A-

Look, up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Hearts Like Fists, a new Off-Off-Broadway play that marries graphic novel superheroes with an exploration of love and broken hearts against a backdrop of BAM! POW! ZOOM! fight scenes. Most critics find this fun frolic worth the subway ride to Queens, with accolades for the cast, playwright Adam Szymkowicz, director Kelly O’Donnell and the lead actor and artistic director of the Flux Theatre Ensemble, August Schulenburg. Though the lighthearted, faintly noir-ish banter is the primary draw, the fight scenes (choreographed by Adam Swidersk) get particularly high mark, making this production a winning combination of love and war.

B-

After an extended preview period, Glengarry Glen Ross has finally opened, and the reviews are all over the place. The play has its supporters, most notably Time Out's David Cote, who gives it a rave, but the majority of critics express varying degrees of disappointment or disdain. On the one hand, it doesn't help that this revival comes so soon after the well-received 2005 production. On the other hand, it doesn't hurt that critics are relieved to see a good Mamet play after The Anarchist. The consensus here is that this Daniel Sullivan-helmed production places Al Pacino at the center when it should be an ensemble piece. And though critics like individual performances—John C. McGinley is frequently singled out for his mastery of Mametspeak and many critics say that Bobby Cannavale is the star more than Pacino—as a whole, critics don't find this a first-rate property.

A-

If some seasonal shows resemble gingerbread houses, with little to offer for their efforts but a lot of frosting, reviews of Paula Vogel's A Civil War Christmas conjure a snowbound, full-scale cabin decked with a roaring fireplace and a troupe of 11 Victorian carolers who play their own instruments. Yes, a few Scrooges gripe about dizzying transitions in the 60-scene production. By the end, however, nearly everyone leaves the house rejoicing over Vogel's script, Waters and Resnick's music, and Landau's direction of "a crackerjack company" (Erik Haagensen, Backstage).

C

Terrence McNally's trilogy of opera-centric plays, which include The Lisbon Traviata and Master Class, seems to have ended on a sour note. Although a few critics appreciate McNally's talent for probing the realm of opera artists fighting to explore their creativity, mostfind the characters two-dimensional and the plot uninteresting. A few are confused as to the genre of the work—romantic drama? rollicking farce?—and many find the humor to be flat and simplistic. Those who are swayed enjoy the sumptuous visual design and the talented performers, but overall the reaction is chilly.

A-

While some critics find Odets' drama old, dated, melodramatic, and creaky, others mean it as a compliment when they say they just don't make 'em like this any more, with big casts and grand ideas. Opening this production at the very old but recently renovated Belasco Theatre (where the play first opened in 1937) thrills a few nostalgic scribes, while the plot gives them a chance to unleash all their life-as-boxing metaphors ("The bell has rung" for a "knockout" that "still packs a punch," etc.).

D

When David Mamet is looking for dialogue for his next tongue-lashing of a play, he might want to steal a few lines from reviews of The Anarchist. His widely mocked script and standoffish direction earn a number of quotable barbs, like "a logorrheic, resolutely untheatrical play" (David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter) and "an embarrassment of a show" (Doug Strassler, New York Press). When the revilement of some is squared with the befuddlement of others, the critical consensus shows that only LuPone devotees and Mamet diehards should line up for this one. They'll have to hurry, though, as an early closing date was posted two days after opening.

D

The reviews are in, and it's nearly unanimous: Theresa Rebeck's latest comedy is a great big dud. Critics find the plot flimsy and unfocused, the characters undeveloped, and the whole thing rife with all the cliches of the prodigal son story. The critics also concur that the best thing to happen to this bad play is Norbert Leo Butz, with more than a couple declaring him a Broadway treasure, delivering comic gold here, as always. The rest of the cast and the director don't fare as well, all garnering mixed reviews. But even those who weren't won over by the the ex-Mrs. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, lay the blame squarely on the script.

B

Critics are mixed on Bruce Graham's look at the ravages of aging. They all love the piece's humor, but some really dislike the melodrama, with one invoking the dreaded Hallmark-movie comparison, and two others recalling On Golden Pond. And a few are very upset with the frequent use of flashbacks to the family's younger days, calling that an unconvincing and clunky way to fill in the backstory. Still, some feel that the story eventually pulls you in, and several admire the way it all turns out in the end.

B+

Some critics don't love Aaron Posner's theatrical adaptation of the original novel, finding it repetitive, with too much time dedicated to the relationship between religion and art, and overly dependent on the title character's narration. But critics overwhelmingly agree that Gordon Edelstein's production overcomes the script's flaws. Almost every review highlights the talents of Mark Nelson and Jenny Bacon as Asher's parents (and other adult characters), pointing to their performances as the show's saving graces. In the title role, Ari Brand is also applauded, but some feel he's stuck in his narrator role. Despite the show's shortcomings, then, critics are generally more positive than not, using words like forceful and moving to describe the experience, with one critic even suggesting that everyone should see the production.

B-

Is this a bright play full of promise or a lost opportunity and thin execution of an interesting premise? It must depend on the angle of observation, because where some critics see a radiant outlook for this new play by Cusi Cram, others see a dim picture. Director Suzanne Agins also garners starkly divergent responses, from laudatory to frankly uncomplimentary. The actors, and even the sets (by David Meyer), get the lion’s share of positive consensus.