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
Ashes & Ink
There is a depth and beauty to Martha Pichey's Ashes & Ink which our reviewer, Nicole Jesson, finds difficult to translate into words. The play is an unrelenting 90 minutes – once you’re in the world, you cannot leave it (or the AMT Theatre) anymore than the characters can. Check out Nicole’s review.
A Day in the crib
Watching A Day in the Crib felt like sitting on a fire escape, peering into my neighbor’s apartment while sipping a cafecito. This intimate experience unfolded at The Sonnet Theatre (at the Producers Club), where the stage is mere inches from the audience, pulling us into the heart of the action. In this setting, we weren’t just spectators; we were part of the family drama. Check out our review, written by Malini.
In Search of Elaina
In Search of Elaina is haunting, heartwarming show about your roots, your home - and confronting your past. Its first act was gripping, funny and heartbreaking, but the second act (particularly the last 20 minutes) felt as though the energy fizzled, leaving our reviewer, Naranjani Reddi, with unanswered questions at The Players Theatre.
Escaping Dreamland
Escaping Dreamland’s limited NYC run is a calling card for bigger things to come for this play. Playwright Charlie Lovett’s love letter to the City of New York needs to spend more time here being seen by all of those who love this City and great theatre. And, I’m sure Hunter Harrell, Charlie Putnam and Tanner Whicker would be welcomed with open arms. Check out our review by Nicole Jesson.
Show Up, Kids!
What are we going to do, kids? Show Up, Kids! has no script and no story! Also, the main character, Sally, hasn’t shown up for the show. Thank goodness for Denisse Estefany Mendoza, our host, who rallies a group of children between the ages of 3 and 10 to create a show at Q.E.D in Astoria, Queens. Check out our review written by Malini.
Lavender Men
Taffeta’s magical version of the play within a play, touches on the politics of race, rights and relationships during the Civil War. This film motivated our reviewer, Elizabeth June, to google some facts about Lincoln and the term Lavender Men that she did not know. Check it out.
Bill’s 44th
Every once in a while, you stumble on something that is just pure magic; a theatrical experience that has you smiling from lights up to lights down. Originally commissioned by Dixon Place and with a grant from the Jim Henson Foundation, work began on Bill’s 44th in 2020 only to be delayed by COVID. Check out our review by Nicole Jesson.
Villain Era
This play is her phoenix from the ashes. Smart, funny, honest and sincere, Star Stone tells us how she lost her name, and most of her self-worth. Check out our review written by Nicole Jesson.
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.
cunnicularii
Sophie McIntosh has touched upon something bigger. Our reviewer, Amanda Montoni says this about cunnicularii: “I have not had children, but as a person who has lost herself in a role she played for the sake of someone else, I very much appreciate Sophie and Nina Goodheart's work on cunnicularii. It’s so easy to lose sight of ourselves and our health when we have any form of a relationship. Sophie makes it a point to say through a Mother and Child, that we do not own each other. We do not belong to each other. We simply belong. Together.” Read the full review here!
As You Will
Dear readers, shake off the day, relax and let the troupe do all the work. Let them create at a fevered pace for your enjoyment. Indulge in one of the beverages on hand. Fear not that you missed last night’s performance, for this talented troupe will create another, and another and another. As You Will will leave you as happy as you will. Read 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.
Give Me The MacArthur Genius Grant
Success and validation are such a tightrope. We all dance it and try to balance it. What is this all for anyway? Then there’s the fulfillment of it all. The struggle is real. Tarek Ziad tell us his thoughts. Give Me the MacArthur Genius Fellow is an entertaining, well-written, introspective, and interactive performance piece that questions the definition of success. Read the full review by Malini Singh McDonald.
Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS) & WIT Festival’s The Pied Piper of Hamelin
This sharp rendition was written by Amina Henry and directed by Michole Biancosino. Smart and contemporary, beautifully and cleverly costumed by Summer Lee Jack, the ensemble all takes its turn making up the over abundant rat population. Miller J. Kraps sparkles as the piper who is betrayed by the town and goes from savior to sinister. Great fun for the whole family. Check out our review of Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS) & WIT Festival’s The Pied Piper of Hamelin written by Nicole Jesson.
Push Party
The moment Malini walked into TheatreLab’s white box; she knew exactly where she was. Yi-Hsuan (Ant) Ma attention to details was spot on. The audience was all in before the show singing along with Erykah Badu and Mary J. Blige. The L-shaped seating made us feel like flies on the wall getting all the tea. Check out our review of Push Party, written by Malini!
How To Eat an Orange
How To Eat an Orange by Catherine Filloux is an intimate, soaring one-woman show that showcases an entirely different perspective of those who endured the military junta in Buenos Aires. So many disappeared - but who is there when their bodies reappear? We found out at The Downstairs at LaMama. Check out our review written by Niranjani Reddi.
Three Chickens Confront Existence
Three Chickens Confront Existence is not the play you would expect. At least, it wasn’t the play our reviewer, Niranjani Reddi, was expecting at all.
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.