‘Tommy,’ Can You Hear Me? I’m Not Gonna Take It
From its casting to its staging, the acclaimed new Broadway revival of the iconic rock musical misses opportunities to engage with, and subvert, harmful tropes around Deafness and disability.
Critic’s Notebook
How ‘Days of Wine’ and ‘White Chip’ Stage Alcoholism and Recovery
2 shows currently running in New York mix unique strengths with some predictable tropes about ‘rock bottom’ and recovery.
The New ‘Real Women’ Musical Has Curves, But How About Complexity?
This enduring mother-daughter story about undocumented Latina immigrants has been turned into a celebratory crowd pleaser, for better and worse.
Big Feelings and Big Musicals in Seoul
A recent visit to Korea demonstrated that musical theatre can offer emotional and visual journeys beyond language, though not every choice translates well.
Sondheim the Cinephile: How Film Shaped His Work
From Bernard Herrmann to Luis Buñuel, filmic influences found their way into his musicals’ form and content, up to and including his final show, ‘Here We Are.’
Pour One Out for New Rep
How the Boston-area theatre, which recently announced its closure after 4 decades, gave a young critic hope for the art form.
The Complicated Triumph of ‘Here Lies Love’
David Byrne’s Broadway musical is a breakthrough for Filipino American performers, but at what cost to the historical truths it dances around?
Could It Happen Here? How U.S. and U.K. Plays Are Staging Antisemitism’s Resurgence
Over the past year, no fewer than 10 shows on both sides of the Atlantic have addressed the historical rise of Nazism and/or the troubling resurfacing of antisemitism.
Is the Musical Progressive?
For all its faults, the form (and its fans) can’t help but stand up and sing for the underdog, for the awakened conscience, for moments of joyful liberation.
3 Ways to Tell Stories of Sexual Abuse Onstage
The writers of ‘Vatican Falls,’ ‘How I Learned to Drive,’ and ‘Downstate’ take varied approaches to depicting pedophiles—and reckoning with what they deserve.
