This Week on Stage: Cate Blanchett stars in 'A Streetcar Named Desire'
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:
Photo credit: Lisa Tomasetti
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