Director Craig Baldwin's thrilling new adaptation of William Shakespeare's Richard II for Red Bull Theater boldly transposes the play's setting from late 14th-century England to a vibrantly realized, greed-is-good 1980s Manhattan. It is a choice that not only allows for some stunning costumes by Rodrigo Muñoz, but also conjures a period of national disunity, with... Continue Reading →
When Drew Droege, most widely known for his inspired viral Chloë Sevigny parody videos, spoke with The Queer Review in March 2020 about his one-man show Happy Birthday Doug, he mused, “I think we’re afraid as queer people to write flawed gay characters”. With his latest Off-Broadway comedy, Messy White Gays, the writer-star shows no... Continue Reading →
After encountering several stark, minimalist stagings on Broadway of late, however effective they might be, it is refreshing to be presented with such a realistic, detail-rich set at the Hayes Theater. Beautifully designed by John Lee Beatty, with enchanting lighting by Heather Gilbert, we are drawn into a spacious yet cozy and inviting open-plan living... Continue Reading →
Four decades from now on the outskirts of Seoul, South Korea, the handsome and immaculately groomed Oliver (Darren Criss) spends his days contentedly confined to his stylish but tiny single-room apartment. He one-sidedly converses with his houseplant, HwaBoon (a far more amicable herbage than the man-eater Criss encountered Off-Broadway in Little Shop of Horrors), listens... Continue Reading →
The skill required to craft and perform truly great comedy is often underrated, so its refreshing to see the slew of much-deserved plaudits for Cole Escola's Oh, Mary! that currently adorn the marquee of Broadway's Lyceum Theatre. Included among the attention-grabbing endorsements is the show's own mock-boastful tagline—which channels the titular character's tendency for self-aggrandizement—"The... Continue Reading →
Cat-egory is: the Mother of Reinvention Five years after the critically mauled movie adaptation of Cats, that not even Taylor Swift could save, New York's Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) ends its inaugural season on a major high with an inspired, exhilarating reinterpretation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 musical theatre classic as the worlds... Continue Reading →
Playwright Hansol Jung and veteran Tony-nominated director Leigh Silverman reunite, following their collaborations on Cardboard Piano and Wild Goose Dreams, to create an evening of queer bliss with the hilarious lesbian sex comedy Merry Me running at New York Theatre Workshop until Sunday, November 19th. Jung's new play brings together Restoration comedy, Greek theatre, and... Continue Reading →
The soap opera at the heart of Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop creator Michael R. Jackson's uproarious new Off-Broadway musical, that gives the show its title and catchy recurring theme song, White Girl In Danger, is set in the town of "Allwhite" and features a story that is "Allwhite", as the opening... Continue Reading →
Edward Albee’s pedigree as the chronicler of domestic dysfunction is well earned and the Sydney Theatre Company’s new production of The Goat or, Who is Sylvia revels in the nasty details. Dark comedies don’t get much darker than this, and when we say "the goat", we don't mean "the greatest of all time". Martin and... Continue Reading →
Sydney's Hayes Theatre is taking us back a century this WorldPride season with the roaring twenties set, classic 1940s feel-good musical comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The Hayes has really gone to town with this production; there are big voices, a big marketing push, and a big set (perhaps a little too big for the space).... Continue Reading →
