Rockland / Westchester Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations

Review: POPS GOT CHOPS: 'SATCHMO AT THE WALDORF' IS A WONDERFUL ONE-MAN SHOW at Schoolhouse Theater
by Bruce Apar - May 31, 2025

The tightly produced, crisply presented piece directed by Schoolhouse Producing Director Bram Lewis stars Wali Jamal in a thoroughly engaging and formidable performance that also profiles Mr. Armstrong’s lifelong manager Mr. Joe Glaser and another deity straight from the Mount Olympus of jazz, Mr. M...

Review: SATCHMO AT THE WALDORF at The Schoolhouse Theater
by Pia Haas - May 27, 2025

In it's landmark 40th season, The Schoolhouse Theater hits a high note with 'Satchmo at the Waldorf.' It is a bold and emotional one-man show that digs into the life and legacy of jazz legend Louis Armstrong. Written by Terry Teachout, the play imagines Armstrong backstage at the Waldorf-Astoria nea...

Review: THE NANCE Kills at Elmwood Playhouse
by Bruce Apar - May 22, 2025

This is a colorful, nimble tapestry textured with high-stakes pathos alternating with low humor, weaving a spell of superior and highly original stage entertainment. ...

Review: THE GNSO TRIUMPHS IN MAHLER'S RESURRECTION SYMPHONY at Aquinas Hall, Newburgh
by Peter Danish - May 21, 2025

On the evening of Saturday, April 26, 2025, the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra (GNSO) presented a breathtaking rendition of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Resurrection, at Aquinas Hall at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY. ...

Review: SHIRLEY VALENTINE is full of heart at Katonah Classic Stage
by Bruce Apar - May 01, 2025

The tour de force of nature that is Andrus Nichols’ portrayal of Shirley Valentine is Katonah Classic Stage’s valentine to their patrons. ...

Review: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at The Town Players Of New Canaan
by Pia Haas - April 30, 2025

The Importance of Being Earnest was Oscar Wilde’s last and most famous play, a brilliant farce that satirizes Victorian society. It premiered on February 14, 1895, at the St. James Theatre in London....

Review: AMADEUS AT THE MANOR CLUB THEATRE
by Pia Haas - April 26, 2025

Amadeus was written by Peter Shaffer in 1979 and premiered at the Royal National Theatre in London. The play made its Broadway debut in 1980, running for an impressive 1,181 performances. It earned five Tony Awards, including Best Play, as well as the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play. In 19...

Review: POTUS at Elmwood Playhouse
by Pia Haas - March 20, 2025

Potus is a satirical farce written by L.A.-based playwright and performer Selina Fillinge. The play opened on Broadway on April 27, 2022 at the Shubert Theatre. The premise is that It takes seven women to keep the President of the United States functioning—or at least trying to.  As his chaotic thre...

Review: TERRA NOVA at The Town Players Of New Canaan
by Pia Haas - February 25, 2025

The play selections at TPNC have always intrigued me. I consistently leave their shows with new insights and feeling thoroughly entertained, or emotionally roused. Currently playing is Terra Nova, which won playwright Ted Tally an OBIE Award for its 1984 New York production. Tally also won an Oscar ...

Review: SIGNIFICANT OTHER at Elmwood Playhouse
by Peter Danish - February 07, 2025

What did our critic think of SIGNIFICANT OTHER at Elmwood Playhouse?...

Review: WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME at Ridgefield Theater Barn
by Bruce Apar - February 07, 2025

Who says learning about history – American history in particular – can’t be entertaining as well as educational? Witness Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway juggernaut Hamilton, or, harking back a few deades, the Peter Stone musical 1776?...

Review: Situation Dramedy SIGNIFICANT OTHER at Elmwood Playhouse
by Bruce Apar - January 23, 2025

The lead character, Jordan, is beautifully rendered in a heartfelt, high-energy turn by John Carlos Lefkowitz, who delivers Joshua Harmon's stream-of-consciousness monologues in a lilting voice that is almost musical....

