Frank Scheck
The Archive
Spooky Irish play ‘The Weir’ will put a chill down your spine
Conor McPherson’s “The Weir” provides a welcome respite from the summer heat: There’s nothing like tales of the supernatural to send chills down your spine. Much like the ghosts in...
Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams bring renewed joy to ‘Happy Days’
Would that we could all face life with the sunny optimism of Winnie in “Happy Days.” Buried up to her chest in a mound of earth under a blazing sun...
Public Theater’s undercooked ‘ToasT’ follows build up to Attica riots
The events leading up to the explosive Attica Prison riot of 1971 promise to be the stuff of compelling drama. It’s too bad, then, that “ToasT” is so undercooked. Though...
Off-Broadway's 'Iowa' is nothing but a flyover play
"I thought I had something to say, but I don’t,” says a character in “Iowa.” The same could be said of Jenny Schwartz’s new play with music, which strains so...
Keith Carradine leads the charge in ‘Paint Your Wagon’ revival
You have to mine for them, but Lerner and Lowe’s Gold Rush musical — now lovingly revived at Encores! — is rife with shiny nuggets. Even with Keith Carradine leading...
‘Placebo,’ a play about a female arousal drug, could use a little theatrical Viagra
A placebo is medical-speak for a harmless substance that has no real curative effects whatsoever. The same could be said of Obie winner Melissa James Gibson’s new drama: “Placebo” which...
Kristin Chenoweth leads ‘On the Twentieth Century’ to theatrical bliss
"They don’t write dialogue like this anymore,” a producer says, leafing through the Bible in “On the Twentieth Century.” And they don’t write musical comedies like this anymore, either. Gloriously...
Tame ‘Lionboy’ slips into the New Victory Theater
"Have you ever seen a lion chase a CEO down a corridor?” the young hero asks in “Lionboy.” Well, you won’t see it here. This first-ever show for families created...
'Let the Right One In' is a bloody good vampire tale
Blood flows as freely as adolescent hormones in the National Theatre of Scotland’s stage adaptation of the 2008 Swedish film “Let the Right One In.” It is both a moving...
Chelsea club to go for world record with 60 hours of variety acts
And Ed Sullivan thought he had a really big show! The Metropolitan Room hopes to set a new Guinness World Record for the longest variety show ever — 265 individual...
One-man show ‘Wiesenthal’ brings great Nazi-hunter to life
For a man who devoted his life to hunting down Nazi war criminals, Simon Wiesenthal was quite the cutup. That’s but one of the revelations of the fine one-man show...
Big Apple Circus’ new show big on acrobats and rescue dogs
There's something very comforting about the Big Apple Circus. Now in its 37th season, it’s intimate and fun, minus the arty pretensions of Cirque du Soleil and the seizure-inducing freneticism...
Buster Poindexter makes the Café Carlyle ‘Hot Hot Hot’
Forget the stiff ($50 to $130) cover charge and sharp-dressed clientele: For now, the elegant Café Carlyle is New York’s funkiest dive bar. All thanks to Buster Poindexter, lounge-lizard alter...
'The Death of Klinghoffer' ignites passion outside, but none onstage
It’s often said that opera is a dying art form, but you wouldn’t know it from the emotions flaring outside Lincoln Center last night. The occasion was The Metropolitan Opera’s...
Lennon's spirit shines through in 'Glass Onion'
Except for his convincing Liverpudlian accent, John R. Waters barely looks or sounds anything like the subject of “Lennon: Through a Glass Onion.” So if you’re expecting a “Rain”-style re-creation...
Take a memorable flight back in time with 'Destination: London'
As immersive theater goes, “Destination: London” makes for some mighty fine dining. Part of London’s pop-up dining series, “Mile High” — get your mind out of the gutter, please —...
Jeff Goldblum makes his cabaret debut with trademark quips
The listed showtime for Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra is 8:45 p.m. But if you don’t get to the Café Carlyle early, you may miss half the fun....
‘Heart’ misses a dramatic beat
The newest jukebox musical celebrates the life and work of — Bert Berns? Yes. The loving “Piece of My Heart: The Bert Berns Story” tells the tale of the little-known...
James Franco sees limit to his talents with 'The Long Shrift'
Somehow, between doing eight shows a week of “Of Mice and Men,” teaching, making movies and flirting on Instagram, James Franco’s found time to make his stage directorial debut. Judging...
Off-Broadway Manhattan Project an 'Atomic' bomb
The creation of the atomic bomb was one of the most momentous events in world history. The most lethal weapon ever devised by man, it ended World War II when...