Broadway Bob’s
Theater Reviews
If “Every Brilliant Thing” is any indication of the Spring season then we are in for a great Spring 2026 on Broadway! Well before the show begins, Radcliffe (“Merrily We Roll Along, Lifespan of A Fact”) is frantically recruiting people to play different roles in his 89 minute one man show. The theater is electric with Jazz music and the energy that Daniel Radcliffe brings before the show.
The show is based on Radcliffe’s pretend life (the book is not based on the actual actor). Written and co-directed by Duncan MacMillan and also directed by Jeremy Herrin, “Every Brilliant Thing” bases itself on a boy who grows into a man. He deals with his dog’s death at an early age (Indiana Bones), and even more so deals with his mother’s depression which leaves both he and his father on edge as she has been in and out of the hospital all of Radcliffe’s life.
Over the years on Broadway, Daniel Radcliffe has shown his stage acting chops over and over; whether in “How To Succeed In Business” or “ Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead”, Radcliffe has a deft range in his acting. He is naturally funny on stage, clearly from some of the roles he plays, but he is also a serious actor. He has chosen in his career an array of roles that puts him in an elite category of actors, particularly stage actors.
To say “Every Brilliant Thing” is lite is an understatement. Radcliffe banters with the audience, he is quick witted, he helps the participating audience members navigate their readings throughout the show, and he does it with comedic style! The performance, the writing is both creative as much as it is innovative. I am not sure if there has ever been a show like this on Broadway and it resonates with the audience in a big way as it is fun, high tempo and hilarious!
Set in a three quarter round on the stage, Radcliffe glides about the stage like an ice skater. The square lighting above (Jack Knowles) and Tom Gibbons (Sound) make the show even more effective. At times the lights flicker to emphasize the plot and at other times the lighting is somber. Knowles backstops this very effectively. The sound too adds nicely to the play; the music, the creative sounds work magic on this show.
“Every Brilliant Thing” is a whirlwind of fun. It is a completely different play, one that you have never seen before. You will leave the theater as upbeat as the show itself. The plot, the acting is first rate and one for the books. I am hopeful that this is things to come for the Spring 2026 season!
In its 57th year, The York Theatre company still impresses audiences across New York City! Last night I had the pleasure of attending ”Monte Cristo” at the bucolic St. Jean’s Theatre. This theater is the new home of The York Theatre company and it is more fitting for the make-up of The York Company. It has an orchestra pit, the stage is bigger and more elegant.
With a great cast, even better staging and phenomenal music by Peter Kellogg and Stephen Weiner (book and lyrics Kellogg, Music Weiner) the shows length is not an issue, the time and pace go by quickly.
The plot is steadfast to the book by Alexandre Dumas; it takes us through the turbulent life of Edmund (Adam Jacobs). Jacobs is both a talented actor and singer (Aladdin), as is the whole cast. His love for Mercedes (Sierra Boggess) never dies, even when he is jailed for 18 years on false charges; their chemistry onstage is thoughtful and well directed by Peter Flynn.
What makes “Monte Cristo” stand out is several fold: The staging (Anne Mundell), the deft projection (Shawn Duan); the incredible costumes that define the period(Amanda Roberge); the sound design (Joanna Lynne Staub) and the lighting (Alan C. Edwards) that captures the mood and the feel of this edgy at times musical!
The York Theatre Company has been continuous in it’s first rate theatre, from the Mufti’s and it’s musicals over the years. I think like “Cagney” and “Desperate Measures” to name a few, this great show will make it’s way to an off Broadway house for a commercial run because it is that good by all aspects! This show is by far and away one of the best off off Broadway shows that I have seen in years! Nothing about this show was spared, the acting, the singing, the orchestrations and everything else was thoroughly professional! Well Done!.
I have probably seen "Death of a Salesman" as much as any play on Broadway; from the great acting by Brian Dennehy, to the deep emotion of Philp Seymour Hoffman. The current "Death" at the Winter Garden Theatre is certainly better than the one I saw back in 2022, but this one too is not great. Still in previews the show never hits the emotion that it should. Nathan Lane who is a great comedic actor never pulls at our emotions the way Dennehy did. Director Joe Mantello who is coming off with Laurie Metcalf a great directorial job with "Little Bear Ridge Road, misses the mark here with both the pace and the emotional involvement. The play is never consistent throughout the three hours.
As the play begins, Willy Loman (Nathan Lane) drives onto the set, the set itself reminded me of a mechanics garage, open with columns. It never looks warm or even like a home. We never go back into the period in which Miller wrote this legendary play. The modern theater lover may very well like the ingenuity of this set, but it never captures the heart of Miller's ( An American Clock, All My Sons) writing.
The costumes by Rudy Mance vary from traditional(Lane and Metcalf's) to the modern (older Biff and older Happy's). Mance does well in straddling both styles. The lighting wavered and hit the characters to hard making it difficult to see the actors straight on. It gave to much of a halo effect especially on Lane.
The casting of this classic was a big problem here as well. Biff (Christopher Abbott) and Happy (Ben Ahlers) looked to thuggish.Whereas the younger Biff (Joaquin Consuelos) and Young Happy (Jake Termine) were better casted, more standard to the original Miller play. The older children never have a good blend on stage, I never felt like they bonded as brothers. Laurie Metcalf too had little emotion in her role. Metcalf who is normally superb onstage gives us a variety of emotion and turns it up when Willy is declining and getting no support from their good for nothing children.
Like the 2022 version of this play, the modern tweaks never fulfill us. This play is deep and needs to be performed with a high emotional level. Joe Mantello nor the cast ever takes us to that level, we never truly feel sorry for Willy, the human being who was always delusional about his talents, his sons talent; especially Biff's. In 2022 Wendel Pierce and cast did the same thing that this version of "Death" did, it searched for a personality that never found itself.
"The Unknown" at Studio Seaview for the most part is a big disappointment. Sure, Sean Hayes is a very good stage actor (Good Night, Oscar), but he seems to be going through the motions throughout the show.
The story is uneven and Leigh Silverman's direction doesn't help it much either. Where David Cole tries to make this play edgy, Hayes is not the right actor for this plot. Hayes at times is funny, but funny alone doesn't cut it during the 70 minute intermission-less play. When the play gets dark he never delivers the goods.
Cole would have been better bringing forth what he is trying to say. Was Elliott deranged? Does he really have writers block? Is everything he has told us for 70 minutes real? Or is it in his mind.? The show never fully unfolds this for the audience. Silverman's direction too makes the show uninteresting. The play never catches its stride, it wavers from good at times to bad at others. The pace varies in and out for much of the show leaving many audience members dozing off.
Why "The Unknown" is fair at best comes down to Elliott's relationships. He has lost touch with most of the people he knows except two, a married couple who seem to know him better than he knows himself. Cole only dabbles and makes little words and innuendos about Elliott past and present. We never get to fully understand him. At the cabin, was he imagining hearing things? Was the cabin even real? The writing never explores his behavior or where his mind is. It would have been more worthwhile if it was more psychological and thrilling.
While the sound is the best thing about this one man show, the lighting at most times when Hayes is straight on to the audience with a simple white light on him is horrific. The halo around Hayes made it difficult to see his face; a problem that has plagued Broadway over the last few years. It seems that the lighting is over powering the stage and the actors. The audience cannot get a good look at the actor because the lighting is to direct. When Hayes was faded in and out however, the lighting was good, provocative even.
With a full compliment of shows this spring season, "The Unknown" is certainly one that you can miss!