Burning Leaves

Burning Leaves
TOSOS Theatre Company
Gural Theatre (A.R.T. New York Theatres)
October 2, 2026 

Photo courtesy of TOSOS

The TOSOS Theatre Company production of Tom Rowan's        Burning Leave is sensitive and stunning.  Mr. Rowan develops multi-layered characters through witty and natural dialogue.  His characters are vulnerable, sympathetic, and full of heart.  Director Graydon Gund maintains a continual flow from scene to scene, allowing the audience to connect to the action as it innately rises.  The cast builds genuine relationships as their characters face monumental challenges, revealing their secrets and truths. 

Sophie Tananbaum, Becky Rusch, Brady Dalton Richards, & Campbell Idol
Photo courtesy of TOSOS

Matt Leland (played by Brady Dalton Richards) nervously faces his first class as the new Drama Teacher in a high school in Pittsville, Illinois.  He recently relocated from New York City, leaving behind a budding career as an actor.  He rents a room in the house of the school guidance counselor, Jane Potter (played by Annemarie Rosano).  The students respond well to Mr. Leland’s enthusiastic approach, especially Jesse Wade (played by Campbell Idol).  Jane is thrilled about Jesse’s interest in Drama.  He started withdrawing after his mother passed away from cancer, triggering him to attempt suicide the previous school year.  After a theatre trip to Chicago, Jesse writes openly about his attraction and feelings for Mr. Leland in his drama journal.  Mr. Leland confronts Jesse about what he read in the journal.  This opens more doors to deeper feelings than either of them intended.

Brady Dalton Richards & Campbell Idol
Photo courtesy of TOSOS

Brady Dalton Richards is charming and vulnerable as Matt Leland.  His quirky nervousness and unease are endearing.  He holds back on the reasons why he left NYC, which leads the audience to suspect there was a traumatic break-up of some kind.  It is riveting when he finally tells the story to Jesse in the second act.  Playwright Tom Rowan exceeds all expectations with this monologue, and Mr. Richards delivers it flawlessly.

The relationships Brady Dalton Richards develops with Campbell Idol (Jesse Wade) and Annmarie Rosano (Jane Potter) are touching and genuine.  This is what keeps the audience fully engaged in the story.  Mr. Idol portrays Jesse as awkward and full of pain.  The character gradually transforms through self-awareness and acceptance.  The audience cares about him and is fully on his side.  Ms. Rosano is warm and giving as Jane Potter.  Even when she takes a hard stance with Matt on his actions, she is ethical and caring. 

Jonathan Stewart, Annemarie Rosano,
& Brady Dalton Richards
Photo courtesy of TOSOS

Sophie Tananbaum plays Halli Potter, Jane’s teenage daughter and a student of Matt Leland.  She is eager and open.  Her character matures through Matt’s mentoring and her mutual confiding with Jesse.  Becky Rusch plays Alicia Hogan, another high school drama student.  She is the product of her small-town influence, and highly self-centered.  This character adds conflict and raises the stake in the main action.  Also enriching the conflict is Jonathan Stewart, who plays Jesse’s father, Carl Wade.  These two characters bring a strong sense of location to the story though their narrow mindedness and opposition. 

Burning Leaves is playing at the Gural Theatre (A.R.T. New York Theatres, 502 W. 53 St.).  It is a simple and impressive production, skillfully written and directed, and beautifully performed. 

Domenick Danza

Kramer/Fauci

 Kramer/Fauci
OHenry Productions
St. Ann’s Warehouse
September 29, 2026

Photo courtesy of St. Ann's Warehouse & OHenry Productions

The St. Ann’s Warehouse presentation of  Kramer/Fauci, produced by OHenry Productions, is captivating and compelling.  The text is drawn from the transcript of a C-SPAN call-in program that aired on November 30, 1993, the eve of World AIDS Day.  Dr. Anthony Fauci and ACT-UP co-founder Larry Kramer were guests of journalist Steven Scully.  They discussed President Clinton’s forming of a task force to look at the obstacles facing AIDS research.  Dr. Fauci (played by Will Brill) objectively reported on the status of research and funding, while Larry Kramer (played by Thomas Jay Ryan) passionately advocated for emergency action. 

Thomas Jay Ryan & Will Brill
Photo courtesy of St. Ann's Warehouse & OHenry Productions

Will Brill and Thomas Jay Ryan genuinely embody the well-known figures of Dr. Anthony Fauci 
and Larry Kramer.  These two men are diametrically different, yet highly knowledgeable in their individual fields.  They direct their information to the viewers of the 1993 broadcast, as well as push each other on the validity of their perspective.  The debate was factual and persuasive.  At no time did either of these men lose respect for one another, even when they sternly disagreed.  Nothing was decided in this sixty-minute broadcast, but the facts and viewpoints were clearly communicated for the audience to comprehend and draw their own conclusion. 

