Profile for 1 Minute Critic

1 Minute Critic - 4 out of 5 stars

A writer in need of creative inspiration. A secluded cabin in the woods with no cell phone service. The thriller trope nearly writes itself in David Cale’s new solo play. 

At a brisk 75 minutes, Hayes remains captivating, even if Cale’s play meanders a bit in the brothers’ backstory, and plot points, such as a stolen set of apartment keys, feel lifted from an episode of Law & Order. But no matter. By the time the curtain closes, you won’t be sure who’s been writing the story all along. And that’s precisely the point. Full review here.

Aisha Jackson just took her final bow as Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, but if you think the multi-faceted performer is taking a break after her latest Broadway show, think again. Jackson is about to make her Carnegie Hall debut with The New York Pops: If I Ain’t Got You: The Best of R&B. The one-night-only concert will feature hits by music legends, including Marvin Gaye, Mariah Carey, and Prince (among others), as well as fellow powerhouse guest artist Avery Wilson.

1 Minute Critic caught up with Jackson as she prepares to step onto one of the world’s most iconic stages to talk about faith, representation, and the gift of music. Read the full interview here.

1 Minute Critic - 2 out 5 stars

‘High Spirits’: A musical ghost story that overstays its welcome
Even supernatural beings—much like actual houseguests—can overstay their welcome. Such is the case with the New York City Center Encores! revival of High Spirits. 

Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray’s score isn’t terribly memorable. Still, with its lush overture, entr’acte, and a few standout songs, audiences may wax nostalgic for a time when Broadway musicals didn’t skimp on their orchestras. Full review here.

The latest from 1 Minute Critic

“Not guilty.” 

It’s the only English line the character of Hunyak says in Chicago, the longest-running American musical in Broadway history. And what a commentary on modern-day America it is. 

The character of Hunyak is based on real-life Italian immigrant Sabella Nitti, accused and convicted of murdering her husband without a shred of evidence. While the musical’s creators used Nitti’s story to frame a warning about xenophobia (she’s the only character in “Cell Block Tango” who is, in fact, innocent), the real Nitti had Helen Cirese in her corner, an up-and-coming attorney who secured a retrial, gave the defendant a makeover, and overturned her conviction. Read More Here.

1 Minute Critic - 3 out of 5 stars
‘Ulysses’ compresses one day into a dense, demanding adaptation

At over 700 pages, James Joyce’s 1922 novel Ulysses is the Mt. Everest of 20th-century literature. Spanning 18 episodes, a breadth of writing styles, and enough hidden gems to stump Jeopardy! winner Brad Rutter, Joyce allegedly said that the novel would keep academics busy for centuries arguing about what he meant. And now theatergoers.

Still, for those who crave New York City’s downtown theater scene with experimental companies like Mabou Mines, The Wooster Group, and La Mama, ERS continues to push boundaries, asking audiences to lean in, furrow their brow, and come along for the ride, even if we’re not sure where it’s headed. Full Review Here

1 Minute Critic review: 2/5 stars

If you’ve ever wanted to sit within arm’s length of legendary actor Ian McKellen, now’s your chance. Sort of. McKellen appears in the world premiere of An Ark, a “one-of-a-kind theatrical encounter” viewed through mixed reality glasses. The catch? He’s not actually there. Just his photonic projection, hovering in your field of vision like a very expensive ghost.

What happens next is both eerily intimate and oddly disconnected. Simpson Stephen’s script, written in 2nd-person with an emphasis on “you,” attempts to lure the reader with a laundry list of life experiences, hoping that some will resonate as if the late psychic Sylvia Browne were in the room. Full Review Here. 

1 Minute Critic Review - 3/5 stars
Dylan Baker steals the show in ‘The Disappear,’ but there’s nowhere to go

There’s an odd moment in The Disappear, when a modestly successful Gen Z actress challenges a film director who could catapult her career on the authorship of a line from King Lear. Could it have been Mary Sidney instead of Shakespeare? Who gets credit—whether for creative endeavors or a failing marriage—is a running theme in Erica Schmidt’s new Off-Broadway play. Unfortunately, it’s one of many seeds that fail to germinate in the playwright’s self-described “seriocomedy about making art while the world is falling apart.”

