Stage fans, we find ourselves on a weekend where lots of the star-driven shows on the boards — ranging from Oleanna and After Miss Julie to A Steady Rain and Hamlet — are set to close. Single tear. But, never fear! A handful of great new shows have opened in the last week, too, so you’re covered. Reviews of five new shows went up on EW.com this week: our critics’ takes on the touring production of The 101 Dalmatians Musical (B-); and off-Broadway entries The Brother/Sister Plays (A), This (B+), The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (C+), and A Streetcar Named Desire (B+, starring Cate Blanchett, at left) are all here.
Looking for something else? Check out the EW.com Stage hub for up-to-date news and reviews; or consult this handy guide below, which includes links to all of our stage reviews of current shows. (Note: The reviews are typically of the show’s original casts.)
BROADWAY
The Addams Family — Musical; opens 2010
After Miss Julie — Drama starring Sienna Miller; opened 10/22/2009 – 12/6/2009; EW grade: C
Billy Elliot — Musical; opened 11/13/08; EW grade: B+
Burn the Floor — Musical; opened 8/3/09 – 2/14/2010; EW grade: A-
Bye Bye Birdie — Musical Revival starring John Stamos; opened 10/15/2009 – 1/24/2010; EW grade: C+
Chicago — Musical Revival; opened 11/14/1996; EW grade: A+
Fela! — Musical; opened 11/23/2009; EW grade: B+
Finian’s Rainbow — Musical Revival; opened 10/29/2009; EW grade: B-
God of Carnage — Comedy starring Jimmy Smits and Christine Lahti; opened 3/22/2009; EW grade: A-
Hair — Musical Revival; opened 3/31/2009; EW grade: A-
Hamlet — Drama Revival starring Jude Law; opened 10/6/09 – 12/6/2009; EW grade: B+
In the Heights — Musical; opened 2/14/2009; EW grade: A-
In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play — Comedy; opens 11/19/2009; EW grade: B-
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas — Musical Revival; 11/13/2009 – 1/3/2010
Jersey Boys — Musical; opened 11/7/2005; EW grade: A
The Lion King — Musical; opened 11/13/1997; EW grade: A+
A Little Night Music — Musical Revival starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury; opens 12/13/2009
Mamma Mia! — Musical; opened 10/18/2001; EW grade: B+
Mary Poppins — Musical; opened 11/16/2009; EW grade: A-
Memphis — Musical; opened 10/19/2009; EW grade: C+
Next to Normal — Musical; opened 4/19/2009; EW grade: A
Oleanna — Drama Revival starring Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman; opened 10/11/2009 – 12/6/2010; EW grade: C-
The Phantom of the Opera — Musical; opened 1/26/1988
Present Laughter — Comedy Revival starring Victor Garber; opens 1/24/2010
Race — Drama starring James Spader and Kerry Washington; opens 12/6/2009
Ragtime — Musical Revival; opened 11/15/2009; EW grade: A
Rock of Ages — Musical; opened 4/7/2009; EW grade: C+
The Royal Family — Comedy Revival; opened 10/8/09 – 12/13/09; EW grade: B+
Shrek the Musical — Musical; opened 12/14/2008 – 1/3/2010; EW grade: B+
South Pacific — Musical Revival; opened 4/3/2008; EW grade: A
Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark — Musical starring Alan Cumming and Evan Rachel Wood; opens 2010
A Steady Rain — Drama starring Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig; opened 9/29/2009 – 12/6/2009; EW grade: C+
Superior Donuts — Drama; opened 10/1/09 – 1/3/2010; EW grade: B
The 39 Steps — Comedy; opened 1/4/2008; EW grade: B+
Time Stands Still — Drama starring Laura Linney; opens 1/28/2010
A View From the Bridge — Drama Revival starring Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson; opens 1/24/2010
West Side Story — Musical Revival; opened 3/19/2009; EW grade: B
Wicked — Musical; opened 10/30/03; EW grade: B
Wishful Drinking — Drama/Comedy starring Carrie Fisher; opened 10/4/2009 – 1/17/2010; EW grade: A-
OFF BROADWAY
Altar Boyz — Musical; opened 3/1/2005; EW grade: B+
Avenue Q — Musical; reopened 10/21/2009; EW grade: A
Blue Man Group — Special Performance; opened 11/11/1991
The Brother/Sister Plays — Drama; opened 11/17/09; EW grade: A
The Fantasticks — Musical Revival; opened 6/16/2008; EW grade: B+
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter — Drama; opened 12/3/2009; EW grade: C+
Idiot Savant — Comedy starring Willem Dafoe; opened 11/4/2009 – 12/20/2009; EW grade: C-
Let Me Down Easy — Drama starring Anna Deavere Smith; opened 10/7/2009 – 1/4/2009; EW grade: A-
Love, Loss, and What I Wore — Drama; opened 10/1/2009; EW grade: B+
My Wonderful Day — Drama; opened 11/18/2009 – 12/13/2009; EW grade: A-
Nightingale — Drama starring Lynn Redgrave; opened 11/3/2009 – 12/13/2009; EW grade: C
The Orphans’ Home Cycle, Part I — Drama; opened 11/20/2009; EW grade: A-
Our Town — Drama Revival; opened 2/26/2009
The Starry Messenger — Drama starring Matthew Broderick; opened 11/23/2009 – 12/12/09; EW grade: D
Stomp — Special Performance; opened 2/27/1994
A Streetcar Named Desire — Drama starring Cate Blanchett; opened 12/2/09; EW grade: B+
This — Drama starring Julianne Nicholson; opened 12/2/09; EW grade: B+
The Toxic Avenger Musical — Musical; opened 4/6/2009 – 1/3/2010; EW grade: B
The Understudy — Comedy starring Julie White, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and Justin Kirk; opened 11/5/2009 – 1/13/2010; EW grade: B+
ELSEWHERE
The 101 Dalmatians Musical (national tour) — Musical; EW grade: B-
August Osage County (national tour with Estelle Parsons) — Drama; EW grade: A
Dreamgirls (national tour with Syesha Mercado) — Musical; EW grade: B+
Equivocation (Los Angeles) — Drama; 11/10/2009 – 12/20/2009; EW grade: B-
Kà (Las Vegas) — Special Performance; opened November 2004; EW grade: A-
LOVE (Las Vegas) — Musical Revue; opened 8/24/2006; EW grade: A-
Mary Poppins (Los Angeles) — Musical; 11/13/2009 – 2/7/2010; EW grade: B
Mystere (Las Vegas) — Special Performance; opened 5/25/1993; EW grade: A
O (Las Vegas) — Special Performance; opened October 1998; EW grade: A-
Zumanity (Las Vegas) — Special Performance; opened September 2003; EW grade: C
More Stage coverage from EW.com:
David Mamet revival ‘Oleanna’ will close this Sunday on Broadway
Kelsey Grammer to make Broadway musical debut in ‘La Cage Aux Folles’
Christopher Walken to star on Broadway in ‘A Behanding in Spokane’
Broadway comedy ‘Superior Donuts’ to close Jan. 3
Photo credit: Lisa Tomasetti
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