"Groundhog Day" is a mediocre, mildly entertaining new Broadway musical, based on the film of the same name. The show is too long and the music largely unmemorable, but Andy Karl in the lead role of Phil is fantastic & is THE reason to see this show.
Zayd Dohrn's "The Profane" is another very well written & staged world premiere play presented by Playwrights Horizons. One is drawn in by the play's nuanced explorations of religion, tolerance & family ties, all of which gained considerable weight for me when I checked Wikipedia at intermission and learned the playwright's parents are well known Weather Underground leaders who hid from the law with him in his formative years.
"Daniel's Husband" at Primary Stages is an engaging & finely written play that reveals its surprising depth as its layers are slowly peeled away by its fine cast. While it's themes are nominally gay related, larger universal themes sprout during the course of the play.
Martin Sherman's "Gently Down The Stream" at The Public Theater is dull, overly narrated, dramatically inert, predictable & unduly preachy. Its saving grace is having Harvey Fierstein on stage again, even if he does little more than his regular schtick.
Roundabout Theatre's limp revival of Arthur Miller's "The Price" is a miscast & misdirected mess. The inappropriate and inconsistent tone of this production saps this hard to perform play of its drama. This is by far the worst revival of this show I've seen, and pales in comparison to the 2015 revival directed by the incomparable Irish director Garry Haynes at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum.
NT Live screening of the National Theatre's "Hedda Gabler" features a refreshing & powerful revival of Ibsen's classic (finely adapted by Patrick Marber). Ivo van Hove's brilliant direction makes this production feel current and urgent, bolstered by a thrilling lead performance from the always great Ruth Wilson. I have seen multiple productions of "Hedda Gabler" over the years, but this was like seeing this play for the first time.
#GeorgeSaunders' brilliant new novel #LincolnInTheBardo is outstanding - a finely tuned amalgam of historical & spiritual fiction. Completely engrossing, this work and feels especially timely in the midst of our current political turmoils. Highly recommended.