Schmidt also directs, assembling an adept cast, including Hamish Linklater as Benjamin Braxton, the insolent man-child director. But it’s Dylan Baker (The Good Wife) as a British film producer, whose drunken stroll down memory lane steals the show.

In its final scene, amid a thunderous storm, The Disappear reaches for a moment worthy of Shakespearean tragedy (or whoever was writing in his name). The intention is admirable, but the ecosystem Schmidt builds can’t support this much life. She’s assembled actors capable of making us care. If only the play would let them.

Full Review Here

1 Minute Critic: 4 stars

From playing the tightly-wound, corset-wearing matriarch on The Gilded Age to smoking a crack pipe in a dreary motel room on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, Carrie Coon isn’t just having a moment; she’s blowing it up. 

Director David Cromer (Dead Outlaw, Meet the Cartozians) keeps the play’s focus tight and the performances brisk within the confines of scenic designer Takeshi Kata’s oppressive motel room-turned bunker. But it’s Coon and Smallwood’s performances that make us question how far we’ll go to not feel alone, regardless of the outcome. 

“You’re never really safe,” says Smallwood's character. “Not anymore, not on this planet. We’ll never be safe again.”

Full Review HERE

As the curtain falls on 2025, 1 Minute Critic looks back at our inaugural year with a wink and a prayer for another season of groundbreaking theater, arts, and culture. There were highs and lows, and readers reveled in both. The numbers don’t lie. Here’s a look at our most-read theater reviews of the year.

1 Minute Critic 3 out of 5 stars
https://1minutecritic.com/anna-christie-review-michelle-williams-st-anns-warehouse/

4/5 stars - 1 Minute Critic
Director Charlotte Moore walks a fine line between cutesy and charming with a gifted cast of five. Playwright Anthony E. Palermo has distilled the movie into a brisk and delightful 70 minutes, which includes traditional Christmas carols, American standards, and sponsored ads. Oh, the 1940s!—When Lucky Strike cigarettes were promoted as healthy.

With no disrespect to Capra’s classic, which runs over two hours, this tale benefits from economic storytelling. A little goes a long way in Moore’s staging, with the radio play format offering a nostalgic nod to days of yore, and a reminder that the greatest gifts are the ones that don’t overstay their welcome.

Full review here

1 Minute Critic - 4/5 stars
The word “faggot” appears nearly 100 times in The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions, so if it makes you uncomfortable, embrace it, get over it, or ask yourself why. Philip Venables and Ted Huffman’s fantasia delivers a deep dive into the 1977 queer parable of the same name. It’s a wild ride, brought to life by a company of 15 multi-disciplinary performers through music, movement, and spoken word.

Full Review Here

1 Minute Critic Review: 4/5 stars

Fifty years after A Chorus Line revolutionized Broadway, Cassie’s solo in “Music and the Mirror” still feels like watching a dancer bare her soul through movement alone. It’s the kind of theatrical magic Gotta Dance!, presented by The York Theatre and American Dance Machine, tries to bottle across more than a dozen numbers.

The weight of that challenge demands that the 14-person ensemble not only execute the movement but understand why they’re moving in the first place. Broadway vets Jessica Lee Goldyn, Afra Hines, and Jess LeProtto, along with New York City Ballet principal dancer Taylor Stanley, raise the bar, while large ensemble numbers, like “Cool” from West Side Story and “One” from A Chorus Line, reveal a schism in the level of technique and maturity among the company. 

Still, Gotta Dance! lives up to its name, featuring a seven-piece band, live vocals, and an exacting attention to detail, thanks to stagers like Baayork Lee, Stephanie Pope, and Donna McKechnie, who are passing along the legacy to the next generation of dancers. 

FULL REVIEW HERE
 

1 Minute Critic - 4 stars

Icke has given himself the ultimate theatrical challenge: create tension when we already know the ending. The convention, for the most part, works brilliantly, thanks to Strong, Manville, and the acting company’s captivating performances. The contemporary setting draws parallels to real-life political and cultural controversies, from Prince Andrew's involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s predatory sexual behavior to Princess Diana's death in a high-speed car crash.   