Thomas Jay Ryan, Jennifer Seastone, Will Brill, & Greig Sargeant
Photo courtesy of St. Ann's Warehouse & OHenry Productions

In retrospect (to 1993), it is clear how this fact-based discourse not only educated the public but pushed the progress, however slowly.  The urgency that Larry Kramer repeatedly called for in AIDS research (constantly referring to it as a plague, not an epidemic) was never fully realized.  It is astonishing to see the mutual respect these men held for one another, no matter how opposed they sometimes were.  This is truly lacking in our present social landscape.  Their reliance on fact-based data and scientific research was strongly maintained throughout the debate.  As political as the progression of AIDS research was during that time, there was rarely a suppression of facts, even though it was severely clouded by bigotry and fear.

There are also impressive performances by Greig Sargeant, who plays the moderator for the broadcast, and Jennifer Seastone, who portrays numerous call-in viewers. 

Kramer/Fauci is a unique theatrical experience, conceived and directed by Daniel Fish.  The production is intellectually stimulating and viscerally engaging.  It is playing at St. Ann’s Warehouse through October 24.  Get a ticket! 

Domenick Danza

An American Daughter

 An American Daughter
La Femme Theatre Productions
The Pershing Square Signature Center
September 2, 2026 

Photo courtesy of La Femme Theatre Productions

The La Femme Theatre Productions presentation of Wendy Wasserstein’s 1996 play An American Daughter contains an unpublished version of the second act.  This allows it to ring with remarkable relevance, leaving the audience with a lot to ponder.  Director Sarna Lapine brings this work to a new light with a star-studded cast who succinctly portrays the social and political landscape of the time and builds the conflict with truthful earnestness.  Set against our present political situation, the comparisons are astonishing.  

Lyssa Dent Hughes (played by Jean Lichty) is the president’s nominee for Surgeon General of the United States.  She is the daughter of Alan Hughes, a Republican Senator from Indiana (played by Dakin Matthews) and a descendant of Ulysses S. Grant.  While Lyssa is being interviewed by Timber Tucker (played by Chris Ghaffari) for national television, Morrow McCarthy, a close friend of her family (played by Ryan Spahn), casually mentions that Lyssa once ignored a summons for jury duty.  Her husband, Walter (played by Robert Sean Leonard) makes light of the incident in an attempt to move the interview along.  When the interview is aired on national television, Lyssa loses the support of the American public, particularly women.  She now faces the most monumental challenge of her career, while trying to keep her family and dignity intact. 

Montego Glover & Jean Lichty
Photo courtesy of La Femme Theatre Productions

The main storyline of a small, unintentional error becoming a huge controversy drives the action, yet it is the relationships in this play that offer the most value.  The support Lyssa receives from her family and friends is heartwarming, and sometimes questionable.  Their honesty is clear, bold, and at times brutal.  The most endearing bond is between Lyssa and her long-time friend Judith (played by Montego Glover).  Ms. Lichty and Ms. Glover portray a formidable connection from the beginning of the play.  Their friendship proves to be the most resilient as the action progresses.  They both suffer heart-breaking loss, and come out knowing they can count on one another. 

Jean Lichty & Robert Sean Leonard
Photo courtesy of La Femme Theatre Productions

Robert Sean Leonard delivers an intelligent and charismatic portrayal of Lyssa’s husband, Walter.  He is flexible and giving in their relationship, but his infidelity causes doubt for Lyssa when she needs to feel secure and grounded.  There is an ease between these two characters that crumbles as the truth is revealed.  Mr. Leonard and Ms. Lichty play each layer of their relationship with sincerity and fervor. 

Dakin Matthews & Mary Beth Peil
Photo courtesy of La Femme Productions

Dakin Matthews has a powerful presence as Republican Senator Alan Hughes.  He is pushy, arrogant, and wildly charming.  He can spin a story to create interest, then shut it down with a few sharp words.  Mary Beth Peil delivers an amazing performance as his wife, Charlotte “Chubby” Hughes.  She knows how to present herself as expected.  Just when you think that is all there is to her, she reveals her wisdom and gumption.

There are also excellent performances by Carmen Zilles, Ryan Spahn, Chris Ghaffari, and Will Devary. 

