New York Times Theatre News

Robert Earl Jones, 96, Broadway Actor, Dies

Tue, 2006-09-19 04:00
Robert Earl Jones, a stage and screen actor and the father of the actor James Earl Jones, died on Sept. 7 at the age of 96.

Theater Review | 'Richard II': A Leader Abandoned, Overthrown and Humbled

Tue, 2006-09-19 04:00
Michael Cumpsty traces the gestation of Richard’s soul with affecting clarity in this uneven new production for the Classic Stage Company.

Theater Review | 'Intellectuals': Thinkers Who Experiment, but Not in Laboratories

Tue, 2006-09-19 04:00
Scott C. Sickles shows a fair amount of potential with “Intellectuals,” his genial comedy about relationships gay and straight and, well, both.

Theater Review | 'The Persians': Despair Echoes From the Arms of Defeat

Mon, 2006-09-18 04:00
This intense, full-blooded staging by the National Theater of Greece relies on the simple force of Aeschylus’s strange tragedy to compel our attention.

Broadway Weighs Plan to Reward Frequent Theatergoers

Mon, 2006-09-18 04:00
The Nederlander Organization has announced the creation of Audience Rewards, an awards program that will be similar to frequent flier miles and credit card points.

Broadway for Dummies (and Ventriloquists)

Sun, 2006-09-17 04:00
A 57-year-old man and a glorified log are in town to star in, of all things, their own Broadway show.

For a Veteran Producer, a Theatrical First

Sat, 2006-09-16 04:00
He has been a master of the tried and true, but this month Kevin F. Harrington is turning in a new direction, producing his first world premiere.

Music Review: Still Here, Still Singing, Still Savvy

Sat, 2006-09-16 04:00
Elaine Stritch loves “The Sopranos” so much that she’s made the show’s theme song the uproarious novelty centerpiece of her new cabaret show.

Theater Review | 'Asylum': Exploring the Mad World of a Frustrated First Lady

Fri, 2006-09-15 04:00
"Asylum: The Strange Case of Mary Lincoln," being given its world premiere by the York Theater Company, is a respectable pocket musical.

Theater Review | 'Theophilus North': A Young Man's Travels on Thornton Wilder Turf

Fri, 2006-09-15 04:00
The four stories in the Keen Company's production of "Theophilus North" have their old-fashioned charms.

Cheap Seats: Walking the Line, Stalking Bargains on Broadway

Fri, 2006-09-15 04:00
It is still possible to attend even the most in-demand Broadway shows at remarkably good prices, but it is not easy.

An Ancient Play About War Finds a Modern Audience

Fri, 2006-09-15 04:00
The National Theater of Greece is bringing its new version of "The Persians," starring and directed by Lydia Koniordou, to City Center.

Critic's Notebook: Liberating Miss Alma, a Heroine at Last

Thu, 2006-09-14 04:00
The character of Alma Winemiller has resurfaced with a new authoritative calm in the Hartford Stage’s gentle, insightful revival of Tennessee Williams’s “Summer and Smoke.”

Theater Review | 'The Treatment': The Therapist Interrogates, the Patient Is the Victim

Wed, 2006-09-13 04:00
Eve Ensler's new play is a dismaying muddle that fails to illuminate any of the troubling ideas at its core.

Six Million Casting Directors I.S.O. Maria

Wed, 2006-09-13 04:00
“How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” is a live talent competition in which British television viewers will pick the lead for a new production of "The Sound of Music."

Theater Review | 'The History of Valentyne and Orson': The King Is Papier-Mâché, and the Bear’s in a Onesie

Wed, 2006-09-13 04:00
Ralph Lee's newest production affords many moments of paradoxical pleasure, revealing the garage-sale stuff of which compelling illusions can be made.

Theater Review | 'I (Heart) Kant': Seeing Four Women’s Lives, Full of Pluses and Minuses

Wed, 2006-09-13 04:00
This is a nimble, knowing one-act with an admirable script carefully structured to appear free-flowing.

Theater Review | 'Foggy Bottom': Multicultural Confusion, Aggravated by Closets Without Ears and Actors Without Space

Tue, 2006-09-12 04:00
Much of the time James Armstrong's play is fairly entertaining. But at other times the action is unbelievable, even by the standards of farce.

After Conquering ‘Chicago,’ It’s On to Motown

Sun, 2006-09-10 04:00
A quarter-century after being dazzled by "Dreamgirls" on Broadway, Bill Condon is bringing the musical to the screen.

Six Tonys but No Stars: Can This Play Be a Film?

Sun, 2006-09-10 04:00
Alan Bennett’s hit play "The History Boys" has been a magnet for theater prizes. That may or may not matter to moviegoers.