But unlike Trump’s obsession with gilding the people's house for his own amusement, Oedipus’s commitment to truth and transparency lures us toward a sense of authenticity. But his ultimate desire for power seals his fate. 

Full review HERE

 

2 stars - 1 Minute Critic

"Let’s just skip this part, I — I don’t dwell on the negative,” says Kristin Chenoweth as MAGA millionaire Jackie Siegel on escaping the abusive marriage that pulled her from her New York City modeling career to the Florida swampland, where she eventually meets her second husband and begins building the largest home in America. If only we could do the same with The Queen of Versailles, the Broadway house of cards at the St. James Theatre. 

Scenic designer Dane Laffrey’s requisite construction site eventually delivers the garish monstrosity it promises. However, we never see the “secret passageway” Jackie planned to connect her room with her disenchanted daughter, Victoria (Nina White), so they can “get dressed up together.”

Probably for the best, though that secret passageway would serve the audience better if it led out of the theatre. Full review HERE

 

1 MINUTE CRITIC - 4 stars

Is it weird to say that Taylor Trench, coming off a Tony-nominated performance in Floyd Collins, has landed in a role he was born to play? 

O’Keefe’s song stylings run the gamut, with fun nods to rock opera a la Jesus Christ Superstar and 70s flute-driven love ballads. The composer, who previously brought dark humor to high school with Heathers, clearly understands camp.

Scenic designer David Korins amps up the production value, and a rousing supporting cast, including Andrew Durrand (Dead Outlaw) and Alex Newell as The God Pan, helps Bat Boy take flight, even when its wacky plot threatens to strand you in a dark cave without a flashlight.

FULL REVIEW HERE

1 Minute Critic - 4 stars

Liberation balances both intellect and heart, which makes for a remarkable night of theater. As Lizzie gets closer to understanding her mother’s multi-faceted ambitions, one last trip through time may leave you sobbing. Full review here

1 Minute Critic review ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Targeting those who already love the film, the musical stays true to the original plotlines and eras while introducing a bright new universe, punctuated by heightened physical comedy, MTV golden-era dance routines, and character portrayals that defy imitation. Romy & Michele also evokes feminist themes, including the importance of female friendship, which remains relevant nearly 30 years later. 

But the 80s and 90s pop-inspired score (music and lyrics by Gwendolyn Sanford and Branford Jay), while a refreshing departure from all the jukebox musicals, is uneven and, with the show’s nearly two-and-a-half-hour length, ends up searching for memorable hooks.
Full Review

1 Minute Critic Review: 2 stars

While Major League Baseball winds down with the World Series just weeks away, Paper Mill Playhouse hopes to heat things up with its season opener, a musical version of the 1988 film Bull Durham. Unfortunately, it barely reaches a simmer and leaves audiences asking themselves, “Did this need to be a musical?” The hugely talented cast is stuck in a show with pacing more akin to golf than that of the great American pastime.

Bull Durham reminds us that musicals often spend years in the minor leagues. With Damn Yankees waiting in the wings at Arena Stage, Broadway may get its baseball musical this season after all. FULL REVIEW HERE
 

1 Minute Critic review - 3/4 stars

"Folllow me!” “This way!” “Hurry!” I doubt Andrew Lloyd Webber and his collaborators imagined there’d be so much shuffling and calls-to-action when they first conceived of a musical adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s novel. But the catacombs of what was once the home of the American Society of Civil Engineers require nimble navigation for cast, crew, and attendees of Masquerade, a mostly mesmerizing immersive reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera. 

The evening’s participatory aspect sometimes feels forced (Do we need to learn the Masquerade dance? It’s not my Bar Mitzvah.) At other times, it’s intoxicating. Some naysayers might guffaw that its creators have turned the musical into what purists may consider a theme park attraction, feeling the phantom pain of the performers trapped in a dimly lit and fog-filled Groundhog Day. But Paulus and team have pulled off something miraculous: an immersive evening that retains the essence and dramatic arc of its source material. Finally, a reason to dress up and get lost in New York.

Full Review HERE.