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Manhattan

Ralph Petrarca  Photo courtesy Ryan Baxter

I’ve loved the opera since I was a little girl; my parents had a pair of season tickets to the Met since I was twelve and I’d go whenever the seats were offered to me. Aside from the time I was sixteen and my friend and I ditched La Boheme to go shoe shopping on ... Read The Full Article...

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Gosh, it’s cold outside.  Like, tried-to-dial-my-cell-phone-so-took-off-my-glove-and-immediately-regretted-it-because-my-fingers-froze-into-a-claw type of cold.  But does it have to be frigid inside too? According to this festival … yes it does!    With January ’09 having the sad distinction of being the month that saw the close of such long running hits as Hairspray, Spamalot and Spring Awakening, as well as ... Read The Full Article...

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I was afraid of The Wendigo before I even got into the theatre. But not for the reasons you might think. Not because I was about to see a tale of horror, or because I’d done some research on it and the Algernon Blackwood story (upon which it was based) left me spooked. Not because I ... Read The Full Article...

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For those who know their Broadway Show history, I Can Get It for You Wholesale is the 1962 musical responsible for bringing a teen-aged Barbra Streisand to the New York stage; she not only debuted to critical acclaim, but she sang her way into a Tony Nomination as well for her role as Miss Marmelstein.  ... Read The Full Article...

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Before anyone calls the ASPCA, let me say right up front that Broken Dog Legs, the one woman show written and directed by Emily Conbere and starring Penny Pollak, does not harm any dogs.  Rather, “broken dog legs” is a metaphor that reflects one woman’s journey (“SHE”) through therapy as she confronts issues dealing with ... Read The Full Article...

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Hollow Log by Lawrence Dial is billed as a Comedic Thriller, but I think that’s just economy of words. It’s not so much a comedic thriller as it is a drama, which then becomes a comedy, then moves on to a thriller, then becomes dramatic again then swerves over to tragedy just before ending on ... Read The Full Article...

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Last night I had a great night … just kicked back with some old friends, drank a lot, reminisced, sang some songs, then passed out.  Oh, wait, that wasn’t me … that was the cast of Mike Leigh’s Ecstasy. For the next few weeks, until January 25th, 2009, you can catch this fantastic play at ... Read The Full Article...

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Pop Quiz.  Becky Shaw is: a) your old college roommate who reconnected with you on Facebook b) your boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend – who still has her ski boots in his closet c) your mother’s bingo partner who keeps asking if you want to be fixed up with her recently divorced son The answer is actually: d) ... Read The Full Article...

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I was lucky enough to snag some deeply discounted tickets to the limited engagement of The Cripple of Inishmaan (by Martin McDonaugh and directed by Garry Hynes) last week.  Let’s face it, when someone offers you discount tickets that cost less than a movie ticket, as long as the plot is a shade better than ... Read The Full Article...

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If Christmas in New York could be found on the map I think most people would agree that its address would be Rockefeller Center, filled as it is with the tree and the giant decorations, and the fabled City of Radio … where Rockettes dress up as reindeer and dance their little hearts out, doling ... Read The Full Article...

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American Buffalo

by Karen Tortora-Lee on November 17, 2008

You know you’re at a David Mamet play when, before the show even starts, you’re asked to turn off your fucking cell phones. While the play was first produced in the seventies, the subject matter is hardly dated; nothing gives away the time period (except for John Leguizamo’s crazy-patterned shirt — which could easily be ... Read The Full Article...

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When I was a little girl I was shocked to discover that you could check records out of the library just like you checked out books. It almost seemed like stealing … stealing with your EARS. Since my dad’s collection of records was extensive but sadly lacking a few staples I immediately headed over to ... Read The Full Article...

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