Shapiro on Theater

John Guare's "Lydie Breeze Trilogy," about a Civil War nurse and the men she draws into her life's adventures, comes to an end.

Five short plays — three of them super-short plays — and a mystifying title for their grouping.

At Quintessence Theatre, the females in the cast seize the production by the sheer dint of their acting.

The character we see on stage is Mary Magdalene. And more.

This brutal look at a life spent languishing in a privately operated "correctional facility" comes from theater artist Kash Goins.

Plays like “Human Rites” – thoughtfully written and thought-provoking -- are what keep a lot of people, myself included, eagerly going to the theater.

Shakespeare's words, with solid acting and not a lot of stage glitz.

In Michael Frayn's play about an inept bunch of actors and the show they perform, the shtick flies.

In this send-up of spiritual retreats, just about everything speaks louder than words.

In the surprising second part of the 'Lydie Breeze' trilogy of plays by John Guare, the Civil War is over and a highly uncivil one begins.

Grade-school characters tell a story about being black and poor in the '40s, adapted from Toni Morrison's novel.

How was the first musical conceived? Don't look here for the answer.

In a new play about middle-schoolers, a hate crime changes everything.

In David Adjmi's play about the queen, the persona is all there, but the person's hard to find.

A boy, a girl, a breathless narrative.