Tag: Broadway Play

Chinese Republicans Play Review

It amazes me what some will do to climb the corporate ladder.

The new play, Chinese Republicans, by Alex Lin, follows four Chinese-American women who are all employed by the same investment firm in New York City. Phyllis (Jodi Long) integrated the company’s C-Suite. Her mentee, Ellen (Jennifer Ikeda), has put her personal life on hold for the sake of her career. Iris (Jully Lee) needs to keep her job to stay in the country. Katie (Anna Zavelson) is a twenty-something who has yet to be let down by the system.

This play is brilliant. Each woman is like a puzzle piece. They have their own story and struggle, yet fit together perfectly. Lin’s ending is perfect because it is a harsh reminder that we live in a world where Caucasian men still hold most of the cards.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Chinese Republicans is playing until April 5th, 2026. Check the website for tickets and showtimes.

Meet the Cartozians Play Review

Humans, if nothing else, are predictable creatures.

Meet the Cartozians is the new play by Talene Monahon. Based on a true story, it follows an Armenian-American family set in two different periods: the 1920s and the 2020s. A century ago, the patriarch of the Cartozian clan was on the abyss of being sent back to his country of birth due to a question of being “white”. In our time, one of their descendants has become a world-famous reality star (a la Kim Kardashian). The rest continue the debate about skin color, identity, and the impact of the Armenian Genocide generations after the massacre.

It is essentially two stories in one. The first act is flawless. It is both of its era and also relevant in 2025 (which is frankly frightening). The second act is mostly unfocused and lacks a cohesive narrative. It’s not a bad thing that the ending is not neatly tied up. The questions that Monahon asks are important. But it was not a smooth landing and required another pass at the script.

The acting is fantastic. Each performer plays two completely different people in such a way that I had to question if it was the same person from the first half.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Meet the Cartozians is currently playing at the Second Stage, the Pershing Square Signature Center, until December 14th, 2025. Check the website for tickets and showtimes.

Oedipus Play Review

Over the weekend, I learned a new concept that storytelling-wise makes perfect sense. It’s called Chekhov’s gun. In short, it means that if the writer has put in a specific character or narrative element, it is not just because they felt like it. There is a reason why it exists within the tale.

Oedipus (a modern reboot of the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles) recently opened on Broadway. The titular Oedipus (Mark Strong) is a politician on the brink of winning the highest office in the land. Just before a celebratory dinner with his wife, Jocasta (Lesley Manville), mother, Merope (Anne Reid), and the rest of the family, a stranger makes an odd prediction: he will kill his father and sleep with his mother. At first, it seems that it is the babblings of a man who may not be right in the head. But as the evening wears on, the prophecy takes on a life of its own.

My mind was blown by the time the curtain fell. Strong is electric in the title role. Manville is awe-inspiring as Jocasta. Reid, as Merope, starts off in one direction and ends in another entirely.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely. This play is not to be missed. I have every confidence that, come award season next year, Oedipus will do well.

Oedipus is playing at Studio 54 in New York City until February 8th, 2026. Check the website for tickets and showtimes.

Jeff Ross: Take A Banana For The Ride Review

No one gets through life without a few bumps and bruises. It is how we respond that matters.

Jeff Ross: Take A Banana For The Ride just opened on Broadway. Comedian and Roastmaster General Jeff Ross tells the story of his life via his new one-man show. Born in New Jersey to a Jewish family, he experienced loss early. This led him to develop a thick skin when it came to life and build a successful comedy career.

This show is brilliant. It is more than just a series of jokes. It is tender, sad at times, hilarious, and life-affirming. I have not laughed like this in a very long time.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely. It is a must see.

Jeff Ross: Take A Banana For The Ride is running until September 28th, 2025. Check the website for tickets and showtimes.

P.S. You will understand the reference to the banana if you see the show.

John Proctor is the Villain Play Review

One of the beauties of progress is that we can look at canonized classics with new eyes.

John Proctor is the Villain is the new play by Kimberly Belflower. In 2018, high school English teacher Carter Smith (Gabriel Ebert) is teaching a unit on The Crucible. As others have done in the past, he is explaining that Arthur Miller used the Salem Witch Trials as an analogy for the Red Scare.

Student Shelby Holcomb (Sadie Sink) has just come back to school after spending some time away from the classroom. As they get further into the text, the kids start to question whether John Proctor is the hero that many have labeled him as.

This play is a wonder. If only my writing were as good as Belflower’s is. All of the performances are a revelation. Ebert’s character starts out as the teacher I wish I had back in the day. He is warm, caring, and does not talk down to the young people he is teaching. His downfall (I won’t spoil for those who have not seen the play) as the adult in the room is spectacular and very true to life.

Sink’s Shelby starts out as a troubled and misunderstood young woman. As the story goes on, we understand her actions and what caused them. My favorite part was the ending. It was just enough to end the story, but like real life, not every baddie gets what should be coming to them.

This is why we go to see a Broadway show. It is a profound experience that should be seen by everyone.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

John Proctor is the Villain is playing at the Booth Theatre in New York City until July 6th. Check the website for tickets and showtimes.

English Play Review

Language is more than just words. It is culture, history, and identity.

