ScheckOnTheater

Harvey Fierstein has finally claimed the part he was born to play in the newly cast revival of La Cage Aux Folles. The gravel-voiced performer has now assumed the role of Albin--the flamboyant drag queen performer who goes under the stage name Zaza--in t… more »

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying? It’s easy. Simply cast Daniel Radcliffe in the lead of a popular vintage Broadway musical, and sit back and watch his multitude of young Harry Potter fans throw money at the box-office.   Fortunately,… more »

At the rate the Transport Group is going, there won’t be any loft spaces left in Manhattan. The enterprising theater company, who staged a well-received revival of The Boys in the Band last season in a Chelsea loft apartment, repeats the gimmick with the… more »

Middle age has done little to dim the energy of John Leguizamo, who begins his latest solo show Ghetto Klown by frenziedly dancing to James Brown’s “Sex Machine.” This entertaining autobiographical piece by the actor/writer--following in the heels of suc… more »

There have been reports about Priscilla Queen of the Desert having been made more family-friendly for Broadway. But it’s hard to imagine that this musical, arriving here after successful runs in Australia and London, could have been any bawdier. For all… more »

Watching Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia is bound to make you feel smarter.   This 1993 play, a career highlight for the playwright, is a complex interweaving of past and present, of intellect and emotion, of science, history and art. It’s a dense, challenging… more »

If the backstory of The Wizard of Oz can be turned into the theatrical juggernaut that is Wicked, then why not apply the same treatment to Peter Pan?   That at, at least, must have been the thinking behind Peter and the Starcatcher, based on Dave Barry… more »

If you’re going to revive an old-fashioned chestnut of a romantic comedy like Abe Burrows’ Cactus Flower, the least you can do is deliver a staging with some sparks. They are sadly lacking in the Off-Broadway revival currently on view at the Westside The… more »

After two movie adaptations and an Off-Broadway production a decade ago, there would seem to be no compelling reason to revive Jason Miller’s That Championship Season. But, ah yes, there is, as this old-fashioned drama provides a perfect opportunity for… more »

Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, who won the Tony and Pulitzer for Rabbit Hole, has expertly tapped into the zeitgeist with his newest work, Good People. This hard-edged comedy about class differences is bound to strike a chord in a modern economic clima… more »

If the new theater piece Beautiful Burnout is any indication, the Scottish theater company Frantic Assembly is aptly named. This work by Bryony Lavery (Frozen) set in a boxing gym is a whirlwind-paced portrait of young pugilists training and sparring. Su… more »

It’s easy to see why the Public Theater has chosen William Shakespeare’s--and possibly Thomas Middleton’s, according to some scholars--Timon of Athens as the inaugural productions of its Public LAB SHAKESPEARE series. This rarely performed drama, one of… more »

Lucky Toronto audiences are currently being given the opportunity to witness Christopher Plummer reprising his virtually one-man-show Barrymore, about the famed matinee idol who was as famed for his drinking and debauchery as his stage and film performan… more »