Carmen Zilles, Ryan Spahn, Robert Sean Leonard,
Mary Beth Peil, & Jean Lichty
Photo courtesy of La Femme Productions

An American Daughter is playing at The Pershing Square Signature Center through September 20.  The play presents multiple political points of view, each represented by a different character, and puts them in direct conflict.  This is a strength of Ms. Wasserstein writing, and this production highlights it beautifully.  It is an enthralling production.  

Domenick Danza

The Real Ivanov

The Real Ivanov
Initiative Productions
Classic Stage Company’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater
August 20, 2026 

Photo courtesy of Initiative Productions
& The Real Ivanov

The Real Ivanov is Laura Strausfeld’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s four act play, Ivanov.  The play runs one hundred minutes and skillfully captures the despair of the main character.  The cast, under the direction of Ms. Strausfeld, delivers truthful and grounded performances of these distinctly drawn characters.  The conflict and instability that drive their choices are clear and urgent.  It is a well-conceived production that packs a powerful final moment. 

Ivanov (played by Sam Underwood) is deeply despondent.  His wife, Anna (played by Ivory Aquino), is sick with tuberculosis.  Her doctor, Lvov (played by Elijah Guo), has informed him that she has only a few weeks to live and his anxious behavior is making it worse for her.  Lvov advises Ivanov to take Anna to a more calming environment, but since he is in debt to Lebedev (played by Spencer Aste), he cannot afford to accommodate her needs.  Ivanov spends time visiting Lebedev, his wife, Zinaida (played by Sarah Long), and their daughter, Sasha (played by Amelia Mason).  During these visits, Ivanov and Sasha grow close.  When Anna discovers their relationship, her physical condition deteriorates.  After her death, Ivanov becomes engaged to Sasha, but his depression keeps him from going through with the marriage. 

Ivory Aquino & Sam Underwood
Photo courtesy of Initiative Productions & The Real Ivanov

Sam Underwood fully embodies Ivanov’s sense of melancholy.  The audience feels it from the opening moment, then watches it deepen in every encounter he has with other characters.  He is distant in his relationship with his wife, Anna.  Ivory Aquino uses this distance to portray Anna as sturdy, committed, and determined.  The scene where she confronts Ivanov on his betrayal is honest and brutal.  It drains her of any life force she has left.  Sam Adegoke portrays Borkin with an abounding zest for life that magnifies Ivanov’s depression.  Jordan Lage fills the role of Count Shabyelski with a cynicism that drives him forward, which contrasts with Ivanov’s inability to make a decision.  Lebedev states that Ivanov’s engagement to Sasha has brought confusion to his home.  Spencer Aste’s portrayal of Lebedev skillfully illustrates this effect.  Mr. Underwood uses all of these encounters to fully explore the depth of Ivanov’s depression.  

Sam Underwood & Amelia Mason
Photo courtesy of Initiative Productions & The Real Ivanov

Amelia Mason delivers a tragically stubborn performance as Sasha.  The character tells her father the doubt she has about her upcoming marriage to Ivanov, yet she refuses to listen to Ivanov when he confesses the severity of his depression.  Sasha does not let go of the ideal of her conviction.  It is a stunning performance.  She and Mr. Underwood have amazing chemistry.

Kimberlee Walker is charming as Babakina.  Much to her delight, she is wooed by Count Shabyelski.  She and Jordan Lage are wonderfully playful in these roles.  

Elijah Guo is both sensible and sensitive as Dr. Lvov, who unsuccessfully hides his love for Anna.  He and Ms. Aquino share a tender connection, while the sparks fly between him and Mr. Underwood. 

Photo courtesy of Initiative Productions & The Real Ivanov

This adaptation retains the setting of the late 19^th century Russia.  Ms. Strausfeld wanted to preserve every precise line of Chekhov’s writing.  She carefully used translation tools, while deliberately cutting the repetitions.  She is aware that audiences listen to theatre differently today than they did when Chekhov wrote this play in 1887.  Her goal was to trim the play down to a concise one hundred minutes.  She succeeds beautifully, allowing the action to rise as the characters push against consuming obstacles amid personal, social, and economic turmoil.

The final scene of the play is brilliantly staged.  Ms. Strausfeld set it in a long, narrow hallway, which runs diagonally across the playing area (with audience seating on all four sides).  Not only is this drastically juxtaposed to the open spaces of the previous scenes, but it creates a severe obstacle for the characters to connect and communicate, which pushes Ivanov to his fatal decision. 

The Real Ivano is playing at Classic Stage Company’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater through September 19.  It is a stimulating and visceral production.  

