1,487 stories by "BEN BRANTLEY"
Self-aware, self-conscious or self-deluding, it's a form as old as theater itself. And it's flourishing in a time of social isolation.
In this enthralling streaming production of Brian Friel's 1979 play, an itinerant miracle worker is grounded in a gritty reality.
Richard Nelson's profound conclusion to his Zoom-format trilogy about the Apple siblings examines the perils of conversation in 2020.
This streamed reading of Beth Henley's slice of Southern noir offers scorching portraits of bad faith from Ed Harris, Amy Madigan and Bill Pullman.
Today we stream what shows we can find. Back then: James Dean, "Twelve Angry Men" and conclusive proof that Kim Stanley was one of the all-time greats.
This streaming piece by Abigail and Shaun Bengson translates the agonies and ecstasies of lockdown into a cosmic hootenanny at his folks' house.
The Berkshire Theater Group put on the first professional musical in the U.S. since the pandemic lockdown, and it's a revival in every sense.
Our critics discuss the last four months, which thanks to Zoom (and Meryl Streep) have been full of experimentation and playfulness.
In Duncan Macmillan's play, streaming live from the Old Vic, the stars of "The Crown" play a contradictory couple in an age of isolation.
They're never gone: Star turns from Ralph Fiennes, Meryl Streep, Gregory Hines and Christopher Plummer still live in the mind's eye of readers.
From the documentary works of Anna Deavere Smith to brief monologues written in this moment of unrest, dramatists are sounding an alarm.
Miranda's rap. Rylance's poems. Jackman's pelvis. And a brassy reunion for Bea Arthur and Angela Lansbury. Now set your clock for "Turkey Lurkey Time."
The Belarus Free Theater's livestreaming, mind-bending adaptation of Sasha Sokolov's poetic novel assumes the bifocal eye-view of a divided self.
For stuck-at-homes feeling like submerging into the existential depths of no-exit theater, here's a list of works to read and to watch.
Unforgettable moments lost to time, from Christopher Plummer to Jennifer Holliday, now more than ever remind us of theater's special resonance.
In a livestream production of Caryl Churchill's 1990 tale of riot-torn Bucharest, quarantined Bard acting students grapple with revolution.
Then ask questions of its playwright, Dominique Morisseau, and The New York Times critic who reviewed the first production.
In Richard Nelson's "What Do We Need to Talk About?," a familiar clan poses resonant questions about how we connect in the age of social distancing.
He was a stalwart member of the group of actors who worked with the director Peter Brook. Mr. Myers died of the novel coronavirus.
The streaming concert "Take Me to the World," featuring a gallery of musical stars, honors the probing ambivalence of a master songwriter.
The magical kingdom of Broadway is shuttered, but our critic returned to it " or rather a version of it that opened his eyes, Bette Davis wide, to New York theater.
Remembering an actor of uncommon power who gave heroic stature to a character crippled by depression in "Death of a Salesman."
To begin with, don't call them soundtracks!
What we plan to listen to in perpetuity (or right now) in our Spotify-enabled isolation.
A listening guide to the cast albums, playlists and video footprints left behind by 18 Broadway and Off Broadway musicals.
