Theatre Beyond Broadway is dedicated to amplifying the voice of the Independent Theatre Artist.
This includes reviewing shows and projects.
Check out our published reviews below!
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the reviews
Exorcistic: The Rock Musical
Our reviewer, Malini, knew Exorcistic wasn’t going to be a straightforward retelling of The Exorcist. What she got was the unholiest of the unholy: a chaotic, hilarious, and surprisingly thoughtful rock parody that leaned all the way into meta-theatre. Check out the review!
SOBER SONGS
Written by Michael Levin from lived experience, Sober Songs feels like a love song to Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) - simple, easy, and full of compassion. A musical in two acts, Levin’s work spans multiple genres to capture the good, the sad, and the ugly of the recovery process.
The Royal Pyrate
This rollicking world premiere of The Royal Pyrate—brimming with brine, ballast, and a bootlegger's spirit—is a spirited creation from the talents of composer-lyricist Jason Landon Marcus and book writer Chas Libretto, who have taken the rough-cut legend of “Black Sam” Bellamy and burnished it into something bright, brassy, and wonderfully briny.
Sulfur Bottom
The phrase eco-gothic drama immediately caught Malini’s (our reviewer) attention when she read the description of Sulfur Bottom. Read Malini’s review here!
Tempestuous
“As a lover of Shakespeare’s The Tempest since I first read it in high school, I would have never guessed it could be retold in a secluded lake-side cabin in Appalachia. Even more than that, I would have never expected it to be a musical,” writes our reviewer Niranjani Reddi. Check it out!
Ocean in a Teacup
Ocean in a Teacup is a fascinating true story, as part of the inaugural Next Step Festival. Our reviewer Nicole left still wanting to know how the main character made it to NYC where he would eventually encounter the author and become his mentor.
Music from Bayano: An Afro-Panamanian Odyssey
The magic and spirit of humanity in its divine, eternal source for love and peace are at the very heart of Darrel Alejandro Holnes' Music From Bayano: An Afro-Panamanian Odyssey. Check out our review written by Bianca Lopez.
JAWS: The Musical
This comic-send up of Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster film, JAWS is a hoot. Check it out as part of the 2025 NYC Fringe Festival. Read our review by Nicole Jesson.
Texas Annie: The Legend of the Moan Ranger
Texas Annie: The Legend of the Moan Ranger is a one-hour satire musical that opens up the Under St. Marks Theatre to freedom. From the moment our reviewer, Amanda Montoni, sat in the back row, she felt a part of the Texas Annie cast. The show, one of the many included in the NYC Fringe Festival, includes audience participation, so be prepared.
LIANA
LIANA, both the show and the character looks back in time to find inspiration in the form of LIANA’s great grandmother Pilar in 1930’s Spain. What results is an affecting depiction of how distant heritage has the ability to echo from the past to inform present day identity. Here’s our review!
EXES: THE MUSICAL
This show could blow the doors off the theater. The music rocks. The stories are entertaining. Here’s our review of EXES: THE MUSICAL — part of the NYC Fringe Festival — written by Nicole Jesson.
Meshuggah-Nuns!
The whole cast was a tight unit and Director Monica Maddock led a tight and smooth-sailing ship. Everyone, including the audience, was a part of the show, and Maggie Little Theater's production of Meshuggah-Nuns! by Dan Goggin made sure it happened. Check out our review!
The Trojans
Leegrid Stevens, Brooklyn-based playwright and composer has rehomed The Iliad to a Texas Amazon Warehouse. Here’s our review of his musical, The Trojans.
B*tchcraft
Part performance art, part concert, part play, B*tchcraft takes the audience on a visceral journey. Bitch shares her story of growing up as a quiet girl in an abusive household, breaking free to become an artist who unapologetically claims her queer, feminist, and creative identity. B*tchcraft is nothing short of empowering.
Leona’s Song
Pedro Sá Moraes welcomes us into his world by simply sitting on a wooden block, guitar in hand, strumming whatever encompasses the moment. He has set the mood for the evening. We are his students, his children, his audience. Then the shift into the stark. Check out our review of Leona’s Song, written by Malini.
From Here
Let’s face it, when we’re happy, we’re too busy being happy! Artists look for ways to explain the unexplainable, to cope with the unimaginable, and to go through the grief, the fear and the gamut of emotions to let others know they aren’t alone. Donald Rupe's From Here reminds us that. Check out our review written by Nicole Jesson.