Domenick Danza

The Bathroom Attendant

 The Bathroom Attendant
Sparkplug Productions
125 Bank Street Theatre
August 15, 2026 

Photo courtesy of Sparkplug Productions
& The Bathroom Attendant

The stakes are high from the opening moment of Tom Kelly’s play, The Bathroom Attendant, and continue to rise until they reach a deadly height. The dialogue is raw and the characters are desperate for a pay off.  Director Andrew Block magnifies the urgency and pushes this amazing cast to the edge. 

It is 2018 in a rundown apartment complex outside Las Vegas.  Johnny (played by Dan Patrick Brady), a one-time prize fighting champion, gets a surprise visit from Connor (played by Evan Klein), the nephew of one of his childhood friends from Brooklyn.  What starts out as reminiscing of the good old days and gathering autographs on fight memorabilia turns into partnering on a blackmail scheme.  Connor witnessed and videoed a well-loved baseball star beating a young woman in the parking lot of the Bellagio the previous night.  He knows he can get a large amount of money for the video if he threatens to turn it over to the tabloids.  Johnny’s friend Tina (played by Kate Miller) gets in on the scheme because she has a friend at the Bellagio who could deliver a still photo from the video with their message to the baseball star.  They come up with a fool proof plan that falls apart one piece at a time, plunging them into unexpected danger. 

Evan Klein, Dan Partick Brady, & Kate Miller
Photo courtesy of Sparkplug Productions & The Bathroom Attendant

Dan Patrick Brady viscerally portrays Johnny, this down-and-out champion who is chased by loan sharks and working as a bathroom attendant.  Kate Miller equally matches his grit as Tina.  She has more optimism than Johnny, but her years working in adult films taught her how to be tough.  Evan Klein portrays Connor as naive and starstruck.  What he witnesses and experiences drastically changes him.  The dynamic between these three characters drives the action, and these three actors make it work beautifully.  Their banter builds in tension and impact, until it reaches the point of no return. 

Mari Blake as Bambi
Photo courtesy of Sparkplug Productions & The Bathroom Attendant

Mari Blake plays Bambi, the young woman who is beaten on the video.  Tina uncovers some information about her identity, but the audience only gets brief glimpses of her, until the final scene.  Ms. Blake uses the backstory established from Tina’s inquiry to portray a character lost in despair.  She and Mr. Klien create powerful moments in this short final scene that put them on an equal plane.  It is a powerful ending to a jarring story.

The Bathroom Attendant is playing at 124 Bank Street Theatre through August 30.  It is an unsettling play, skillfully written, directed, and performed.    

Domenick Danza

The Lost Boys

 The Lost Boys
Palace Theatre
August 11, 2026 

Photo courtesy of The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys is a truly spectacular musical!  The book by David Hornsby and Chris Hoch is tight and clear, thoroughly developing the characters and raising the action at a scintillating pace.  Music and lyrics by The Rescues echo the 1980s period of the story and energizes the plot line.  The entire cast delivers moving performances that touch the soul and jar the emotions.  Director Michael Arden blends effective lighting design (by him and Jen Schriever), brilliant scenic design (by Dane Laffrey), and impressive choreography and daring aerial choreography (by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christoher Cree Grant) with amazing casting to create a phenomenal production. 

Lucy Emerson (played by Shoshana Bean) moves her two sons, Michael (played by LJ Benet) and Sam (played by Benjamin Pajak) to Santa Carla to get away from their abusive father.  She is hired by Max (played by Paul Alexander Nolan) to work in his video store.  Sam meets Edgar Frog (played by Miguel Gil) and Alan Frog (played by Jennifer Duka), self-appointed vampire hunters, while browsing in a comic book store.  Michael is captivated by Star (played by Maria Wirries), a girl he meets on the Boardwalk.  Through her, Michael, who is yearning for a sense of belonging, gets involved with David (played by Ali Louis Bourzgui) and the rest of the Lost Boys.  Little does he know the choices that lie ahead. 

LJ Benet & Ali Louis Bourzgui
Photo courtesy of The Lost Boys

Ali Louis Bourzgui is beguiling as David.  He has total control over Star and gains a powerful hold over Michael.  LJ Benet and Maria Wirries build a resilient relationship as Michael and Star.  As the truth of the story unfolds, it is their connection that keeps the action moving. 

Shoshana Bean is strong and endearing as Lucy Emerson.  The backstory of her teen years as a hippy in the 1960s allows her to build her character into a bold and daring single mother.  Paul Alexander Nolan carefully creates a trusting relationship with her as Max.  It is this gradual build that allow for a shocking surprise in the final scene. 

