Maybe Happy Ending

 Maybe Happy Ending
Belasco Theatre
April 14, 2026 

Photo courtesy of Maybe Hapy Ending

Maybe Happy Ending is an endearing story about the discovery of love.  Will Aronson’s score is light and charming.  The book and lyrics, by Will Aronson and Hue Park, are witty and wonderful.  The characters are robots, and their sense of humor, though unrealized by them, is crips and sharp.  Director Michael Arden brings every element of this experience together perfectly.  Dane Laffrey’s scenic and video design combine with Ben Stanton’s lighting to enhance the storytelling and draw the audience into this unique and heartwarming story. 

Oliver (played by understudy Christopher James Tamayo) is perfectly content living alone in his room.  He is a helper-bot, waiting for his owner, James (played by Marcus Choi) to come and get him.  Oliver listens to James’ jazz records and talks with his plant, HwaBoon.  There is an unexpected knock on the door, as Claire (played by Claire Kwon), a retired helper-bot from across the hall, needs assistance.  She is having a problem with her charger, and her battery is running low.  Oliver reluctantly opens the door and lets her in.  He is a Model 3.  She is a Model 5.  They are built differently, but they are both abandoned and alone. 

Photo courtesy of Maybe Happy Ending

These two helper-bots embark on a journey that takes them to a place they never knew they could go.  Christopher James Tamayo and Claire Kwon authentically discover it for the first time as Oliver and Claire.  Their chemistry, timing, and physicality are magnificent.  Mr. Tamayo portrays Oliver as quirky and stand-offish, while Ms. Kwon’s Claire is aware and direct.  They are as different as their model numbers describe, yet when they unite, it is pure magic. 

Photo courtesy of Maybe Happy Ending

Marcus Choi plays James and Junseo (James’ son).  He is genuine and personable in these roles.  Dez Duron plays Gil Brentley, a mysterious crooner, who appears at unforeseen times and mesmerizes with his silky tones.  

Maybe Happy Ending won six 2025 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.  It is a one-of-a-kind production with endearing characters and a touching message.  Go see it!  It is playing at the Belasco Theatre. 

Domenick Danza

The Pushover

The Pushover
Chain Theatre
April 10, 2026 

Photo courtesy of Chain Theatre

John Patick Shanley’s new play, The Pushover, is intriguing and mysterious.  Burning passion fuels the action, while lust leads to bad decisions.  Or is it the other way around?  The characters struggle to find their way out from under each other’s control, only to run back when they are in need.  Director Kirk Gostkowski guides this small cast of highly skilled actors to dig deep and find the driving impulse that invigorates their character. 

Pearl (played by Di Zhu) is in the first session with her new therapist (played by Christopher Sutton).  She wears white gloves and just came from church.  She is tight with anxiety.  She admits that she is gay, attracted to strong women, and not sure if this new therapist is right for her.  He does get her to take her gloves off and tell him about Evelyn and Soochi. 

The action moves back in time to when Pearl sent Soochi (played by Christina Toth) to a resident resort in New Mexico to deliver a package to Evelyn (played by Rebecca De Mornay).  Evelyn tells Soochi she was excepting her.  Pearl previously contacted Evelyn to tell her that Soochi stole from her.  In the package is a wedding ring that Evelyn gave Pearl with instructions to return it to her if she is ever in need of terminating a relationship.  Evelyn knows what needs to be done, but instead of making Soochi disappear, she puts her to work to earn back the money she stole from Pearl.  When Evelyn visits Pearl to deliver the money, the three women confront one another with their expectations and the hard truth.   

