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!
NEED YOUR SHOW REVIEWED?
We’d love to, subject to availability!
the reviews
Honor, an Artist Lecture by Suzanne Bocanegra starring Lili Taylor
Honor: An Artist Lecture by Suzanne Bocanegra Starring Lili Taylor stands as a singular beacon of theatrical exhilaration—an experience both cerebral and sensorial, riotous yet meticulously composed. Read our review, written by Tony Marinelli!
The Boy from Bantay
In this richly woven solo performance, Jeremy Rafal charts a journey not merely across geography—from the sun-drenched provinces of the Philippines to the electrifying sprawl of New York City—but across identity, ambition, and the resilience of the human spirit. Here’s our review of The Boy from Bantay!
Pete and Me
Graham Kay's Pete and Me is a riotously exaggerated confessional delivered with just enough sincerity to crack your heart. It’s absurd. It’s dark. It’s affectionate. And above all—it’s ferociously funny. Read our review here!
STEVE BURNS ALIVE
In his one-man-show, Steve Burns: Alive, Steve Burns brings what we all dismiss to the surface: the impact of the internet blurring the lines of truth vs. fact. This Nickelodeon staple goes beyond the world of Blue's Clues, and connects directly to our our hearts and minds.
Okay, bye!
What unfolds in Ok, bye! is not simply a performance, but a living, breathing act of radical truth-telling, carved with humor and heartbreak from the everyday ruins of rejection. Here’s our review written by Tony Marinelli.
Out of Order
Can improv be cohesive? Absolutely. Think Whose Line Is It Anyway?—structured, comedic, sincere. That’s what Carl Holden delivers here in Out of Order.
NEC SPE (THE LAST CONFESSION OF THE BRUTE PAINTER CARAVAGGIO)
Sara Fellini’s pen is wickedly sharp and luminously sensitive, offering a portrayal of the artist that is at once unflinching and darkly ecstatic. Here’s our review of NEC SPE (The Las Confession of the Brute Painter Caravaggio).
Variations On (the) Water
As Variations opens, I felt as though I was being pulled into a Norman Rockwell painting. The music then carries Lake Simons away, and we begin floating with her out in the world. Check out Nicole Jesson’s review!
Those Who Remained
Sophia Guthinov has “it”. She truly has that star quality that makes you want to watch her. She is a dynamic, confident performer. Her opening night of Those Who Remained at The Club at La MaMa played to a full house rapt with attention.
The Popess
Writer/ Performer Elena Mazzon finds a great range of emotions in The Popess, drawing upon Renaissance artistry and commedia dell'arte clown work. Read our review by Marcina Zaccaria.
The Phantom of the Opera’s Friend
As part of the 2025 NYC Fringe Festival, The Phantom of the Opera’s Friend is a one-man show directed by Catalina Beltrán, in which Michel captivates the audience for a full 60 minutes without a single pause. Check out our review, written by Bianca Lopez.
Bad Muslim
The comparison to Hasan Minhaj and Mike Birbiglia? Not just valid — earned. Azhar Bande-Ali knows how to thread painful truths with laugh-out-loud humor, and he does it with a quiet confidence that demands your attention. He’s not flashy — he’s intentional. You lean in, and he hits you with something honest, hilarious, and wholly human. Catch Bad Muslim as part of the 2025 NYC Fringe Festival.
Sadec 1965: A Love Story
Flora Le splices time sequences, traveling between lands in Sade 1965: A Love Story. Piecing recollections of a conversation with her friend in Montreal, she thinks back to her teen years seeking unavailable men, using drugs, experiencing an HIV scare, and then finally, choosing to set her sights on college. By age 31, wanderlust combines with the necessity to visit her father's homeland in Vietnam.
90 Years of Songs and Scandals and Foreign Affairs
This spritely nonagenarian, D’yan Forest, is still owning the stage. She holds the Guinness World Record for Oldest Female Comedian in the World. But taking the title meant losing a friend. If 90 Years of Songs and Scandals and Foreign Affairs is any indication, D’yan will not be relinquishing the title anytime soon. Check out our review written by Nicole Jesson.
Casualty of War
Sharon Lesser’s solo piece, Casualty of War, part of the United Solo Festival, is a moving, beautifully crafted solo show. It doesn't offer easy answers—but it asks all the right questions. And maybe, just maybe, it helps us find our way forward. Check out our review by Malini Singh McDonald.
Sad Girl Songs
A stool and a microphone meet center stage, and that is all Gwen Coburn needs. Her songs capture your attention and you hang on every word. This show deserves a big, rawcus house ready to ride the roller coaster Gwen commands as part of the NYC Fringe Festival. Here’s our review, written by Nicole Jesson.
The 40-Year-Old Ballerino
Take a chance on Chris Davis' show, The 40-Year-Old Ballerino. The show touches on the very human need for attention and distraction. Which leaves you trying to answer this question: What's the point of it all? Here’s our review written by Brian Connor.
RUSK
Nik Narain delivered an introspective, sharply funny performance that was as thought-provoking as it was intimate. RUSK, as part of the NYC Fringe Festival, was a poignant blend of stand-up, storytelling, and social commentary, anchored by a wry sense of humor and deep personal insight. 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.
Meet the Review Team
-
FOUNDER
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
-
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.
-
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.