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Criticism

Here, you’ll find content about the art and practice of theatre criticism. Many pieces grapple with questions of how to diversify the field, making it more accessible for young people, queer folx, and critics of color. This section also contains all the pieces of criticism in the Journal, which we call “NewCrits.” NewCrits analyze productions and go beyond “thumbs up, thumbs down” reviews, placing the work(s) in question in a larger, broader context—whether that’s the context of the time or place it’s done in, the artists’ body of work, or its genre. Are you interested in writing a NewCrit? Check out our guidelines and best practices!

The Latest

On Between Two Knees, or About Other Futures
Essay
On Between Two Knees, or About Other Futures
by Sebastián Eddowes-Vargas
17 April 2024
Viewpoints for Achieving Authentic Representation of Roma Communities on Stage
Essay
Viewpoints for Achieving Authentic Representation of Roma Communities on Stage
by Tímea Éva Bogya, Márton Illés
27 March 2024
Should We Write Differently About Roma Theatre?
Essay
Should We Write Differently About Roma Theatre?
by Noémi Herczog, Éva Moharos
25 March 2024
Demanding Action and Attention to Latina/o Theatre in Dallas
Essay

Demanding Action and Attention to Latina/o Theatre in Dallas

Deferred Action by David Lozano and Lee Trull

30 June 2016

Trevor Boffone and Roxanne Schroeder-Arce on the Cara Mía Theatre Company and Dallas Theater Center coproduction of the new play Deferred Action in Dallas, Texas.

A Man For This Season
Essay

A Man For This Season

On Ben Foster’s Monstrous Stanley Kowalski

23 June 2016

Manuel Betancourt on the Young Vic’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams at St. Ann’s Warehouse.

J is for Joto
Essay

J is for Joto

14 June 2016

Haydee Canovas on Carlos-Manuel’s Joto!: Confessions of a Mexican Outcast, directed by Jimmy A. Noriega, in Wooster, Ohio.

Violence and Female Genital Mutilation Onstage in Charlene James’ Cuttin’ It
Essay

Violence and Female Genital Mutilation Onstage in Charlene James’ Cuttin’ It

12 June 2016

verity healey discusses Charlene James’ new play Cuttin’ It at the Young Vic in London, England.

Robber Bridegroom's Feminist Heroine Reinvent Fairytale Marriages
Essay

Robber Bridegroom's Feminist Heroine Reinvent Fairytale Marriages

9 June 2016

Sara Zweig on The Robber Bridegroom with book and lyrics by Alfred Uhry, and music by Robert Waldman at The Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City.

Whose Story to Tell? Akron, Ohio Relates to the Indigenous Amazon
Essay

Whose Story to Tell? Akron, Ohio Relates to the Indigenous Amazon

7 June 2016

Amy Schwabauer on Death of a Man by Jairo Cuesta in Akron, Ohio.

Sung-Through
Essay

Sung-Through

Real American Musicals or Concerts with Benefits?

2 June 2016

Jonathan Mandell on the recent spate of sung through musicals, including HadestownThe Total BentEvening 1910, and Hamilton.

Sans Everything but the Essential
Essay

Sans Everything but the Essential

Shakespeare, Space Suits, and the Power of the Human

31 May 2016

Shari Caplan on Sans Everything by Strange Attractor Theatre at the Charlestown Working Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Defiance Before Freedom
Essay

Defiance Before Freedom

Rising Circle’s This Time

26 May 2016

Sarah Matusek on the New York City production of This Time by Sevan K. Greene, adapted from the memoir Not So Long Ago by Amal Meguid, directed by Kareem Fahmy.

Philly Leaps into Today
Essay

Philly Leaps into Today

24 May 2016

Chicagoan Aaron Hunt visits Philadelphia and reflects on some of its theatrical offerings, including He Who Gets Slapped, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Nether, An Octoroon, and Sex With Strangers.

