puzzling will likely find Red quite illuminating, and everybody can appreciate the dynamic performances being given by Molina and by Eddie Redmayne, who plays Rothko's young assistant, a budding artist with a terrifying past.

In the Heights Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
The vibrant northern Manhattan neighborhood known as Washington Heights comes to thrilling life in this rhythmic and heartfelt Broadway musical about the denizens of a changing community.

Broadway Review
One of the most exciting Broadway musicals of the last several years, the Tony Award-winning sensation In the Heights has an original musical score by Broadway newcomer Lin-Manuel Miranda that includes Latin, hip-hop, and good old-fashioned showtune ballads. With Andy Blankenbuehler's electric choreography and energetic performances by a diverse and talented cast, In the Heights brings the flavor of New York City's streets to the Broadway stage.

Wicked Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
In this popular Broadway musical based on Gregory Maguire's bestselling novel (a kind of "prequel" to The Wizard of Oz), we learn how Elphaba, a sensitive and misunderstood green-skinned college student in the land of Oz, eventually came to be known as the infamous Wicked Witch of the West.

Broadway Review
This Broadway musical spectacle is especially loved by tweens, who can relate to its tale of a different young woman struggling to fit in, but audiences of all ages appreciate the show's themes about prejudice and friendship, as well as its pop-infused score by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin) featuring songs such as the catchy "Popular" and the soaring "Defying Gravity". If you're thinking of bringing your pre-tweens along to the theater, bear in mind that, as in The Wizard of Oz itself, there are some scary scenes in this story.

Race Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
A law firm takes on a racially-charged case in this provocative new Broadway play written and directed by playwright David Mamet. James Spader and David Alan Grier play law partners, with Kerry Washington as their young associate and Richard Thomas as the famous client charged with the rape of a black woman.

Broadway Review
Race is an engaging play with a very good cast, and Mamet makes a few interesting observations about the subject matter. But the drama ultimately does little more than serve as an overview of the current state of race relations (as per the cynical Mamet), without actually offering much of anything new on the topic.

A Little Night Music Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
The air is filled with romance and revelation when friends, family, enemies, and lovers all meet for a weekend in the country in this witty musical by Hugh Wheeler and Stephen Sondheim, based on the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night.

Broadway Review
This Trevor Nunn-directed revival of the 1973 Broadway musical (which features Sondheim's best known song, "Send in the Clowns") is a bit too slow and colorless, which is an unwelcome reminder that A Little Night Music has always been a little lacking in warmth. Frustration, elation, jealousy, hurt, and longing are all displayed prominently in this tryst-filled comedy of romantic entanglement, but love barely figures into it. However, the production does feature fine performances by its most heralded stars, Catherine Zeta-Jones (as a glamorous but aging actress) and Angela Lansbury (as her disapproving mother).

God of Carnage Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
This dark comedy by the French playwright Yasmina Reza (author of the Tony-winning play Art) is about the aftermath of a playground fight between two young boys and what happens when their supposedly grown-up parents meet to talk about it.

Broadway Review
Reza's latest Broadway show is a very funny but very dark look at marriage and manners. Though the ultimate point of the Tony Award-winning God of Carnage - other than to illustrate that seemingly well-behaved adults can act with as much unthinking cruelty as their children - is unclear, it is still a delight to watch four talented performers throw themselves into hilarious verbal and physical combat with such relish.

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".

Memphis Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Inspired by the true story of a 1950s rock 'n' roll deejay, Memphis tells the story of the man who brought black music to white listeners in the segregated South.

Broadway Review
Broadway regular Chad Kimball finally gets the breakout role he deserves as Huey Calhoun, a guy who is going nowhere until his love of "race music" - combined with his brash style and quick wit - makes him the most popular radio personality in town. Both his big ego and his dogged refusal to acknowledge the barriers of a racist society threaten his relationship with a talented black singer (Montego Glover). Though David Bryan's score is not as strong as the real rock 'n' roll and blues music of that era, it is enjoyable and includes some standout songs; Joe DiPietro's script, with the exception of a few predictable and cheesy moments, is generally smart, funny, and well-constructed; Christopher Ashley's direction is superb. Overall this is a wonderful new Broadway musical with a good look, a hot band, an engaging story, and a fantastic cast of performers to bring it to life.

