Author: zoglinreviews

I generally try to stay away from politics on this blog. But I’m obsessed with Democratic messaging — mainly, how bad it usually is — so, with the primary season heating up, let me play amateur political strategist for a few minutes.  Like many liberal Democrats, I’m constantly frustrated at the way the party has … Continue reading Democrats, Get Your Messaging Act Together →

Suffs, the new musical at the Public Theater, may be the first clear descendant of Hamilton. Like Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit, the show is a lesson in American history, dense with exposition, mostly sung-through, and the product of a single creative mind. Like Miranda, singer-composer Shaina Taub has written the book, music, and lyrics — and also … Continue reading Could ‘Suffs’ Be the Next ‘Hamilton’? →

I’ve been reluctant to weigh in on the now-infamous Will Smith-Chris Rock slap at last week’s Oscar ceremony. The din was simply too great, and I wanted to wait and see how the whole thing would play out. Now that it has — decidedly not in Will Smith’s favor — I have just a few … Continue reading Will Smith and Chris Rock: Are We Done Yet? →

Is there anyone left who actually looks forward to the Oscars? Once the most eagerly anticipated and massively viewed event on the movie calendar, the show has become an annual ordeal: bloated, self-indulgent, with a steadily diminishing audience. Last year’s ABC telecast drew a paltry 10.4 million viewers, less than half the number who watched … Continue reading The Oscars’ Host Problem →

Broadway loves to welcome back its classic musicals, especially when accompanied by a major star to juice the box office, and provide at least a whiff of reinvention. But the new revival of The Music Man, starring Hugh Jackman, has gotten a surprisingly sour reception from many of the critics.  “A huge let-down,” wrote the New York Post. “The … Continue reading A New ‘Music Man’: No Trouble in River City →

The death of Betty White — a relatively minor TV star who appeared in a couple of popular sitcoms in the 1970s and ‘80s and managed to live nearly to 100 — was the lead story on all three network evening newscasts a couple of weeks ago. The death Friday of Sidney Poitier — an … Continue reading Sidney Poitier: The Jackie Robinson of Hollywood →

No theater genre inspires more disdain among critics and other guardians of Broadway’s “purity” than the movie-to-musical adaptation. Taking a popular old film, adding songs, and turning it into a family-friendly Broadway show? Too crass, too unoriginal, too nakedly commercial. Begone!  Mrs. Doubtfire, a new musical based on the 1993 Robin Williams film, has come to … Continue reading To the Critics of ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’: Lighten Up →

I attended a memorial service this morning for Chris Porterfield, the editor who, more than anyone else, shaped my writing and critical thinking at TIME Magazine for the better part of three decades. I wrote a little personal obituary for him after his death a few weeks ago, and wanted to share it — as … Continue reading Farewell to My Favorite Editor →

The big news of the new Broadway season — aside from the fact that there is a new Broadway season, albeit with masks and vaccination mandate — is its racial diversity. No fewer than six plays by Black authors have opened so far this fall— more than the entire number of straight plays that have opened in … Continue reading ‘Trouble in Mind’: A Gem Unearthed →

Ever since the beginning of the Trump presidency and the explosion of political satire that accompanied it, one question has nagged at me: Whatever happened to Jon Stewart?  As host of the Daily Show for 16 years, Stewart was the godfather of a new generation of late-night TV hosts, who infused their comedy with a pointed, often … Continue reading The Problem With Jon Stewart →