Wednesday, September 16th 2026   |

Theatre

Small story looms large in ‘The Band’s Visit’

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“)

For the past seven weeks, Broadway history has been made through a spectacular bit of casting that only rarely occurs when the world of celluloid intersects with that of the Great White...

2 children killed, Broadway actress among 3 injured in Brooklyn accident

(JTA) — Two children were killed by a car that hit them on a pedestrian crossing in Brooklyn, seriously injuring their mothers, including the Tony Award-winning actress Ruthie Ann Miles, and another man.

Miles, whose real name is Ruthie...

Menken-Schwartz’s ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ is finest JPAS work ever

By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out”)

There is a bittersweet irony with the musical score of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” animated film. It is the first and only coupling of two of the greatest Jewish Broadway composers...

Gershwins’ ‘An American in Paris’ is sheer delight

By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out”)

When ballet stars Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope began their roles as expatriate American artist Jerry Mulligan and native Parisian ballerina Lise Dassin, they had no way of knowing their performances would...

Berlin’s music sparkles in ‘White Christmas’

By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out“)

There’s no doubt that this is a troubling time of year to be Jewish. With red and green ribbons festooning the sides of buildings and spectacular light displays at night dazzling the...

Timm, Fitzpatrick play Leopold and Loeb in ‘Thrill Me’

By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out”)

While the Jazz Age produced headlines that proved titillating and provocative, none captured the nation’s attention more than the thrill-seeking murder of an innocent 14-year-old by two Jewish college graduates, Nathan Leopold...

Jason Robert Brown’s ‘Last 5 Years’ closes here

By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“)

Composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown has won multiple Tony Awards for his brilliant compositions and, most especially, for his tender ballads. First noted for his 1995 production of Songs for a...

Last chance to see ‘Chicago’ Sunday

By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out”)

There are many reasons why John Kander and Fred Ebb’s Chicago is the longest-running American Broadway show on the Great White Way. First of all, it is a thoroughly satisfying adult comedy...

Ed Asner interview: The star of ‘A Man and His Prostate’ speaks

By ALAN SMASON, Exclusive to the CCJN

A fixture on TV and film screens for six decades, actor Ed Asner will be making a rare stop in New Orleans starring for two nights only in a one-man play “A Man...

Immigrants’ stories told in ‘Amerike – The Golden Land’

By ALAN SMASON, Special to the CCJN

For the third year in a row the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbeine (NYTF) has presented a major theatrical production in Yiddish at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. This time...