Hair Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Led by charismatic hippie Berger, a group of spirited and idealistic youths enjoy lives of free love and pacifism in New York City's bohemian East Village. But eventually "the tribe" must face the harsh reality of the Vietnam War draft.

Broadway Review
Even the most jaded theatergoers can't help but dig classic tunes like "Age of Aquarius," "Good Morning Starshine," "Easy To Be Hard," "Hair," and "Let the Sunshine In" in this sensitively directed, well-choreographed, and Tony Award-winning production of the 1967 classic musical. Although many of Hair's other songs are less-than-classic, and the humor can be pretty sophomoric at times, the energetic show certainly resonates emotionally. And the Baby Boomers will go crazy for it - especially the part where the audience is invited to jump up onstage and dance with the cast at the end of the show!

Mary Poppins Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
A very unusual nanny (who just so happens to be practically perfect in every way) helps two rambunctious children connect with their distracted and distant parents - and she shows them a bit of magic along the way. Disney's Mary Poppins, now a Broadway musical, is based on the beloved P.L. Travers stories and the classic Disney movie of the same name.

Broadway Review
Fans of the books will be happy to see that this live action Broadway adaptation of Mary Poppins includes characters and adventures that the popular Disney film left out. Fans of the movie, on the other hand, may miss its simplicity (as well as a few of the songs). But everybody is sure to appreciate the wonderful cast and impressive sets. Be aware that there are a few darker moments in the show that might scare smaller children.

Time Stands Still Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Sarah, a photographer, and her partner of several years, James, a journalist, have traveled the world documenting the tragedies of war. But following an injurious accident, the couple must face the challenge of settling down to a more conventional life back in the U.S.

Broadway Review
Donald Margulies's new play Time Stands Still is a well-written and well-acted drama (the stellar cast is headed by Laura Linney and Brian d'Arcy James) that examines a couple as they try to adjust to the unadventurous life and to each other in this ordinary context. Most of the questions that Margulies poses - In a world full of pain, is it okay for us to find happiness for ourselves? Is it morally acceptable for a photojournalist to only document tragedy and not intervene to help the injured? - have been asked in similar dramas, so the subject doesn't exactly feel novel, but Time Stands Still does provide a very engaging and emotional evening in the theater.

Rock of Ages Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Former American Idol contestant Constantine Maroulis stars as a would-be rocker who arrives on L.A.'s Sunset Strip with dreams of fame and glory, but instead finds heartbreak and hard times in this Broadway tribute to the era of hard rockin' hair bands.

Broadway Review
From the little lighter-shaped flashlights they hand you when you enter the theater to the drinks being served during the show, the Broadway musical Rock of Ages has the feel of an awesome rock concert. Oh, yeah, and then there's the music. If you lived through the '80s (and cherish great memories of listening to the radio or watching MTV during those years), then you'll be grinning like an idiot and desperate to sing along as the energetic cast belts out melodic rock favorites like Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive," Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again," and Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is". Sure, the show's story and dialogue is pretty silly (sometimes deliciously, sometimes cringingly), but when they start singing "Don't Stop Believing," you're sure to be waving your lighter in the air with everyone else.

Present Laughter Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
In this classic Noel Coward comedy, Victor Garber stars as a self-absorbed actor whose life is turned chaotic by the arrival of a number of troublesome characters (including a crazy playwright, a cheating producer, and his own ex-wife) to his London apartment.

Broadway Review
This Roundabout Theatre Company production is a solidly enjoyable revival of Noel Coward's witty 1939 send-up of showbiz folks. Garber is good (if not quite perfect) in the lead role originally played by Coward himself, and Brooks Ashmanskas is the audience favorite, playing a mincing playwright who is as mad as a hatter.

A View From the Bridge Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
In this tragic drama by Arthur Miller, a hard-working Brooklyn man finds that his developing obsession with his wife's niece leads to his downfall.

