‘Falsettos’ Isn’t As Gay As It Once Was — But It’s Still Just as Jewish
‘Falsettos,’ by William Finn and James Lapine, returns in a beautiful, emotional revival at Lincoln Center that shows what theater and Judaism are all about.
Copy Boy, Get Rewrite For Broadway’s New ‘Front Page!’
Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s 1928 Broadway smash ‘The Front Page’ is being revived with Nathan Lane. But is it worth the price of admission? Maybe if you stick around until Act III.
Why Lorraine Hansberry Called Her Play ‘Up Yours, Edward Albee’
Best known for “A Raisin in the Sun,” Lorraine Hansberry followed that play up with a drama set in a leftist Jewish milieu. Jesse Oxfeld reviews “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window” at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
The Way Barbra Streisand Was — and How She Got That Way
So, do we need another biography of Barbra Streisand. Author Neal Gabler seems to think we do, but critic Jesse Oxfeld isn’t entirely convinced.
Brilliant ‘Crucible’ Returns to Broadway With Gripping Message for Age of Trump
Arthur Miller’s 1953 masterpiece of witch trials and McCarthyism returns to Broadway in a brilliant revival that reminds the viewer all too well of what Philip Roth referred to as “The indigenous American berserk.”
Can This Be Too Much Bock and Harnick for Our Own Good?
In a season that has brought us “Fiddler on the Roof” and “The Rothschilds,” a great cast saves Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock’s “She Loves Me” from being too much a Bock/Harnick thing.
‘Familiar’ Characters Are African-American but the Sensibility Is Kinda Jewish
Though the characters in Danai Gurira’s “Familiar” at Playwrights Horizons are African-American and the setting is outside Minneapolis, the play will seem familiar to anyone who has relatives with Old Country traditions.
No Jews Please, We're British
The London theater scene is abuzz with two classic musicals from the Jewish American canon — ”Funny Girl” and “Guys and Dolls.” But, Jesse Oxfeld finds, there’s something British about their Jewishness.
Linda Lavin Is the 'Mother' of All Jewish Mothers
In Richard Greenberg’s new play “Our Mother’s Brief Affair,” Linda Lavin demonstrates her talent at playing Jewish mothers of a certain age. But aside from that, how did you like the play, Mr. Oxfeld?
Don't Mess (Too Much) With Tradition: Updated 'Fiddler' a Triumph
A new revival of “Fiddler on the Roof” has opened on Broadway. And, according to critic Jesse Oxfeld, wonder of wonders, it’s a triumph!
