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.
Category Archives: Critic’s Notebook
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.
NY’s January Festivals: Reunited, and It Feels So Different
Under the Radar, Exponential, and Prototype at last returned in person this year, and the pickings were as unexpected and various as ever.
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.
The Rise and Fall of ‘KPOP’
Why is this groundbreaking Broadway musical closing so soon? The tale of its creation, evolution, marketing, and critical reception offers plenty of clues—and some glimmers of hope.
