Archives for March 27, 2014

• Playbill‘s Karu F. Daniels has profiled John Douglas Thompson, the star of Satchmo at the Waldorf:

Wall Street Journal drama critic and newly-minted playwright Terry Teachout’s evocative debut Satchmo at the Waldorf opened at New York City’s Westside Theater March 4 and the 90-minute play–a revelatory tour-de-force chock full of historical data to make even the savviest of jazz purists blush–features the masterful talents of John Douglas Thompson portraying jazz icon Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong during his later years. Not only does Thompson, known for his acclaimed roles in Shakespearean works, hit a home run as the man who immortalized jazz standards such as “Hello Dolly” and “What A Wonderful World,” the Bath, England-born thespian also showcases his versatility by taking on other pivotal characters such as Armstrong’s shady kingmaker Joe Glaser and his younger rival Miles Davis, respectively….

To read the piece, go here.
• Satchmo is one of this week’s New York Times Critics’ Picks. Read all about it here.
• A reminder: John and I are the guests on this week’s edition of Theater Talk, hosted by Susan Haskins and Michael Riedel. Our episode will be telecast in the New York area on Channel 13 on Friday at one a.m. (i.e., early Saturday morning). Replays will follow on CUNY-TV on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
For a full list of air dates and times, go here.

Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more information, click on the title.

BROADWAY:

• A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (musical, PG-13, reviewed here)

• Matilda (musical, G, all performances sold out last week, reviewed here)

• Once (musical, G/PG-13, reviewed here)

• Rocky (musical, G/PG-13, reviewed here)

OFF BROADWAY:

• Avenue Q (musical, R, adult subject matter and one show-stopping scene of puppet-on-puppet sex, reviewed here)

• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children capable of enjoying a love story, reviewed here)

• London Wall (serious comedy, PG-13, extended through Apr. 20, reviewed here)

CLOSING SATURDAY OFF BROADWAY:

• Middle of the Night (drama, PG-13, reviewed here)

CLOSING SUNDAY ON BROADWAY:

• No Man’s Land/Waiting for Godot (drama, PG-13, playing in rotating repertory, some performances sold out last week, reviewed here)

“He who comes up to his own idea of greatness, must always have had a very low standard of it in his mind.”
William Hazlitt, Table Talk