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
Persona Metropolitana
The power of creativity shooting right into hearts and minds. That is what Persona Metropolitana did. The show, as part of the In Scena Festival, started with a simple yet philosophical question and it only got deeper. Empathy and compassion drove this 60-minute original work, and it showed. Check out our review written by Amanda Montoni.
Bring Them Back
Paul wants to bring them back – all of them - 41 people to be exact - not including random people he didn’t know by name like someone he used to see at the gym. Check out our review of Bring Them Back, written by Nicole Jesson.
METAMORPHOSIS
Despite the references to Kafka’s work sprinkled throughout, it felt more like a experience that was supposed to feel disturbing, rather than a truly disturbing exploration of the themes presented in “Metamorphosis”. Yes, the setting of a corporate retreat was indeed extremely intelligent at the Studio Exhibit Photography Studios, but at a certian point, the setting constrained the piece. Check out our review written by Niranjani Reddi.
Opera Buffa!
As the daughter of an Italian immigrant, it was refreshing to walk into the Casa Italiana building at NYU to hear the sweet sounds of the Italian language floating through the air into my ear drums. I was greeted by “ciaos” and “buona seras,” instantly transported to Italy right here in Greenwich Village, NYC. As part of In Scena! Italian Theater Festival NY, the performance I arrived to see was a special one-time presentation. Check out our review of Opera Buffa! written by Amanda Montoni.
Redemption Story
New plays need lots of audiences. They are like plants. You need to learn what is going to make them thrive, and what needs to get cut away so its energy is used more efficiently. There’s a lot of potential in Redemption Story, and maybe its home isn't the theatre. Check out our review written by Nicole Jesson.
Marianas Trench
Marianas Trench is the first play in Sickles’ The Second World Trilogy. Densely and dynamically written, the play could have been as easily set in an historical setting as easily as it has been in our fictional future. Check out our review written by Nicole Jesson.
Whore’s Eye View
Was this show “infotaiment”? Or perhaps the show was more reminiscent of the later satirical monologues of the late, great George Carlin. But this wasn’t satire. This was a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. Check out our review of Whore’s Eye View written by Nicole Jesson.
Clown Bar 2
Missed Clown Bar (1)? Don’t worry – they’ll catch you up quick enough. Don’t know anything about the Clown Crime Syndicate? Don’t worry about that either. Are you afraid of clowns? This is our review of Clown Bar 2 at the Parkside Lounge written by Nicole Jesson. There’s song. There’s dance. There’s Super-Soakers and Bubbles.
Lost Sock Laundry
So, a Greek, a Lebanese, and a Mexican walk into a laundromat may sound like the beginning of a cliché but what we are asked to do is listen and examine our own journeys. Anyone can identify with these women in Lost Sock Laundry, Ivan Faute's new play staged at the Fort Washington Collegiate Church. Check out our review by Malini Singh McDonald.
Sperm Donor WantED (or, the Unnamed Baby Play)
The Chain’s intimate theater space did allow for some truly touching moments throughout T.J. Young’s piece. Check out our review of Sperm Donor Wanted (or, the Unnamed Baby Play), written by Niranjani Reddi.
FLIGHT RISK
“Dakota Silvey won a one-act festival with his original script, and I feel his expansion needs more thought and research. My mind started to wander wondering if I was missing some vital information – is this meant to be absurdist? Is there a conceit I’ve missed completely?” Check out our review of Flight Risk by Nicole Jesson.
Maiden voyage
The play hits its climax with fast-paced urgency that bleeds into the audience. Our reviewer, Amanda Montoni, found herself sitting on the edge of her seat. Check out our review of Ceyanne Douglass' Maiden Voyage.
hidden
What happens to two Polish families, one Jewish and one Catholic, during and after WWII? Two Columbia University students meet when a campus protest of the VietNam War
turns violent. Neither knows the connection between their families, but their fathers do. Check out this review of Hidden by Nicole Jesson.
Misconceptions
Indecisiveness. For how long can we prolong making a decision until the prolonging becomes the decision itself? Nicole Jesson reviews Misconceptions, a play written by Steve Wangh in it’s infancy stage. Premiering in 2023, this play focuses specifically on the never-ending political debate: Women and their right to choose. It harnesses the nuanced and layered questions that have lingered over years and years. Check out the review here.
Longing Lasts Longer
“A night with Ms. Arcade will encourage you to disengage from the hive mind, to step back and (wait for it) . . . think.” As Nicole Jesson describes Penny Arcade’s one-woman-show at the White Horse Theatre Company in 2023, Longing Lasts Longer makes us question our past, and live in the present. Check out the review!
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.