Christopher Sutton, Di Zhu, Rebecca De Morney, & Christina Toth
Photo courtesy of Chain Theatre

Each of the characters have quirks that spark interest.  Pearl is intense and dark.  Evelyn is controlling and self-serving.  Soochi is neurotic and manipulative.  These three actors portray these qualities from their core.  Christina Toth’s Soochi gets more self-destructive as the action progresses.  She is brought to that point by Evelyn’s domination, which Rebecca De Mornay cunningly underplays.  Pearl goes back and forth from victim to persecutor, and Di Zhu plays these shifts with skillful ease.  She is the pushover, constantly being taken advantage of.  She has reached her breaking point; however, it is Evelyn who has the final compelling moment.  It is unexpected, and Rebecca Du Mornay makes it genuine. 

Scenic design by Jackson Berkley makes the Chain Theatre stage feel expansive.  His unit set transforms to different locations with quick changes of furniture.

Chain Theatre continues to build a strong reputation for high quality work with the world premiere of this new John Patrick Shanley play.  It is excellently produced.  

The Pushover has been extended at Chain Theatre through May 2. 

Domenick Danza

Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York

 Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York
Longacre Theatre
April 8, 2026 

Photo courtesy of
Two Stranger Carry a Cake Across New York

The Broadway production of Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York is funny, warm, and wonderful.  The book, music, and lyrics by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan are beautifully crafted.  The script is witty and charming, as two strangers from different parts of the world open up and get to know one another.  The lyrics give keen insight into their thoughts and desires, and the music is simply delightful.  Director Tim Jackson turns the two day journey of these characters into a life changing experience, for them as well as the audience. 

Robin (played by Christiani Pitts) is waiting at Kenndy Airport to pick up Dougal (played by understudy Austin Colburn), who is flying in from England.  They have never met.  Robin’s sister is marrying Dougal’s father.  Dougal unexpectedly received a wedding invitation.  He is very excited to meet his father for the first time and see the sights of New York.  Robin needs to get up early for work at a coffee shop and has no time for Dougal’s enthusiasm.  When he surprises her at work the next afternoon, she takes him with her on the train to Flatbush to pick up her sister’s wedding cake.  They get to know one another carrying the cake across New York, especially when they drop to top tier. 

Photo courtesy of Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York

The exuberance that Austin Colburn shows as Dougal is counterbalanced by Christiani Pitts’ portrayal of Robin’s native New York energy.  The script is full of constant banter between the characters.  Mr. Colburn and Ms. Pitts find the rhythm and timing that suits these scenes perfectly.  It’s light and funny, until the second act when they face their truths.  These moments are tense and genuine.  The plot turns as the characters take a realistic look at themselves, and the audience never knows where it will lead. 

Photo courtesy of Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York

Soutra Gilmour’s scenic design is made up of oversized stacks of luggage that transform into numerous locations throughout the story.  It is brilliantly conceived, as it carries the theme of journeying into every moment of the show.  The use of dual turntables keeps the action moving at a fascinating pace.

This new musical is a joyous experience.  It reminds us that life can change in a moment if we allow ourselves to take the journey. 

Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York is playing at the Longacre Theatre.  Get a ticket today! 

Domenick Danza

Bent Through Glass

Bent Through Glass

30^th Street Theater
April 3, 2026 

Photo courtesy of Bent Throguh Glass

Bent Through Glass, written and performed by Alex Koltchak, tells an amazing story of love, loss, and the journey toward healing.  Mr. Koltchak takes the audience through events leading up to and following a personal family tragedy.  He is honest and raw, genuine and clear.  Director Michael Sladek guides him through each moment, bringing his journey to compelling emotional closure. 

When Alex Koltchak enters the stage, he wastes no time getting directly to the point.  He immediately shares that, at fifteen years of age, his oldest daughter, Parker, took her own life.  He repeats it several times, almost as if he needs to hear it himself in order to believe it.  He goes back in time and talks about his daughter’s birth, then about the day he met his ex-wife, Deb.  The story continues to move backwards, as he recalls his father’s angry outbursts, his parents’ divorce, and his struggle being raised by an emotionally distant single mother.  He then moves forward, talking about his marriage and family life, raising three children, and the effect his sarcastic sense of humor had on Deb.  After he and his wife divorce, Parker is diagnosed as bi-polar.  She struggles through her early teens, moving from school to school.  When they find an out of state school for her, she begins to find her creative voice.  All seems well, until one early morning when he receives a phone call from her school with tragic news. 

