CONSTRICTIVE CRITICISM

SHRINKING CIRCLE STILL GUARDS ITS SECRETS

By MICHAEL RIEDEL
November 21, 2008 - THE cranky cobras of the venerable New York Drama Critics' Circle met on Mon day, and their mood was black. They're not a cheery lot even in the best of circumstances, but this week there was a lot to be gloomy about. They knew, of course, that Clive Barnes, their longest-serving member, was gravely ill. He died the following day...

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IT'S A HELLUVA 'TOWN'

By FRANK SCHECK

IT may be 64 years old, but 1944's "On the Town," now enjoying a brief revival at Encores!, still bursts with the freshness...more >
'ESTATE' WEALTH OF OLD-FASHIONED CHARM

By FRANK SCHECK

HORTON Foote's "Divid ing the Estate" - about a rapacious Southern family tangling over finances - contains echoes of "...more >

AS EVER, A GENTLEMAN

CLIVE BARNES 1927-2008

By MICHAEL RIEDEL
November 20, 2008 -
CLIVE BARNES had all the traits that George Bernard Shaw said a great critic must possess. He knew his Shakespeare backward and forward, as well as his Sophocles, Ibsen, Chekhov and Congreve. He...more >
STEROIDS-SCANDAL PLAY STRIKES OUT

By FRANK SCHECK
November 20, 2008 -
A program note for "Back Back Back" coyly informs us that it "does not depict any actual person, incident or event." But Itamar Moses' new drama about the steroids scandals...more >
HEAVENLY TRIP TO HELL

By FRANK SCHECK
November 20, 2008 -
MARTHA Clarke has worked on many theatrical productions since her "Garden of Earthly Delights" premiered in 1984, but few have matched the impact of the director/choreographer's...more >
REBA TARGETS STAGE RETURN

By MICHAEL RIEDEL
November 19, 2008 -
YOU're the top You're a blue sapphire You're the top You're Reba McEntire By way of Cole Porter, I'm happy to report today that the delightful Reba McEntire may be...more >
POOR FOUNDATION FOR NEW SONDHEIM MUSICAL

By FRANK SCHECK
November 19, 2008 -
YOU can't accuse Stephen Sondheim and John Weid man of having commitment issues. The composer and librettist behind "Pacific Overtures" and "Assassins" have been working on...more >
BARELY WORTH A PLUGGED NICKEL

By BARBARA HOFFMAN
November 18, 2008 -
JUST how many f - - - ing David Mamet revivals do we need this season? For the moment, Broadway's got two: "American Buffalo" blundered into the Belasco last night, hard on the heels...more >
DOUBLE, DOUBLE TOIL AND TROUBLE IN JAPAN

By FRANK SCHECK
November 17, 2008 -
THE question that springs to mind while watching "Shogun Macbeth," which sets the action in 12th-century feudal Japan, is: Can we still refer to it as "the Scottish Play"? First...more >
FOR CRYIN' & LAUGHIN' OUT LOUD

By FRANK SCHECK
November 17, 2008 -
AMONG the topics touched on by "Sleep walk With Me" are a malignant tumor, the ending of a longtime romantic relationship and a sleep disorder that nearly results in death. So why is it...more >
JUNIE B. GOOD? MEET EDWINA

By BARBARA HOFFMAN
November 15, 2008 -
CALLING all "Junie B. Jones" fans: There’s a new girl in town, and she’s just as assertive as Junie, the world’s feistiest first grader. Introducing Edwina Spoonapple, a...more >
BILLY'S BOYS

TWO KIDS, ONE ROLE AND A FRIENDSHIP

By BARBARA HOFFMAN
November 15, 2008 -
THE ad probably went like this: "Wanted: Boy, 12-ish. Must sing, act, dance — and wear a dress." At least, that’s what’s needed to play Michael in "Billy Elliot...more >