Shoshana Bean, Benjamin Pajak, & LJ Benet
Photo courtesy of The Lost Boys

Benjamin Pajak, Miguel Gil, and Jennifer Duka build a genuine friendship as Sam, Edgar, and Alan.  Their characters successfully bring the comic element into this dark story.  Their timing is impeccable.  Their youthful enthusiasm turns into brazen bravery that brings the action to a dramatic conclusion.  At age fifteen, Benjamin Pajak has a long list of stage and screen credits.  He is exceptional in this role.  He is maturing into a phenomenal Broadway performer with an unlimited future ahead.

This creative team has done a monumental job adapting this 1987 cult classic into a Broadway musical.  The Lost Boys is sure to have a long run at the Palace Theatre, but don’t wait to see it.  Get a ticket right away! 

Domenick Danza

Hungry Women

 Hungry Women
Black Watch Theatre
SoHo Playhouse
August 6, 2026 

Photo courtesy of Black Watch Theatre & Hungry Women

Melissa Maney’s play, Hungry Women, is a masterpiece in craft, imagination, and thematic relevance.  The action of this ninety-minute piece covers a two hundred year time frame, yet the images and vernacular keep it tight and contained.  Director Daniella Caggiano cast four phenomenal women in these valiant characters.  They rise with the action, taking the audience on an incredible journey. 

The action starts one hundred years ago in Massachusetts.  Ruth (played by Julia Lester), Mary (played by Zoe Dean), and Eden (played by Mariyea) are having tea and lamenting the recent and sudden loss of their husbands and sons.  Victoria (played by Sophie Zmorrod) enters, dressed in the clothes of her deceased husband, and tells them that the county is littered with the bodies of dead men.  The women discuss the challenge of burying the dead and surviving in a world without men.  Victoria, who now prefers to be called Vic, serves lunch, sandwiches made from the body of their dead husbands.  The ladies are aghast, then one by one they recall the abuse and servitude they endured under the heavy hand of their husbands’ dominance.  As they eat, their hunger grows in magnitude. 

Julia Lester, Zoe Dean, Mariyea, & Sophie Zmorrod
Photo courtesy of Black Watch theatre & Hungry Women

The action transitions to a present-day classroom, where Melanie (played by Zoe Dean), Valerie (played by Sophie Zmorrod), and Elizabeth (played by Mariyea) question their teacher, Rebecca (played by Julia Lester), about the history that was erased with the extinction of men.  They have a séance to bring back the male spirits, and are brutally schooled of their callousness and control.  This takes the action forward one hundred years in the future.  Regina (played by Julia Lester) reigns with supreme dominance.  When Violet (played by Sophie Zmorrod) gives birth to a male child, the power system is thrown off balance, and a decision must be made. 

Mariyea, Sophie Zmorrod, Julia Lester, & Zoe Dean
Photo courtesy of Black Watch Theatre & Hungry Women

The four characters in each of the acts are distinct and strong, yet their traits are transported through the time periods.  Julia Lester is staunch and firm as Ruth/Rebecca/Regina.Zoe Dean portrays Mary/Melanie/ Meredith as naïve and curious.  Sophie Zmorrod’s Victoria/Valerie/Violet is rebellious and probing.  Mariyea’s Eden/Elizabeth/Eleanor is intellectual and stoic.  This consistency keeps the conflict alive over the expansive time frame.  The fact that discourse repeats itself through the centuries is historically accurate and, in terms of this play, herstorically compelling.  These four women deliver monumental performances, keeping the conflict fresh and new in each of the acts, until it lands in a stunningly satisfying final moment.

Mariyea, Sophie Zmorrod, Julia Lester, & Zoe Dean
Photo courtesy of Black Watch Theatre & Hungry Women

Act I contains monologues that give insight into each characters’ previous experiences.  These monologues are skillfully written and come at the moment each character must face their fear in order to make a crucial decision.  They are each delivered flawlessly.  Director Daniella Caggiano seamlessly transitions the action from the moment to introspection then back to the moment, bringing the pain the characters experienced into the urgency of the present situation.  Their decision propels the action forward and affects future generations.  The images from these monologues recur in the second and third acts, creating a throughline of memory and trauma.

The Black Watch Theatre production of Hungry Women is playing at SoHo Playhouse (15 Vandam St., NYC) through August 30.  Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays at 7:00, and Sundays at 5:00.  This play challenges your understanding of gender equality and illustrates the harmful outcomes of dominance and control.  Don’t miss it! 

Domenick Danza