Alex Koltchak
Photo courtesy of Bent Through Glass

The love Mr. Kotltchak feels for his family drives the telling of his story.  He truthfully shares events that are full of uncomfortable and challenging moments.  He never has an unkind word the people involved, and always addresses them respectfully.  This is what keeps the audience fully absorbed and caring.  That caring is not only for his wellbeing, but is extended to every person he talks about.

There are serious moments where Mr. Koltchak is overwhelmed by emotion.  He allows these feelings to fill him up.  As he moves through them, you start to wonder if he has gotten passed the grief and loss from this tragic experience.  Then he shares a story of when he took his two younger children to a Yankee game.  In one moment, they connect as one, and the journey toward healing begins. 

Bent Through Glass is playing at 30^th Street Theater (259 W. 30^th St., NYC) through April 25.  It is a poignant, personal story, skillfully crafted and openly shared.  Don’t miss it. 

Domenick Danza

The Iguana Becomes Marco

The Iguana Becomes Marco
La Mama
Experimental Theatre Club
April 1, 2026 

Photo courtesy of The Iguana Becomes Marco

The Iguana Becomes Marco is a wild, psychological journey, filled with unexpected twists, turns, and fascinating characters.  Writer/Director Booth McGowan is fully in control of every bizarre occurrence.  He grounds each moment in realistic images, then turns them on their head to keep the audience engaged and thinking.  The cast is fully committed, which allows the audience to experience the journey on numerous levels. 

When you enter the small studio space, there is a young man tied to a chair center stage, and deep, eerie music played on the viola (by Georges Mefleh).  You become immediately drawn in… and curious.  As the lights dim an overly masculine character enters, circles the young man in the chair, then sits across from him.  There is a long silence. 

Luke Wisniewski as The Iguana
Photo courtesy of The Inguana Becomes Marco

The dialogue begins.  Marco, the young man tied to the chair (played by Marco Quesada), tells the Detective, the overly masculine character (played by Bobby Cole), that in his dream the Iguana becomes him.  He did not become the Iguana.  The Iguana became him.  What follows is Marco’s encounter with the Iguana (played by Luke Wisniewski). Marco tells the Detective how he ended up locked in his uncle’s garage in Florida with the Iguana, then killed his uncle. 

Marco Quesada delivers his monologues straight and calm, while everything happening around him is absurd and over the top.  The contrast is stunning, keeping the audience focused on the events of the story, while being fully engulfed in Marco’s state of mind.  Luke Wisniewski creates the character of the Iguana with exceptional physical agility and vocal skill.  The timing between him and Mr. Quesada is perfect.

Luke Wisniewski & Marco Quesada
Photo courtesy of The Iguana Becomes Marco

Booth McGowan plays Maximilian, the silly Police Officer who assists the Detective in his investigation.  Maximilian’s bumbling antics plays brilliantly against the bravado that Bobby Cole brings to the character of the Detective.  This juxtaposition keeps the action moving at an accelerated pace, until Lucinda Dunham enters as Marceline, and the pace and tone dramatically shift.  Marco previously told the Detective that he had a date with Marceline, but she stood him up.  Yet… here she is, in a clingy, sexy gown, ready to be escorted to an expensive jazz club.  Ms. Dunham flows in and commands the stage.  She and Mr. Quesada have excellent chemistry.  Jason Hoover saves the day as Jimmy, Marco’s friend from NYC.  His energy level is high.  He dominates the scene with his broad and quicky characterization.

The Iguana Becomes Marco is playing at La Mama through April 5.  It is a unique piece of theatre that needs to be experienced firsthand. 

Domenick Danza