Broadway Review
Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson (in her Broadway debut) star as Eddie Carbone and the orphaned niece that Eddie and his wife have raised in this excellent revival, and both give award-worthy performances. They are supported by an equally fine cast, including Jessica Hecht as Eddie's wife, Morgan Spector and Corey Stoll as the illegal immigrant relatives whose arrival at the Carbone household sets the tragedy in motion, and Michael Cristofer as the neighborhood lawyer who narrates the tale. They just don't make plays like this anymore, and Miller's writing is so good that he invests these working class characters' 1950s Brooklyn-based story with all the poetry and drama of a great Greek tragedy.

Mamma Mia Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Set in the beautiful Greek isles, the Broadway musical Mamma Mia incorporates nearly two dozen songs by international pop sensation ABBA into its lively story about soon-to-wed Sophie, her free-spirited single mother Donna, and three men from Donna's past -- one of whom, Sophie hopes to discover, is her father.

Broadway Review
Mamma Mia has become a global smash since its 1999 London debut, and its biggest fans are usually the middle-aged crowd who fondly remember the disco days of ABBA. Women in particular enjoy watching fun-loving Donna and her two wacky best friends reminiscing about the wild days of their youth, when they were in a singing trio. Since the show's plot is a bit thin and the tone decidedly silly, the upbeat musical Mamma Mia is best appreciated as a big Broadway-style ABBA concert.

The Lion King Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Based on the beloved animated Disney movie of the same name, Disney's The Lion King tells the tale of a young cub who flees his home after being convinced by his scheming uncle that he was responsible for his father Mufasa's death.

Broadway Show Review
Though some aspects of this Broadway musical adaptation of the original film still seem a bit too cartoonish, the African-inspired music composed specifically for the show and director/designer Julie Taymor's breathtaking puppetry and gorgeous stage effects make The Lion King Disney's most innovative stage show so far.

Jersey Boys Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
This thrilling biographical Broadway musical tells the amazing story of how a group of tough young guys from New Jersey became the internationally known hit-making pop group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Broadway Review
Jersey Boys is a both a smartly-written drama about four men chasing after -- and grappling with the pitfalls of -- fame, and an unforgettable concert rolled into one terrific Broadway show. Fabulously sung and staged versions of all the Frankie Valli/Four Seasons hits are here, including "Walk Like a Man," "Oh What a Night," "Sherry," and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You".

In the Next Room Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Set during the Victorian era, this new play by Sarah Ruhl is about a doctor who is treating his hysteria patients with an electrical instrument that releases pent-up energy in the womb. Today it's known as a vibrator, but at that time the medical profession had not yet discovered its "recreational" uses. While the doctor's patients enjoy the benefits of this treatment, his wife sits in the next room, craving his attention.

Broadway Review
Of course In the Next Room derives much humor from the basic premise, which is based very much on genuine medical history and captured hilariously onstage. But what playwright Ruhl is clearly interested in most is human relationships, and this play isn't so much about the merits of physical stimulation as it is about the importance of emotional connection. It is a funny, touching, and intelligent play that captures an era when scientific curiosity and societal repression began to come up against each other.

Finian's Rainbow Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
An Irish man and his daughter are hounded by an irate leprechaun when they take his crock of gold and bring it to the mythical state of Missitucky in this revival of the 1940s musical.

Broadway Review
Finian's Rainbow is a very unusual musical, with its mix of magic, wit, and socio-political commentary, much of which is still relevant today. It also happens to have one of the most memorable musical scores in Broadway history, featuring Burton Lane/E.Y. Harburg songs such as "Old Devil Moon," "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?", "If This Isn't Love," "Something Sort of Grandish," "Look To the Rainbow," "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love," "When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich," "That Great Come-and-Get-It Day," and "Necessity". The songs are beautifully sung by a top-rate cast (including the radiant Kate Baldwin, handsome Cheyenne Jackson, and hilarious Christopher Fitzgerald) in this charming production.

