#McCarterTheatre – reclining standards

Notes on The Niceties at McCarter Theatre Center

Eleanor Burgess’s thought-provoking, intelligent play was a balm to my wounded soul.

This brilliantly acerbic, absurdist comedy gleefully thumbs its nose at trigger warnings.

McCarter’s enjoyable production doesn’t fully realize the shows virtuosity or pathos.

In Red Orchid’s dazzlingly odd production, the great Sam Shepard lives on.

This playful take on Agatha Christie’s mystery delivers more chuckles than chills.

These idiosyncratic, often illuminating productions now at McCarter register in surprising ways.

Nilo Cruz’s high-minded but dramatically inert play proves drier and less romantic than it sounds.

Jade King Carroll’s production hits all the right notes, and actors John Earl Jelks and Cleavant Derricks offer a master class in Wilson style.