Ironically, a play about cutting a script down runs unnecessarily long.

Having all the ingredients does not necessarily make a cake.

Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play still rings out with the same heart and humanity today.

This look at the racial history behind Othello is a bit stilted and heavy-handed.

Denzel Washington puts in a smashing lead performance and is surrounded by an excellent supporting cast.

Idina Menzel shows off her singing chops in this heartfelt new musical.

Laura Osnes shines in an otherwise dysfunctional musical production.

Right now the New York theater scene is more adventurous than its West End equivalent, especially concerning new musicals.

Michael Pennington plays the king like a sad, old man lost in the wilderness.

Mike Bartlett plays with the relationship between politics and monarchy in this contemporary what-if.

The protagonist and the play itself are sorely lacking in redeeming qualities.

Moira Buffini’s play focuses entirely on the edgy relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher.

The narrative in this 1987 state-of-the-nation play lacks the structure of some of Alan Ayckbourn’s earlier plays.

This London production has the film and Broadway versions to contend with, and still comes out singing.

The Wanamaker Theatre has chosen authenticity over comfort in its design, and is of to a difficult start.

A smart American drama, driven by the political and the personal, hits the London stage.

Ray Cooney revives his madcap romp with wild, silly success.

Trevor Nunn's laborious production does little to reinvent the 1987 film, and hits the stage with a thud.

Michael Blakemore's cast does Noel Coward's 1941 comedy proud.

David Lindsay-Abaire's brilliant play is equal parts funny and serious, without a false note.

For this once-shocking period piece to have a strong effect, it would need different treatment than given here.

Some familiar titles were refreshed with verve, but it was a mixed year for musicals and new plays.