Burn The Floor Show Review

Show Summary
Burn the Floor takes its audience on a thrilling journey through time and around the globe with Latin and ballroom dance (with a modern twist), as championship dancers Foxtrot, Cha-Cha, Lindy Hop, Rumba, Jive, Waltz, and Tango their way across the Broadway stage.

Our Recommendation
This blazing hot dance show (which has already toured the world to great acclaim before finally arriving on Broadway) is an homage to the best of international dance, demonstrating nearly every style of dance imaginable. Fans of television shows such as Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance? will appreciate the opportunity to see this passionate art form in a live setting.

Avenue Q Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
A recent university graduate moves into his first apartment and has to navigate love, work, friendships, and the challenges of everyday life in this Sesame Street-style satire of post-college life, now playing Off-Broadway.

Broadway Review
The combination of puppets and actors may make Avenue Q look a little like a children's show, but songs such as "The Internet is for Porn" and "If You Were Gay" point to a very adult sensibility. Clever jokes about everything from racism to the difficulty of finding your purpose in life make this contemporary musical comedy a favorite among twenty- and thirtysomethings. But just about anyone who has ever made the transition to adulthood (and, preferably, has also seen Sesame Street) can relate to both the people and the puppets of Avenue Q.

Ragtime Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
The lives of a New Rochelle family, a ragtime pianist and his girlfriend, and a Latvian immigrant and his daughter all collide in this adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's novel about the beginning of 20th century America.

Broadway Review
Although it is not quite as visually impressive as the handsome original Broadway production, this revival of the epic American musical sounds every bit as beautiful, with a full orchestra and an excellent cast realizing Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens' gorgeous score full of soaring ballads and syncopated rhythms.

Superior Donuts Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Arthur Przybyszewski (Michael McKean), the proprietor of a dilapidated Chicago donut shop, hires a clever young black man from the neighborhood named Franco Wicks to help out - and gets a lot more than he bargained for.

Broadway Review
Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts' newest play is nothing like his two best known works, the creepy psychological thriller Bug and the epic family drama August: Osage County. Unlike those plays, Superior Donuts is a surprisingly conventional comedy about a man with a painful past who finds that an unexpected friendship is what he needs to finally move forward with his life. It is a solid effort, both funny and touching, with notable performances from Jon Michael Hill as Franco and Yasen Peyankov as the Russian business owner who wants to buy Arthur's donut shop.

After Miss Julie Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
This is Patrick Marber's version of the Strindberg classic Miss Julie, now set in 1945, just as the war has ended and the Labour Party has achieved a major political victory. With this backdrop, the privileged Miss Julie finds herself attracted to John, a servant in her household who also happens to be engaged.

Broadway Review
English writer Patrick Marber has "updated" Swedish playwright Strindberg's 1888 drama about power, sex, and class to make it relevant to a turning point in the British class system. The pscyho-sexual power struggle between privileged but frustrated Miss Julie and her servant John (who is smart and proud, but class conscious to the core) is all the more interesting when played out against the political change that is meant to sound the death knell of the old class system that these two are so hampered by. Jonny Lee Miller and Sienna Miller play their roles well, and Marin Ireland, as John's fellow servant and intended bride, is excellent as always.

Shrek the Musical Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Based on the adventures of the grumpy green ogre Shrek in the William Steig book and the Oscar-winning film, this new Broadway version of the funny, enchanting story features Shrek, his wisecracking sidekick Donkey, lovely Princess Fiona, vain Lord Farquaad, and a wacky chorus of neurotic fairytale creatures, with a fun, original new score.

Broadway Review
Seeing the giant cartoonish ogre live on a Broadway stage might be a bit of a shock, but the people behind Shrek the Musical have taken care to enlist Broadway's very best talents. Among them are performers Brian d'Arcy James as Shrek, Daniel Breaker as Donkey, and Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona; bookwriter David Lindsay-Abaire (author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Rabbit Hole and off-kilter plays Fuddy Meers and Wonder of the World); and songwriter Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Caroline or Change). They're sure to provide lots of fun for the whole family.

