The Sunday Critic is back! Talking about today's 50th anniversary of Thornton Wilder’s death, “Guys and Dolls” at DC's Shakespeare Theatre Company, “Merrily We Roll Along” on film, Erik Piepenburg’s analysis of the rise of a gay slur in New York theatre, and “Hamnet." Please read and subscribe!

Part 2 (refusing to call it "For Good," sorry!!) also mostly slaps, as the kids say. Apologies to the haters!

New edition of The Sunday Critic is live with stops at a Nashville bar, an Ohio rec center, an Idaho mortgage broker's office, and a Dublin public bus (by way of the theatre, of course). Read on and subscribe (for ~ free ~)!

I registered for my first @awpwriter.org conference today. I can't wait to mix and mingle with so many other creative writers. How many days? #awp26

Want to keep up with my writing? Check out The Sunday Critic on Substack! Theatre-first, DC-forward, but plenty of musings on film, literature, and music, too. Hit that subscribe button! open.substack.com/pub/thesunda...

Popping in after a social media break to share Richard Brody's exceptional encapsulation of why critics are a vital part of (and bridge between) the arts and journalism ecosystems. "In Defense of the Traditional Review" www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

Well, team... the Wicked movie is, in fact, terrific. Just a total love letter to the stage production, Fleming film, and Baum and Maguire books. It's magnificently sumptuous, but never to the degree that it overwhelms the story. It builds and builds and builds. Simply cannot wait for Part 2.

Happy Broadway opening to "Swept Away," which I thoroughly enjoyed during its tryout at Arena Stage last year. Here's my review of that outing for @dclinenews.bsky.social.

I really liked David Auburn's "Summer, 1976" when it was at MTC in 2023. But Vivienne Benesch's new production at DC's Studio Theatre, with beloved hometown actors Kate Eastwood Norris and Holly Twyford, is even richer and more beautiful this time around. Read my latest for DC Theater Arts.

Thinking back on last weekend's @theatrecritics.bsky.social conference and feeling grateful for the opportunity to learn from so many folks whose work I admire, including @feldmanadam.bsky.social. It's always a treat to nerd out with critics from across the country.

I always struggle with Forum, which hits me as a Shevelove-Gelbart play that just happens to include a light Sondheim score. And when a production does pop up, it typically seems out of obligation. But Signature's loving production feels like an earnest attempt to bring new life to an aged property.

So much to love about RAGTIME at Encores, but having the opportunity to hear that score again (and especially Lynn Ahrens' lyrics) was just... ugh. Have not been able to get the 🎶Hallelujah, praise the maker... of the Model T🎶 from "Henry Ford" out of my head. A genius lyric about worship of wealth.

Swung by the Jerry Herman estate auction preview at Doyle NYC this weekend. It's so clear how much this man treasured his shows and how deeply the world loved/loves them too. Also, why don't we have poster art like this anymore? #broadway #jerryherman #theatre #musical

I always stand for 1.) outstanding performances and 2.) opening night bows (getting a show—good or not—to opening is a herculean feat and deserves to be recognized accordingly). If you want to stand, do it. If you don't want to stand... don't.