A couple of words are nowhere to be found in the title of the new Broadway play “Giant,” about children’s author Roald Dahl — namely “friendly” and “peach.” Theater review GIANT 2 hours and 15 minutes, with one intermission. At the Music Box Theatre. By the bitter end, it’s clear why. Because this Dahl, viciously … Read more
Theater review BUG One hour and 55 minutes, with one intermission. At the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 W. 47th Street. Typically in a theater, crickets mean calmness. Here’s our cue to settle in for a meaningful summer’s night chat on a porch. Or, when the word is used in a review of a play, … Read more
Showbiz is getting ready to pop the cork at midnight on Jan. 1. But first allow me to burst their bubble. Like the schlub who pledges to go to the gym more, the entertainment industry could always use some improvement. Here are my New Year’s resolutions for movies, Broadway and TV. “Stranger Things” returned for … Read more
Theater review PADDINGTON: THE MUSICAL Two hours, 40 minutes, with one intermission. At the Savoy Theatre in London. At one point watching “Paddington: The Musical” at the Savoy Theatre in London, I could have sworn I saw the bear actually start to cry. That’s impossible, of course. Pad’s a puppet. But his artificiality is easy … Read more
Theater review MARJORIE PRIME 1 hour, 20 minutes, no intermission. Hayes Theater, 240 W. 44th St. From the moment June Squibb takes the stage at the Hayes Theater in “Marjorie Prime,” you feel lucky to be in her presence. The stage and screen legend is back home on Broadway, where she got her start in … Read more
It’s time for an early curtain call. Kristin Chenoweth’s musical “Queen of Versailles” first began previews on Broadway on Oct. 8 before officially opening two weeks ago. Now, it’s been announced that the show is set to close on Jan. 4. Despite originally being slated to run through March 29, per tickets on the website, the show … Read more
Theater review TWO STRANGERS (CARRY A CAKE ACROSS NEW YORK) Two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission. At the Longacre Theatre, 220 W. 48th Street. Like unwrapping a present under the tree, you’re not quite sure what you’re in for at the start of “Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York),” the little … Read more
Theater review OEDIPUS 2 hours, no intermission. At Studio 54, 254 W. 54th St. Old “Oedipus” wouldn’t seem an ideal candidate for modernization. It’s hard to imagine the jaw-dropping fate of the legendary Theban king befalling any politician today. And even if his sticky situation were to somehow happen to an average Joe, it would … Read more
Theater review THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES Two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission. At the St. James Theatre, 246 W. 44th Street. At the center of the Broadway musical “The Queen of Versailles” is an unfinished, 90,000-square-foot house in Florida — one of the biggest private homes in America. Misguided, over-the-top, well-intended and seemingly … Read more
Theater review LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD 95 minutes, with no intermission. At the Booth Theatre, 222 W. 45th St. Actress Laurie Metcalf and playwright Samuel D. Hunter are a match made in Middle America. There are few writers who can sublimely craft, and without any condescension, powerful stories set in flyover country as well as … Read more
Theater review LIBERATION Two hours and 30 minutes, with one intermission. At the James Earl Jones Theatre. Progress ain’t easy, preaches the new Broadway play “Liberation,” which opened Tuesday night at the James Earl Jones Theatre. That bittersweet message is a common one onstage. How many issue-based shows have you seen that wrap up with, … Read more
Theater review ROMY AND MICHELE: THE MUSICAL Two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission. At Stage 42. The off-Broadway show “Romy and Michele: The Musical” cuts out “High School Reunion” from the title. Punchier, I guess. If only that eraser was put to better use. The sorry excuse for a stage adaptation, which opened … Read more
When I arrived at the Stratford Festival in Ontario this year, there was snow on the ground and wreaths on the doors. In late September. But it wasn’t because of premature Canadian frost and exuberant holiday cheer. No, a Christmas movie was being filmed in the lovely town that boasts exceptional Shakespeare stagings, modern plays … Read more
Theater review RAGTIME 2 hours and 45 minutes, with one intermission. At the Vivian Beaumont Theater, 150 W. 65th St. When massive musicals are downsized, the typical argument in favor of the choice is that fewer sets and dazzling doodads put the focus squarely on the music, lyrics and story. That’s certainly true of the latest … Read more
Theater review MASQUERADE Two hours with no intermission. Through Feb. 1 at Lee’s Art Shop, 218 W. 57th Street. When “The Phantom of the Opera” closed on Broadway in 2023 after a mirror-shattering 35-year run, everybody figured it would eventually come back. Nobody, however, foresaw that the return of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical to New … Read more
Theater review Waiting for Godot Running time: Two hours and 15 minutes with one intermission. At the Hudson Theatre, 141 W. 44th Street. Over at the Hudson Theatre on 44th Street, the crowd is waiting for Neo. And John Wick. And, of course, Bill and Ted. In the sense that Keanu Reeves shows up for work at … Read more
Theater review ART Ninety minutes with no intermission at the Music Box Theatre. Much in the way that Serge’s two best friends cannot fathom why he purchased a totally white painting for $300,000, I fail to understand the enduring popularity of the play “Art.” French writer Yasmina Reza’s 1998 whine-and-cheese comedy, which opened at the … Read more
Theater review TWELFTH NIGHT One hour and 45 minutes with no intermission. At the Delacorte Theater. “Twelfth Night,” a comedy of disguises and mistaken identities, is a smart play to reopen Shakespeare in the Park with after a two-year renovation break. Sitting in the 62-year-old open-air Delacorte Theater, you sure recognize the old girl. But … Read more
More From Johnny Oleksinski Theater review HERCULES Two hours and 20 minutes at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, England. LONDON — Disney has been hammering away at “Hercules” for eons. And more often than not, the show has toppled over like the Colossus of Rhodes. The Public put on a nice enough production … Read more
movie review MAMMA MIA! Two hours and 35 minutes, with one intermission. At the Winter Garden Theatre. The history book on the shelf is always repeating itself! It’s summer again at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway, where that dreamy discothèque “Mamma Mia!” reopened Thursday night after 10 years away from Broadway. The wonderful, escapist … Read more