Oleanna Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
A college professor (Bill Pullman) faces off with one of his female students (Julia Stiles) in this revival of the 1992 David Mamet play.

Broadway Review
Although this is not considered to be one of Mamet's best plays, and both the director and actors have made a few less-than-effective choices in this production, Oleanna still succeeds at being a fantastic conversation starter (in fact, each 80-minute performance is followed by a lively audience talkback with special panelists). Serving as a virtual Rorschach test for viewers, the play provokes questions about sexual politics, higher education, political correctness, feminism, male aggression, and class differences that will have you arguing with your theater companions for the rest of the night.

Wishful Drinking

Show Summary
In this hilarious and sometimes twisted autobiographical one-woman show, actress and writer Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies) talks about her career, the perils of growing up as the child of Hollywood stars, and her battle with substance addiction.

Our Recommendation
Fisher has already gained some practice with this solo show, which she has performed around the country. Thanks to Roundabout Theatre Company, New Yorkers are now getting a chance to see Princess Leia herself perform this non-stop funny, Hollywood anecdote-filled, theatrical memoir live on Broadway.

Hamlet

Show Summary
A Danish prince wants to avenge his father's murder in William Shakespeare's most famous tragedy.

Our Recommendation
Following sold-out runs in both London and Elsinore (where the play takes place), this production of Hamlet finally arrives on Broadway. It's a great opportunity for fans of major screen star (and frequent stage actor) Jude Law to see him tackle every actor's dream role.

A Steady Rain

Show Summary
Hugh Jackman (X-Men and Wolverine on screen, The Boy From Oz on Broadway) and Daniel Craig (the James Bond series) star as Chicago cops in this two-man drama by Keith Huff.

Our Recommendation
Who would want to pass up the chance to see these two major movie stars (who already proved their stage chops before they gained fame on the silver screen) go head to head in a tough-guy play?

Bye Bye Birdie

Show Summary
This musical theater classic follows what happens when popular Elvis-style rock 'n' roll singer Conrad Birdie is drafted into the army.

Our Recommendation
This is a great choice for a family looking for some good clean fun and who don't want to see yet another Disney show. The production stars John Stamos (TV's Full House) and Gina Gershon, and the score features classic songs like "Put On A Happy Face," "Kids," and "A Lot of Livin' To Do".

The Norman Conquests Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
A trio of interlocking comedies about three couples spending a crazy weekend at an English country home, each hilarious play in The Norman Conquests trilogy is set in a different location: the dining room in Table Manners, the living room in Living Together, and outside in the garden in Round and Round the Garden.

Broadway Review
Alan Ayckbourn, the prolific British playwright who specializes in wacky comedic plays with serious undertones, has crafted an intricate comic puzzle with The Norman Conquests, writing each play so that it essentially takes place at the same time as the others. If you see all three (and you can watch them in any order), the puzzle will be complete. However, each play is also a satisfying theatrical experience on its own, so you don't have to see the entire trilogy. Either way, you're in for at least one great evening of hysterical farce as you watch shaggy playboy Norman trying to seduce the various women at the house.

Mary Stuart Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
This 1800 political drama written by the great German poet and dramatist Friedrich Schiller is about the conflict between Queen Elizabeth I of England and her royal rival, Mary, Queen of Scots. The play dramatizes the point in time in which Queen Elizabeth had to decide the fate of Mary, who she had captured and imprisoned.

Broadway Review
Beautifully adapted by Peter Oswald, Mary Stuart is an excellent play that examines a historical period fraught with religious and political tensions, embodied by the main characters of Elizabeth and Mary. Issues of loyalty, love, jealousy, obsession, redemption, and the personal cost of power also come into play in the drama. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd (Mamma Mia), this production boasts a phenomenal cast headed by Tony nominees Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter.

The Little Mermaid Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
A beautiful young mermaid is unhappy with her life under the sea and finds love with a handsome human prince.

