New Haven Theater Company’s “The Dumb Waiter” is a very good version of a work that I must admit to finding frustrating. I’ve never much cotton to plays that feel more like literary exploration than human narratives.

It can often be risky to pull off an adaptation of a previously done work, when it deviates from the original in any way, shape or form. Needless to say, it’s even more risky to attempt to conceive a show that blends the work of one artist with that of another. Yet that’s exactly what we are treated to at the Medicine Show Theatre, in the form of the show Mr. Chekhov and Mr. Porter, and the result is a show that, for the most part, plays out relatively well.

For some of us, it often feels easy to forget just how recent of a cultural shift the embrace of LGBTQ equality has been in the United States has been. Prior to the beginning of this decade, a vast majority of the public – including in supposedly progressives states such as California in 2008 – viewed non-heterosexuals with disapproval, if not outright disgust. While there’s still more that can be done, things were far worse in the past.

I found this to be a very admirable children’s show, which does as fine a job as anyone could at explaining issues concerning refugees to young audiences. I myself have written many times before here at OnStage Blog about how children’s theatre needs to do more to tackle important issues, and judging by the description I read in the program, it seems that Rebel Playhouse is no stranger to doing exactly that.

Artistic Director/General Manger of Theatre 3x60, Carey Nicholson, is not one to shy away from Mr. Wasserman’s challenging script and its hard-hitting social issues as they appear even more relevant today in the uncertainty of our world. Along with many dedicated behind the scene volunteers led by producer Liz Pask and stage manager Amanda Klein, Ms. Nicholson handles confidently the reins as director of this gritty, visceral and raw Cuckoo’s Nest, now playing at the Oshawa Little Theatre.  

This year is the 20th anniversary of Eve Ensler's groundbreaking V-Day Campaign--a movement founded to increase awareness and raise money for anti-violence organizations using Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" as a creative catalyst for change.

TheaterWorks presents the unconventional work, Constellations, by British playwright Nick Payne. This play takes the “boy meets girl” story and turns it on its head: what happens if the boy and the girl meet over and over with circumstances ever so slightly different? It’s a play exploring choice and destiny; of finding and losing love; and it is powerful, compelling stuff.

Long Wharf’s latest offering, Office Hour, is playwright Julia Cho’s third work to be produced at Long Wharf with a tough and timely subject: the eminent threat of a school mass shooting.  The 75-minute one act focuses on what happens (maybe) when a professor tries to reach out to a troubled student who may become the next Seung-Hui Cho.

The success of “The Children,” currently playing at Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, is primarily the result of playwright Lucy Kirkwood’s effective and judicious use of tropes, particularly the extended metaphor of the nuclear “disaster” that has displaced Hazel (played with an unresolved anger tempered with pragmatism by Deborah Findlay) and her husband Robin (played with an openness that conceals deep secrets by Ron Cook) from their dairy farm (too close to the power plant for comfort).

Woman Before a Glass is a low-key, ninety-minute long, one-woman show, performed in a 70-seat studio theatre in London's West End. The play maps the true story of Peggy Gugenheim, an art collector in the mid-20th Century. It is a passionately told story – witty, engaging, and interesting.

As a little girl, I was entranced by the book (and film), From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The story is about two suburban kids, Claudia and Jamie, who decide to run away and live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I thought it was a brilliant plan: living amongst the relics and artistry of ancient civilizations. Imagine my joy in hearing about Sharon Washington’s Feeding the Dragon, a solo work about “the little girl who lived in the library.” I knew about the apartments at the New York Public Library (I have friends on the inside), so I was excited to hear a first-hand account of someone who lived in one of these spaces.

Every icon has a story that inspires us all and stays with us since the first time we hear it, and the story of singer Cilla Black is certainly no exception. It’s been over three years since ITV’s hit drama Cilla was first aired and met with critical acclaim, engaging both old and new fans alike with the story of one our national treasures before her tragic passing the following year. Fast forward to the present and Jeff Pope has adapted his original screenplay from the hit television series into Cilla – The Musical, directed and produced by Bill Kenwright and now touring around the UK to champion the legacy of one of the entertainment industry’s brightest stars.

Steven McCasland’s Memorare, running at St. John’s Lutheran Church until Jan. 27, 2018, is a fascinating and timely piece of work. With conversations that are still familiar today, a wonderful cast, and a beautifully-written story, the world-premiere production is a must-see.

I have to admit that the romance genre, generally speaking, is not a favorite of mine. There are a variety of reasons for this, among them being some inevitable clichés that can emerge in the writing, and thus lead to some mediocre art. Still, there are still some occasions in which a well-written romance play can keep me entertained. That much was clear this Wednesday, as I was able to easily enjoy and appreciate some of the gems in Look Me in the Eyes, a series of new one-act plays now being presented by American Renaissance Theater Company.

This world premiere production of Vichet Chum’s compelling play, “KNYUM”, invites the audience on a journey of discovery. Written and performed by Vichet Chum, Chum portrays Guy, a hotel clerk who works the night shift while studying Khmer, the language of Cambodia.

Thanks to its seemingly endless longevity, it's rather difficult to picture the ubiquitous 1966 John Kander and Fred Ebb Broadway musical classic "CABARET" staged in any other way than the brilliant, Tony Award-winning 1998 Roundabout Theatre Company revival co-directed by Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall—which itself also served as the springboard for the newer 2014 revival that still continues to tour North America today.

There’s nowhere to hide in “A Chorus Line.” That’s the whole point of the landmark musical director-choreographer Michael Bennett brought to Broadway in 1975. Shine a spotlight on the journeyman hoofers who do all the heavy lifting in musicals yet who seem destined to remain in the background, anonymous and unheralded.

To paraphrase Linda Loman from DEATH OF A SALESMAN, ‘attention was certainly paid’ on this sold out opening night performance of Edward Albee’s A DELICATE BALANCE. When Acting Artistic Director Alan Dilworth entered the stage and thanked us for attending, the theatre roared with thunderous audience approval for him and for this production under these most egregious and difficult circumstances in the last several weeks.

Teddy is completely unpredictable, exciting, fresh, and genuinely tense at times. Exploring the fantastic juxtaposition of a depressed post-war Britain, with teenage rebellion and rock 'n' roll, the play delves into not only a fascinating era, but also the lives of two fascinating characters.

Want to see a great "Bromance" where the lead actors have each others backs?  Go see Aladdin now at The Pantages. The first time I experienced Aladdin was in 1992 with my young daughter as we watched Disney’s animated film and singing every word to each lyrical song by Howard Ashman (two time Oscar winner) and Time Rice (three-time Tony and Oscar winner). The music by Alan Mencken (Tony Award and eight-time Oscar winner) was so uplifting and engaging.