Paul Birchall

In Peter Gil-Sheridan's thought-provoking drama What May Fall, a man plummets to his death from a Minnesota skyscraper. It's a terrible event (particularly for the poor fellow), but the random incident becomes the inciting incident for a meditation on how death affects us all. Death, of course, is everywhere and......

In Elliot Schoenman's evocative family drama, Lawrence Pressman plays iconic folk singer "Ramblin'" Harry Roe, whose impeccable, 1960s left-wing credentials include marching with Dr. King, singing with Pete Seeger and protesting at Kent State. Now elderly and frail, sustained mainly by his memories of the good old days, Harry's a......

Given that so many examples of children's theater are simply appalling -- the equivalent of Muffin the Puppet singing "Sharing Is Caring and Obey your Parents" or some such rubbish -- what a pleasure it is to see a work, aimed at a young audience, that possesses both intellectual heft......

Ingmar Bergman's adaptation of A Doll's House restructures Henrik Ibsen's fierce family drama, stripping the play to its emotional essence, a goal that's underscored by director Dana Jackson's spartan but evocative production. On a simple set consisting of some chairs, a Christmas tree in the back and, later, a bed,......

How can you not like a musical puppet show that looks a little like Sesame Street but sounds more like South Park? Director Richard Israel's charming local production of the Tony Award-winning musical proves that the show plays brilliantly on a small, intimate stage. After all, Avenue Q is at......

This collection of vignettes is performed entirely in the dark. No, really — upon arrival, you'll notice a solitary candle burning at stage center, which after the preshow announcements is blown out, plunging us into 90 minutes of inky darkness, only very occasionally alleviated by a momentary flash or murky......

In this era of high-tech TV police procedurals, every so often you just want to enjoy an old-fashioned whodunit mystery, in which red herrings are knocked off one by one and near-omniscient murderers ply their maniacal trade without fear of DNA testing or security cameras. If this is the mood......

In this powerful production of Donald Margulies' two-person play, the protagonist mistakes her student's geniality and hero worship for friendliness, when it's really just calculation and competitiveness. Acclaimed author and creative-writing professor Ruth (April Lang) tutors promising grad student Lisa (Natalie Sunderland), who arrives wide-eyed with adoration. A friendship develops......

In the daft and campy Silence! The Musical, based on beloved Grand Guignol horror film The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal (the Cannibal) Lecter doesn't just eat a liver with fava beans and a nice Chianti: He also sings in a lovely baritone. This droll retelling of the film —......