Broadway Review
The Little Mermaid creates a shiny, magical, underwater world onstage and has cast members on barely detectable roller skate footwear, giving the graceful illusion that they're gliding through the water. In addition to memorable songs from the animated Disney film, such as "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl," the Broadway musical version of The Little Mermaid features several new tunes as well.

Irena's Vow Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Based on a true story, Irena's Vow is about a young Polish woman (played by Tony Award nominee Tovah Feldshuh) who bravely hid a dozen Jewish people in a German officer's home while she served as his housekeeper during World War II.

Broadway Review
Although playwright Dan Gordon occasionally resorts to cliches in re-telling this true tale, the little-known story of an unsung woman's sacrifice during the Holocaust is still very inspiring and goes to show what feats of strength people are capable of in seemingly impossible circumstances.

Waiting For Godot Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Nathan Lane and Bill Irwin star in this classic existentialist play about two men waiting for someone (or something?) called Godot.

Broadway Review
Though the plot to Waiting For Godot is simple, the play itself - which is full of humor and intriguing ideas - is anything but. Over the years, Samuel Beckett's masterpiece has been interpreted a thousand different ways, and now audiences have another chance to try to decipher it in this top-class Broadway production, also starring John Goodman and John Glover.

Blithe Spirit Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Noel Coward's 1941 play Blithe Spirit is a witty comedy about a novelist who, after participating in a seance, finds that he is being haunted by his his dead first wife (much to the chagrin of his current, living wife!).

Broadway Review
This is a wonderful opportunity to see the marvelous Angela Lansbury (Murder, She Wrote, Gaslight) play a very wacky medium and to catch actor Rupert Everett (My Best Friend's Wedding) being droll as ever live onstage. The production starts off a little slow, but once the ghostly shenanigans begin, it becomes increasingly hectic and hilarious.

August: Osage County - Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
When the family patriarch, a retired college professor and poet, goes missing, the highly troubled members of the Weston clan must reunite at his Oklahoma home.

Broadway Review
Full of every imaginable issue from drug abuse to incest, this three-hour Tony Award-winning Broadway play is almost like a grand soap opera, but playwright Tracy Letts' superb writing makes it rise above a dysfunctional family drama to become a great play that is terribly funny and terribly tragic. No wonder he won a Pulitzer Prize for his efforts!

Accent on Youth Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
A successful writer is about to give up on his most recent script, but then his secretary offers him renewed inspiration. With the young secretary acting as his muse, the playwright puts his show on Broadway - only to discover that the play’s handsome leading man is being inspired by her as well.

Broadway Review
Samson Raphaelson's 1934 play stars David Hyde Pierce (Frasier, Spamalot, Curtains) in a performance which demonstrates that he is successfully making the transition from comic sidekick to unassuming leading man. Though the comedy is certainly a bit dated, it still plays as quite charming and funny, and it also offers some thoughtful meditations on love and youth.

9 To 5 - Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Violet, Doralee, and Judy set out to make careers for themselves in the working world. Unfortunately, their boss is the most sexist, bigoted, egomaniacal liar imaginable. When the women finally reach a boiling point, their fantasies about what they would like to do to him turn hilariously real. With the big bad boss tied up, they use the opportunity to change their oppressive office into the kind of establishment where everyone loves to work.

Broadway Review
Based on the 1980 movie, the new Broadway musical 9 To 5 faithfully recreates the look of that era and also features Dolly Parton's hit title song. Dolly has, in fact, written the entire new score, which displays her unmistakable voice, translated by the marvelous Meg Hilty, Stephanie J. Block, and Allison Janney as the mad-as-hell ladies who kidnap their piggish boss (deliciously played by Marc Kudisch). The show is big, brash, a little lowbrow at times, kinda crazy, and never subtle.

The 39 Steps Broadway Show Review

Show Summary:
A comic take on the Alfred Hitchcock classic, The 39 Steps is about a suave Londoner who meets a mysterious woman and soon finds himself caught up in her dangerous world.

Broadway Review:
Fans of the film will laugh the hardest at this droll spoof, but even Hitchcock neophytes will be impressed by the show's manic energy (over 100 roles are played by just four actors!) and creative staging.