Criticism

 Jonathan Mandell considers his own and other reactions to the Broadway musical Come From Away, which have as much to do with what's happening in the world as on stage.

Emily Cordes considers how Siobhan O’Loughlin’s immersive solo show Broken Bone Bathtub is a vehicle for audiences to find each other’s common humanity in a collaborative bath.

Erik Nikander discusses Yaroslava Pulinovich's Russian play Natasha's Dream, presented in New Repertory Theatre in Massachusetts.

Daniel Coelho discusses Druid Theatre Company’s revival of The Beauty Queen of Leenane, making parallels to the women of Grey Gardens and Tennessee Williams’ character Blanche DuBois.

Cherry Lou Sy shares her experience seeing the Neo-Futurists’ The Great American Drama, which examines perceptions of the American dream and success in theatre.

Kyle Whalen explores the “moments of the unknowable” in the Steppenwolf production of Lucas Hnath’s The Christians in Chicago, Illinois.

Jonathan Mandell compares The Penitent by David Mamet with Penitent by Terrance McNally, and argues that neither late-career playwright has anything for which to apologize.

Abraham Benson-Goldberg discusses Khan Theatre’s production of Philoctetes, examining the intersections of young soldiers, heroism, war, and politics.

Meghan McLeroy digs into the refreshing representation of the American South in Audrey Cefaly’s Love is a Blue Tick Hound produced by Terrific New Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama.

Cherry Lou Sy reflects on Lukumi Arts’ immersive production of La Sirene: Rutas de Azucar (The Siren: Sugar Routes), which explores the black history of Cuba through José Antonio Aponte’s book of paintings.

On the eve of the inauguration of Donald J. Trump, Jonathan Mandell looks at how the political resistance of theatre artists is playing out on and off stage in New York.

Amelia Parenteau deconstructs the use of technology in The Builders Association’s production of Elements of Oz, an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, presented at 3LD in New York City.

Playwright Chisa Hutchinson and Artistic Director Wesley Frugé discuss the current climate for work by playwrights of color, and advocate producing more work by women writers of color.

Hailey Bachrach reflects on Phyllida Lloyd’s The Tempest, the final installment of her Shakespeare trilogy featuring all-female casts, produced by the Donmar Warehouse at London’s King’s Cross Theatre.

Jonathan Mandell reflects on what makes immersive theatre, through the lens of Inside the Wild Heart, Group .BR’s immersive show about the late Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector.

Zach Dorn explores Kuro Tanino’s mythical Avidya: No Lights Inn, a ritualistic and darkly spiritual experience at the Kyoto International Performing Arts Festival in Japan.

Peggy Wright-Cleveland on the FSU production of Seminar by Theresa Rebeck.

Gary English, artistic associate at The Freedom Theatre on the West Bank in the Jenin refugee camp, discusses the complications of presenting work on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict in the US.

Rachel E. Diken on Aglio e Olio, a “kitchen theatre” piece written and performed by Meg Persichetti and produced and directed by Laura Gilkey in Maplewood, New Jersey.

Rob Oronato on Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, a “communal, intelligent, erotic, participatory, spectacular performance art concert; a marathon survey dedicated to destroying through exposure the racism, patriarchy, supremacy, and fascism suppressing the fabulosity of all our country’s different beleaguered Others over the years.”

A new play takes cues from funk music to explore bisexuality, biphobia, and polyamory in 1990s Brooklyn.

Jonathan Mandell asks how perceptions of theatre have changed since November 8 and if and how theatre itself will change as a result of the new regime.

Sound designer Victoria Deiorio reflects on her experience of Complicite’s The Encounter and its ingenious use of sound. 

Rachel Bykowski looks at Dana Lynn Formby’s American Beauty Shop and Kristiana Rae Colón’s good friday and asks: is it possible for women playwrights to tell truthful stories of the female experience and male oppression when men hold the majority of leadership positions in the American theatre?