Asexuality! A Solo Musical
This 80-minute play isn’t without its twists and turns. “You waited until minute 67 to tell me!?!” I watched the practice of happiness - practice - something we’re all working towards. And I witnessed such a moment of pure joy: when someone finds their truth. Check out our review of Asexuality! A Solo Musical, written by Nicole Jesson.
Sex Witch The Musical
“This completely true story explores my relationship to cult mentality, mind control, folie a deux (a psychological term that means madness between two) sexual abuse, lgbtq exploration, witchcraft, love, mid 2000s popular culture, millennial celebrity culture, and, wait for it... Harry Potter.” That is what Maggie’s show Sex Witch is all about. Check out this review of the one woman show in 2023 by out TBB reviewer, Nicole Jesson.
Khan!! The musical!
Star Trek and Musical theatre fans got the best of both worlds with Khan the musical in May of 2019. Check out this review written by our Theatre Beyond Broadway team member, Nicole Jessen. The indepndent show, Khan the musical ran at The Players Theatre on MacDougal Street in NYC in May of that year.
Meet the Review Team
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FOUNDER
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A proud SAG-AFTRA & AEA member, Nicole has worked for The Huntington Theatre, Delvena Theatre, Gloucester Stage Company and Wellesley Summer Theatre as well as producing and directing with Catbox Cabaret and le black Kat theatre. A graduate of the Actor Studio Drama School and Emerson College, she is the author of the children's book Iggy the Snake. Her new short play The Other Woman debuts in Boston Autumn 2025.
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Tony Marinelli is an actor, playwright, director, arts administrator, and now critic. He received his B.A. and almost finished an MFA from Brooklyn College in the golden era when Benito Ortolani, Howard Becknell, Rebecca Cunningham, Gordon Rogoff, Marge Linney, Bill Prosser, Sam Leiter, Elinor Renfield, and Glenn Loney numbered amongst his esteemed professors. His plays I find myself here, Be That Guy (A Cat and Two Men), and …and then I meowed have been produced by Ryan Repertory Company, one of Brooklyn’s few resident theatre companies.
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Amanda Montoni is a professional hat-wearer. One of those hats is, yes, you guessed it, Writer. She has had her short stories, poetry, and children's books published by multiple companies. Her plays have premiered both on stage and in podcast form. Her poetry collection, Thoughts While Singing, was the creative spark for her podcast, The Sweet Madness Podcast, where she interviews fellow theater lovers, poets, and writers as well as any other guests that bring sweetness to the world. Theatre has always been her lifeline, so when she jumped from Actor/Choreogrpaher/Director to Reviewer, she could not have been more thrilled to see her worlds come together.
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Niranjani Reddi (she/they) is a playwright, actor, and producer based in NYC . Previous credits include: Shiv's Project (Priyanka), Seeking Fair and Lovely : Rishtas and Rasas at The Tank (Playwright and Producer), Alley Between the Houses (Zera), While We Wait (Grace), Whippoorwill Calls (Director). She’s extremely passionate about all things related to Indian and Indian-American representation within the Western performing arts space. She works to center these stories in her own work, whether it’s in plays she’s written, or projects she’s acted in. She’s incredibly excited to continue building a community of artists based in and around NYC, who are interested in engaging with the same kind of work she is.
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Marcina Zaccaria has written and edited profiles for Howl Round, based at Emerson College, and has held temporary positions at Conde Nast and Rodale Publishing. Marcina is the Theatre and Opera Editor at The Theatre Times, and her clips can be found online. She has covered theatrical productions for The Brooklyn Rail and TheaterPizzazz.com. She currently enjoys handling editing and layout for Bio Books for professionals at a NY based non-profit organization, and previously worked at EdLab at Columbia University, editing articles for Teachers College Record and the New Learning Times.
As a Dramatist, Marcina Zaccaria has written Village, My Home, performed at the Dream Up Festival at Theater for the New City. Marcina's One Act play, All About Image, was performed at the Broadway Bound Festival on Theatre Row. She has read applications and coordinated rehearsal space for the LIT Space Grant Residency Program and participated at the Catwalk Artist Residency where she wrote The Incalculable Present. A member of the League Of Professional Theatre Women, she was the Co-Chair of Julia's Reading Room where she enjoyed a virtual reading of her play, Love, the TV, and Me.
Marcina Zaccaria received her undergraduate degree from Tisch School of the Arts, and holds an MFA from Columbia University.
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Award-winning multidisciplinary theatre professional with a distinguished reputation for crafting groundbreaking performances. Renowned for her work on stage, innovative movement direction, and international experience, she is dedicated to creating transformative art that captivates audiences and fosters cultural enrichment.