Bootycandy by Robert O’Hara at SpeakEasy Stage Company
Essay

Bootycandy by Robert O’Hara at SpeakEasy Stage Company

19 May 2016

Josh Platt reflects on Boston-based director Summer Williams’ interpretation of Bootycandy by Robert O’Hara, in light of her recent direction of An Octoroon by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

Men vs. Women on Broadway This Season
Essay

Men vs. Women on Broadway This Season

12 May 2016

Jonathan Mandell explores the gender politics of Broadway offerings such as American PsychoWaitressEclipsedThe Color Purple, and more.

DC’s Ambassador Theater Takes on Dario Fo’s They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay!
Essay

DC’s Ambassador Theater Takes on Dario Fo’s They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay!

3 May 2016

Patricia Davis on Ambassador Theater’s production of They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! by Dario Fo in Washington, DC.

Lyricist Sheldon Harnick talks Fiddler on the Roof
Essay

Lyricist Sheldon Harnick talks Fiddler on the Roof

28 April 2016

Marcina Zaccaria speaks with Fiddler on the Roof lyricist Sheldon Harnick as he approaches his ninety-second birthday.

Comedy, Contrivance, and Criticism
Essay

Comedy, Contrivance, and Criticism

A Defense of Smart People

26 April 2016

Anchuli Felicia King on the Second Stage production of Lydia R. Diamond’s Smart People in New York.

The Dangerous Old Ladies of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Ripcord
Essay

The Dangerous Old Ladies of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Ripcord

19 April 2016

Ellen Mareneck on David Lindsay-Abaire’s Ripcord, directed by David Hyde Pierce at Manhattan Theatre Club in New York. 

Could A Play Stop A Demagogue? Theatre and Electoral Politics
Essay

Could A Play Stop A Demagogue? Theatre and Electoral Politics

7 April 2016

Have jokey depictions of elections on stage and screen helped cause a joke of a real-life presidential campaign?  Jonathan Mandell visits two experimental theatre projects that are tackling this year’s presidential election in serious and intriguing ways.

The Father
Essay

The Father

How Scene is Set by Stage

5 April 2016

Rhiannon D’Averc on The Father by Florian Zeller, playing in London’s West End.

On the Timely Racial Politics of The Royale
Essay

On the Timely Racial Politics of The Royale

24 March 2016

Manuel Betancourt on The Royale by Marco Ramírez at Lincoln Center Theater in New York City.

What Flavor Am I?
Essay

What Flavor Am I?

Reflecting on Michael Sommers’ Review of Ropes

23 March 2016

Playwright Matt Bardot responds to Michael Sommers’ Ropes review, while reflecting on his experience with race and identity in both the classroom and professional realm.

Tomás and the Library Lady
Essay

Tomás and the Library Lady

Framing an Expert’s Review

22 March 2016

Roxanne Schroeder-Arce interviews her ten-year-old daughter Genevieve to get her thoughts on a recent theatre for young audiences show in Austin, Texas.

Blackbird Dares You to Call It a Love Story
Essay

Blackbird Dares You to Call It a Love Story

17 March 2016

Megan Patterson on the New York production of David Harrower’s Blackbird, starring Jeff Daniels and Michelle Williams.

Cultural Microaggressions in Theatre Reviews
Essay

Cultural Microaggressions in Theatre Reviews

A Call for Dialogue

16 March 2016

The Latinx Theatre Commons Steering Committee responds to a recent New York Times review containing a cultural microaggression.

Subversively Smart and Turning the Tide
Essay

Subversively Smart and Turning the Tide

Lauren Gunderson’s Women Heroes

15 March 2016

Playwright Lauren Gunderson and Director Sean Daniels discuss Gunderson’s body of work including I and You, a play about two stumbling teenagers and a nineteenth-century poet.

Another Word for Beauty
Essay

Another Word for Beauty

Finding Freedom in The Moment

10 March 2016

David Dudley on The Goodman Theatre production of José Rivera’s Another Word for Beauty, directed by Steve Cosson in Chicago, Illinois.