B+

As we have seen frequently, British works do not always translate across the Atlantic. Lee Hall's The Pitmen Painters, which might serve as a prequel to Billy Elliot, receives mostly positive reviews, but it is not quite the critical smash hit one might expect after its reception in London. Had Hall stopped before intermission and written a one-act play, no doubt the reviews would be nothing but raves, as most critics find the play flawless in the first act but think it goes off the rails in the second as it becomes overtly political and the characters become less believable. Still, most critics are so taken by the cast, all of whom have been with the show since the beginning, and with Max Roberts' direction, that they are willing to overlook some missteps in the writing.

B+

With the exception of Charles Isherwood at the Times, most critics are charmed by Carly Mensch's one-act two-hander romcom. Leads Stephen Plunkett and Maureen Sebastian get praise for their chemistry and comic timing. More than a few reviews cite Mensch's recent transfer to the L.A. TV scene (Weeds) as a loss for Off-Broadway (or, alternately, as an explanation for the slightness of her characters). While Mensch is on her way out, set designer Lauren Helpern is on her way up: Her diorama interior for Now Circa Then receives much adulation for fitting fantastic, rich detail into the small Ars Nova venue.

B+

Last year, Kneehigh Theatre's Brief Encounter played St. Ann's Warehouse and received an outpouring of love from critics. Though a few critics miss the more intimate space, the move to Broadway and the bigger house of Studio 54 hasn't diminished their enthusiasm--but not everyone is swept up by the theatricality of the evening. John Simon, Michael Sommers, and Matthew Murray feel that such stage tricks as lovers swinging on chandeliers mock the original film rather than pay homage to it.

B

From an educational standpoint, critics are thrilled to see one of Thomas Bernhard's plays make it to America, especially in the hands of the Canadian company One Little Goat, director Adam Seelig, and this outstanding cast. But just as Bernhard's plays lack punctuation, there's a lack of genuine excitement behind these reviews, most of which point out how intellectual the show is. Bonny Prince Billy, for Cultural Capitol, asks us to "imagine Civilization and Its Discontents meets No Exit." Or, as OffOffOnline's Shari Perkins sums up, "Ritter, Dene, Voss is "intriguing, troubling, often funny, and ultimately unsatisfying."

C+

With the exception of some remarkably cheery reviews from the Times' Charles Isherwood and Newsday's Linda Winer, this production of a lesser-known comedy by the author of Noises Off and Democracy has even most of its admirers cutting their praise with caveats. Many praise director Carl Forsman's tight direction and the performances of the ensemble (the word "lively" crops up repeatedly), while finding fault with the play's predictable construction and/or its apparently off-putting "Britishness." The most universal theme in these reviews, oddly enough, is professional identification; critics still employed by print publications note the unlikely and grim relevance of this vintage play's depiction of a disintegrating newspaper.

B+

No doubt about it, Daniel Beaty is one badass performer. Everyone's in agreement that he more than fills the stage with clearly delineated, interesting characters in his solo shows. Some critics find the text for Through The Night (also scribed by Beaty) to be a bit preachy, a bit closer to a sermon than a play and a bit overstuffed with Every Problem Ever To Face Black Men In The 21st Century. Even those a little put off by the preachiness of the play still love Beaty's performance, however, and recommend it highly.

B-

What the Times' Charles Isherwood aptly calls Sarah Ruhl's blend of feminism and fabulism would seem to make her a perfect match for Virginia Woolf's fanciful gender-bending novel. But while a number of enchanted critics declare this a happy and fruitful marriage, others find the playwright too doting on the novelist's language, using a Paul Sills-style "story theater" approach to narrate the action, in their opinion to the detriment of drama. Almost all the reviews fawn over lead actress Francesca Faridany, and give due props to Rebecca Taichman's direction and the spare, elegant design--the word "ravishing" is used generously for both.

B+

The Busch is back, according to critics, whose reactions to this high-low cinematic parody by the author of Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and Die! Mommy! Die! range from broad smiles to ecstatic giggles. There's even a certain degree of relief for the playwright's return to form, after writing a mainstream Broadway hit (Tale of the Allergist's Wife) and a genre-splicing near-miss (The Third Story). In addition to praise for Busch's lead turn as a grand-dame Mother Superior, there are lavish amens for co-stars Julie Halston and Alison Fraser. Extra credit goes to critics (Brantley and Sheward, I'm looking at you) who parse references to works beyond the nun-movie genre.

B-

Don't let the aggressive F- from Charles Isherwood at The New York Times confuse you; critics are united around a B- consensus that hails playwright Gregory Moss as a promising playwright whose New York debut doesn't quite come together as well as it could. Reviewers in general think the play is best when it focuses on the core relationship between a old woman living in a cabin in the middle of the woods and a man-child who has come there to woo her. They are less convinced about the other lyrical-thriller-southern-gothic plot line involving a mysterious wild woman.