Nicholas Pontolillo

What did our critic think of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at CMPAC?

What did our critic think of IN THE HEIGHTS at The Gateway Playhouse?

What did our critic think of A CHORUS LINE at The Argyle Theatre?

What did our critic think of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at The Gateway Playhouse?

What did our critic think of FOOTLOOSE at CMPAC? In 1984, Footloose starring Kevin Bacon, danced its way on to the big screen. While it was not well received by the film critics, it did manage to resonate with audiences.

What did our critic think of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN at CMPAC?

What did our critic think of LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA + FRIENDS: AN EVENING OF CONVERSATION AND SONG at Tilles Center?

What did our critic think of THE PROM at Theatre Three?

What did our critic think of JERSEY BOYS at The Gateway Playhouse?

What did our critic think of GREASE at The Argyle Theater?

What did our critic think of SOMETHING ROTTEN! at Theatre Three?

What did our critic think of FOREVER PLAID at Elmont Memorial Library Theatre?

What did our critic think of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL at John W. Engeman Theater At Northport? I must admit I was a little hesitant in seeing The Scarlet Pimpernel because I was starting to believe Frank Wildhorn was a one-hit wonder on Broadway. That one hit wonder of course being Jekyll & Hyde, a great musical with a fantastic score despite what the critics said. His latest productions that I've seen (Wonderland, Bonnie and Clyde) just didn't measure up.

Part of the Bard's First Folio, Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy about two intertwined love stories. After a group of soldiers arrive in Messina, love emerges between Hero, the Governor's daughter, and Claudio, a young officer. The young pair then conspire with Don Pedro, Claudio's commanding officer, to play matchmaker and set-up Beatrice, Hero's cousin, and Benedick, Claudio's friend and fellow officer. This turns out to be no easy task indeed as both Beatrice and Benedick have both a distaste for love...and each other. Will love prevail for both couples? Or will they fall victim to the sinister scheme of Don Pedro's brother and self-proclaimed villain, Don John?

What did our critic think of GRUMPY OLD MEN: THE MUSICAL at Elmont Library Theatre?

What did our critic think of THE SHADOW BOX at BACCA Arts Center? With his 1977 Pulitzer Prize Winning play, The Shadow Box, Michael Cristofer creates his own display case, a shadow box if you will, showcasing life's unfortunate one sure thing, death. In the play's program, a quote is provided from renowned psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. She stated, 'There are five different stages that a person will go through when he faces the fact of his own death: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These stages will last for different periods of time; they will replace each other, or exist at times side by side...But the one thing that usually persists through all these signs is hope.' Cristofer allows the audience to see these varying stages of grief through his characters. The play takes place at three hospice cottages where we see how death affects three terminally ill patients and their loved ones. Shadow boxes are usually created to display memories and keepsakes. Cristofer uses the cottages metaphorically to showcase the grieving process.

What did our critic think of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS at The Argyle Theater?

What did our critic think of CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY at Tilles Center? Back in 2005, Comedy Central had a roast for Pamela Anderson. One of the roasters on the dais was the late, great Bea Arthur; she was there as both she and Anderson are advocates of P.E.T.A., which the roast was a fundraiser for. Instead of following the typical route of insulting Anderson and the other celebrities on the dais, Arthur decided to perform a live reading of Pamela Anderson's autobiographical novel Star Struck. Anderson's words mixed with Ms. Arthur's wry delivery and infamous glares led this to be one of the funniest sets of the evening. After seeing that performance, I literally thought 'My God, what a brilliant idea. Wouldn't it be amazing if Bea Arthur, or any celebrity, performed dramatic readings of celebrity memoirs?' Luckily, Emmy award nominee Eugene Pack capitalized on this idea with co-creator Dayle Reyfel and together they brought Celebrity Autobiography to life.

What did our critic think of ELLA: FIRST LADY OF SONG at The Madison Theatre At Molloy College?

What did our critic think of BYE BYE BIRDIE at The Noel S. Ruiz Theater At CMPAC?