Review: FAITH HEALER Mesmerizes at Schoolhouse Theater
by Bruce Apar - December 13, 2024

When a play is rooted strictly in powerful monologues that are written by a master of the form like Mr. Friel, it demands virtuoso acting, which is precisely what this cast delivers to the audience. ...

Review: Stellar Ensemble Stars in THE HUMANS at Elmwood Playhouse
by Bruce Apar - November 19, 2024

For that verite vibe to work its magic requires a high order of acting, and veteran director Lisa Spielman has cast Elmwood’s production with that requisite caliber of talent.  ...

Review: A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD at Katonah Classic Stage
by Bruce Apar - October 29, 2024

Mr. Dawson’s staging is highly effective in its simplicity and pacing, holding the audience in thrall throughout. That, of course, also is a testament to the two very fine actors he’s cast.  ...

Review: STAGE KISS at Harrison Players
by Bruce Apar - October 25, 2024

The real-life director of Stage Kiss, Anthony Valbiro, has brought his reliably effective stagecraft instincts to this polished production...

Review: A Seductive DRACULA by Kate Hamill at Town Players of New Canaan
by Pia Haas - October 21, 2024

What did our critic think of A SEDUCTIVE DRACULA AT TOWN PLAYERS OF NEW CANAAN...

Preview: BEST OF CACTUS FLOWERS at Axial Theatre
by Bruce Apar - September 22, 2024

One play asks the very timely question, 'Do your elected representatives really live the values they trumpet on the campaign trail??...

Review: YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN Is Monstrously Funny at Elmwood Playhouse
by Bruce Apar - September 17, 2024

The Elmwood cast, directed with the requisite command of comic timing and savvy stagecraft by Director and Choreographer Jason Sommers, is comprised of an impressive array of skilled performers who seem to be enjoying their over-the-top antics as much as the audience does. ...

Review: THE STEEL MAN Forges Forth at Penguin Rep Theatre.
by Bruce Apar - September 15, 2024

At the center of the orbit of mashed-up relationships is the consummate performance of Sam Guncler. He prowls the stage as a feral Leo with gritty gravitas. He is the “steel man” not just because he lives in Pittsburgh, but also because he has defied death several times, including twice surviving fi...

Review: A Masterful MASTER HAROLD… AND THE BOYS at The Schoolhouse Theater
by Pia Haas - September 13, 2024

What did our critic think of A MASTERFUL MASTER HAROLD AND THE BOYS at The Schoolhouse Theater?...

Review: 'MASTER HAROLD' ... AND THE BOYS in Stellar Production at Schoolhouse Theater
by Bruce Apar - September 12, 2024

The great playwrights find imaginative and diverting ways to prick our conscience and provoke our curiosity about the mysteries of life. They force us to think about the human condition, in all its felicities and foibles, through the metaphorical use of familiar objects and experiences. Kites and ba...

Review: THE PROM Pulses with Heart at Ridgefield Theater Barn
by Bruce Apar - September 10, 2024

It is on the wings of wit and pleasantly wacky characterizations that the operative message of tolerance is delivered, in one case with the revival meeting fervor of “Love Thy Neighbor,” led by the fun and funny antics of Michael Valinoti as genially goofy Trent Oliver. ...

Review: DEAR JACK, DEAR LOUISE at Penguin Rep Theatre
by Bruce Apar - August 04, 2024

With 'Dear Jack, Dear Louise,' Mr. Ludwig willingly dates himself, to give us a poignant glimpse into what it was like, 80-plus years ago, to woo someone without benefit of physical connection and with a world war raging....

Review: CENTENNIAL CASTING at Penguin Rep Theatre
by Bruce Apar - July 02, 2024

Mike Labbadia creates a larger-than-life Vincent whose slow burns, emotional outbursts, and comically hapless attempts at romance reminded me of Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden in seminal sitcom The Honeymooners. I mentioned the Gleason comparison to Mr. Labbadia after his performance. What I didn’t...