Adrienne Warren Elevates “Tina”

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

10/29/19, 10:42 AM

‪@TinaBroadway‬ sports a pedestrian bio-musical book, but the truly incredible star making performance of #AdrienneWarren as Tina makes for a musically entertaining evening.

“Soft Power” Is An Audacious Musical of The Moment

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

10/28/19, 9:59 AM

"Soft Power" ‪@PublicTheaterNY‬ is a conceptually bold, expertly performed new musical by David Henry Hwang that serves as both a cautionary tale and rousing call to action.  I greatly admire the form breaking style, which melds satire with sincere commentary, which is difficult to successfully pull off.  While there are admittedly some odd moments that don't quite work, overall Hwang succeeds.  He is well served by the musical pastiche-styled  Jeanine Tesori score, which works as both homage and a sonic balm to the ears.  

“Little Shop” Is Pure Joy

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

10/27/19, 5:49 PM

The new off-Broadway mounting of "Little Shop of Horrors" now playing at the Westside Theatre Upstairs is an absolute joy from start to finish.  Jonathan Groff is perfect as Seymour and Christian Borle is hysterical in multiple roles, most notably as Orin, the sadistic dentist.  This production also has the most talented and well utilized "Ronnette chorus" I have seen to date.   I love everything about this Michael Mayer directed revival, and despite having seen this show in too many iterations to count, this production feels new, fresh and timely.

A Disappointing “Inheritance”

While ambitious in scope and length, Matthew Lopez' 2 part, seven hour play "The Inheritance" is not a particularly good play. The acting is uneven, the characters are largely unbelievable or underdeveloped, there is undue reliance on narration and it feels more emotionally manipulative than genuine.  There is little depth or nuance to this play, which is overly melodramatic and trying to masquerade as more more literary than the writing merits.  Overall, a major disappointment that tells more than it shows.

Mesmerizing Ambiguities Abound In the Brilliant “Sound Inside”

Adam Rapp's "The Sound Inside" is brilliantly written, astutely directed by the master of restraint David Cromer & perfectly acted by Mary-Louise Parker and Will Hochman.  This is an intelligent and mesmerizing tale whose mysterious ambiguity will haunt me for weeks.   Don't miss this fine play in this flawless production that left me completely gobsmacked.

Not Much New to See In “The Michaels”

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

10/23/19, 10:50 PM

The sense of thematic deja vu I had viewing "The Michaels" ‪@PublicTheaterNY‬ convinced me that I may well have had my fill of Richard Nelson's Rhinebeck set Chekovian plays. This is his least successful use of that style and setting.

Joshua Henry Soars In “The Wrong Man”

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

10/23/19, 6:23 PM

The storyline may be slight, but a powerful & moving drama nevertheless emerges in the sung through "The Wrong Man" ‪@mcctheater‬ thanks to fine staging, beautiful ‪@traviswall‬ choreography & an astoundingly powerful & gorgeously sung performance by ‪Joshua Henry.