Broadway

‘Fantasia: Sounds & Sorcery’ at The Vaults – Theater Review

‘Fantasia: Sounds & Sorcery’ at The Vaults – Theater Review

One of the most exciting entertainment venues I’ve ever stepped into is tucked below Waterloo station, hidden among the skyscrapers of London, and yet few Londoners have even heard of it. It’s the underground world of the Vaults and I’ve attended three shows at the venue.
Playing now through the end of September, “Fantasia: Sounds & Sorcery,” inspired by Disney’s “Fantasia,” is an immersive experience that made me feel like I …

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at National Yiddish Theatre Honors Memory of Theodore Bikel, Famed for His Role as Tevye

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at National Yiddish Theatre Honors Memory of Theodore Bikel, Famed for His Role as Tevye

The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene celebrated on Monday night the memory of Academy Award nominee Theodore Bikel, best known for portraying Tevye in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”
Theodore Bikel, one of the most versatile actors of stage and screen, died in 2015. He was a longtime supporter of the Folksbiene and starred in the role of Tevya in various productions a record 2,200 times.
Lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who collaborated with Joseph Stein …

Review: ‘Pretty Woman: The Musical’ at Nederlander Theatre

Review: ‘Pretty Woman: The Musical’ at Nederlander Theatre

The adaptation of films to the stage, especially for blockbusters such as the 1990 film “Pretty Woman,” is a challenge.  Stepping into the shoes, or at least into the red dress that Julia Roberts wore in the movie that propelled her into stardom, in “Pretty Woman: The Musical,” which opened Thursday night on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre, shows how difficult such adaptations can be.
If you haven’t seen the …

Review: ‘Hello, Dolly!’ with Donna Murphy at Shubert Theatre

Review: ‘Hello, Dolly!’ with Donna Murphy at Shubert Theatre

The rather sumptuous revival of “Hello, Dolly!,” which opened last April with Bette Midler in the lead role to rave reviews (including mine), is closing shortly. But the Divine Miss M wasn’t the only Dolly Gallagher Levi.
In one of the more brilliant instances of alternate casting, Donna Murphy assumed the role last summer when Midler went on vacation, and then continued in the role every Tuesday until Midler was replaced …

Theater Review: ‘Desperate Measures’ at New World Stages

Would you have slept with another guy, or perhaps shot a man and watched him die, or even dressed yourself up like a nun? While it sounds like it was lots of fun – and it was – we just outlined (and paraphrased) the basic premise of the plot of “Desperate Measures,” a musical loosely based on William Shakespeare’s decidedly non-musical play “Measure for Measure.”
The story – recited mostly in …

Lobby Bar: Early Retirement, Jaws, Sierra Madre, and ‘I’ll Take Broadway Shows for $200, Alex!’

Lobby Bar – It May Not Be Much, But It’s Ours
Shark Week. Smartphones are ruining vacations for many people as colleagues and customers now expect 24×7 availability. Since turning them off really isn’t an option, our experts came up with a list of “things you can do with your smartphone on vacation” including 1.) Feed it to a shark, 2.) Let a monkey take selfies with it, and 3.) Leave …

Review: The Avenue Q 15th Anniversary Reunion Concert at Feinstein’s/54 Below

Review: The Avenue Q 15th Anniversary Reunion Concert at Feinstein’s/54 Below

Fifteen years ago, theatergoers met Princeton, Rod, Kate Monster, Brian, Christmas Eve, and a rather down-and-out Gary Coleman as the hit musical “Avenue Q” took the world by storm.
In this coming-of-age parable, Princeton wonders out loud, “What do you do, with a B.A. in English?” as he searched for his purpose, while he and his friends on Avenue Q experience and try to conquer the anxieties of becoming adults.
On Monday …