The new play, English, is set in a classroom in Iran in the early 2000s. Written by Sanaz Toossi, the audience follows four students and their teacher who is preparing them for the TOEFL exam. Marjan’s (Marjan Neshat) students are as follows: Elham (Tala Ashe), Roya (Pooya Mohseni), Omid (Hadi Tabbal), and Goli (Ava Lalezarzadeh).

All are there for their educational and professional futures. But are there reasons that they are not sharing?

I have mixed feelings about this play. Toosi’s writing is amazing. In an hour and forty minutes, she can tell a story that goes beyond the obvious. The problem is that I would have liked to know more about the characters. I don’t need a complete backstory. Just one or two facts would have helped to understand their motives.

Do I recommend it? I am leaning toward yes.

English is playing at the Todd Haimes/American Airlines theater until March 2nd in New York City. Check the website for tickets and showtimes.

The Hills of California Play Review

Watching a parent die is never easy. Watching a parent die while dealing with strife between siblings is infinitely harder.

The new Jez Butterworth play, The Hills of California is set in two different timelines. In 1975, the matriarch of the Webb family, Veronica (Laura Donnelly) is on her deathbed. Three of her daughters, Gloria (Leanne Best), Ruby (Ophelia Lovibond), and Jill (Helena Wilson) are waiting on pins and needles for the moment when their mother breathes her last. They are also waiting for the oldest sister, Joan (also Donnelly) to rejoin the family after a long separation.

Twenty years earlier, when they were girls, Veronica trained her offspring for the stage. Via The Andrews Sisters, she is teaching them how to perform. The problem is that this style of music is out of fashion. When an opportunity for possible success finally appears, the end result will test the bond of family and sisterhood.

Donnelly, in the dual roles of Joan and Veronica is superb. As Veronica, she has a Mama Rose energy that makes the audience believe that her children will be stars. As Joan, her confidence and extroverted nature hides years of emotional scars. I knew her previously as Jenny on Outlander. She was beyond what I expected.

Butterworth’s script is an emotional roller coaster of a ride. While the first act flies by, the other two drag on a bit. When the big reveal finally occurs, it does not have the power that it should. Yes, it is jaw-dropping. But instead of being a 10/10, it is an 8/10.

Do I recommend it? I am leaning toward yes.

The Hills of California is playing in New York City until December 22nd, 2024. Check the website for tickets and showtimes.

Yellow Face Review

The history of American entertainment is riddled with blackface. In recent years, this category of Caucasian actors playing characters of color has extended to other racial minorities.

Yellow Face is the newest play by David Henry Hwang. Daniel Dae Kim plays Hwang in the semi-autobiographical tale of his life and career. In the early 1990s, Jonathan Pryce was cast as a half-Asian character in Miss Saigon. This resulted in a series of protests and a temporary hold on the musical.

A few years later, Hwang is casting for his latest work. He hires Marcus (Ryan Eggold) to play the Asian leading man. Marcus, like Pryce, is not of Asian descent. This decision leads to a spiral of guilt, anxiety, and the questioning of his choices.

Directed by Leigh Silverman (Suffs the Musical), Yellow Face is fantastic. It takes on the issue of race, racism, and representation in the media in a manner that is farcical, funny, and thought-provoking. Dae Kim, as the voice of Hwang, takes the audience on a journey that leaves a mark.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

Yellow Face is playing at the Todd Haimes Theater in New York City until November 24th, 2024. Check the website for tickets and showtimes.

The Counter Play Review

There is nothing like visiting a favorite restaurant or bar where “everyone knows your name”. It becomes more than a transactional relationship between the patron(s) and the person serving them. It is as if they see one another outside of the 2D image of the customer and employee.

The Counter is a new play by Meghan Kennedy. In a small town in upstate New York, Katie (Susannah Flood) is a waitress at a local diner. Paul (Anthony Edwards) comes in every morning for his usual coffee. Peg (Amy Warren) is the town doctor connected to both Katie and Paul. As time passes, they come to know and challenge one another in ways that reveal their individual scars.

This play is fantastic. Over 70 minutes, Kennedy slowly reveals what motivates Katie and Paul. If nothing else, this production proves that one does not need a huge flashy set and a large cast to tell a story. You only need two or three human beings to speak their truths.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

The Counter is playing at the Laura Pels Theater in New York City until November 17th. Check the website for tickets and showtimes.

Jonah Play Review

Coming of age is never easy. It requires hard choices and the knowledge that the world is not always what you want it to be.

The main character in the new play, Jonah is Ana (Gabby Beans). The audience follows her from high school all the way up to early adulthood. Along the way, her life is altered by three different men: Jonah (Hagan Oliveras), Danny (Samuel H. Levine), and Steven (John Zdrojeski).

I have mixed feelings about this play.

The good is that it is short and to the point. Unlike other writers, playwright Rachel Bonds did not add extraneous material to her script. With only four actors and a small stage, lighting is used to indicate that the story has moved along. Bond’s tale is universal. Ana’s challenges are unique to her, but anyone can recognize the difficult climb from childhood to full adulthood.

The bad is that I was confused by the title. Ana is our protagonist, but the titular character is Jonah.

At the very least, Jonah proves that success in theater does not require a huge set, a large cast, and an A-list actor playing the lead role. All you need is a well-written narrative and actors who take the audience on a journey.

Do I recommend it? I am leaning toward yes.

Jonah is playing until Sunday, March 10th. Check the website for tickets and showtimes.

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