Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Magical Manhattan Musical by Barry David Horwitz At the top of “In the Heights,” our guide to Washington Heights, Usnavi (Rajiv Vijayakumar), spreads good cheer and hope, while running his little newsstand/sweet shop, and riding herd on his funny, warm-hearted helper Sonny (Jave Hernandez). Usnavi happily leads us to each person, each…
Miranda’s Rap Extravaganza Makes Pop Art of History by Barry Willis When tickets for the national touring production of “Hamilton” went on sale this past spring, at $200 for the cheapest seats, they sold out instantly. Almost as quickly the price doubled and tripled on the secondary market. There are tales of eager fans…
Matthew Lopez Reveals Fabulous, Righteous Queens by Barry David Horwitz You know how hard it is to make a living these days as an Elvis impersonator, right? Even if you work in a small dive bar in Panama City, Florida. That’s what Casey (amped up Adam Magill) finds out, at the same time his…
Hershey Felder Plays the Master—and his Magical Music by Barry David Horwitz I would go anywhere anytime to see Hershey Felder’s artistry as writer, actor, pianist, and music idea man extraordinaire. Felder’s “Beethoven” delivers more history, biography, and brilliant performance than a gaggle of musicals. The time has come to acknowledge that Hershey Felder…