Alisa Solomon

How a milkman from a Russian shtetl became a Broadway star and a hero of postwar American culture.

Alisa Solomon, Columbia University journalism professor and author of the new book Wonder of Wonders: A Cultural History of Fiddler On The Roof, speaks with Soundcheck host John Schae...

A dozen theater critics published reviews on Tuesday of Broadway’s “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” which doesn’t officially open until March 15. We ask Alisa Solomon of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism how the early reviews might affect a long-standing agreement between critics and producers to hold reviews until opening night.

The new Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” won’t open until next month, but opinions are leaking online. Today: a look at the erosion of the traditional link between theatre reviews and opening night. Guests include Alisa Solomon of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University and David Cote, theater editor for Time Out New York.

Rolling Stone picked the 500 greatest albums of all time. Pitchfork culled the greatest 500 songs from the last 30 years. And a recent Blender magazine story offered “23 Reasons Why 2009 Will Not Suck.” Lists are a handy tool for music books and magazines, but do they undermine the ...

New York, NY —

This theater season in New York offered an unusual number of major productions of plays by Samuel Beckett. Right now at Lincoln Center Festival, Ralph Fiennes, Barry McGovern and Liam Neeson are starring in a series of shows. And earlier this year, there were performances ...

New York, NY —

These days, the cable TV show the L-word brings lesbians into mainstream American living rooms. But 50 years ago lesbian pulp novels inspired a generation of women. Theater critic Alisa Solomon has these reflections on books by Ann Bannon and a new play they’ve inspired.

New York, NY —

Song for New York is a free, waterfront musical theater production that gets underway this Friday. Theater critic Alisa Solomon isn't just interested in the performances, but the unruly elements that impact the launch of the show.

More about Song For New ...

New York, NY —

Yesterday, the play Radio Golf was named Best American Play by the New York Drama Critics' Circle. It was written by the late Pulitzer Prize winning playwright August Wilson. Radio Golf is the last play in Wilson’s grand 10-play cycle that chronicles African-American experiences of ...

New York, NY —

The Living Theatre was a pioneer in experimental theatre in the 1960s. Tonight, they're presenting a revival of one of their earliest productions, at their new home on the Lower East Side. WNYC's Alisa Solomon explores how the Living Theatre is still alive and kicking ...

New York, NY —

Conflicts overseas can sometimes feel like a long way away. The theatre critic Alisa Solomon checked out a few new productions that bring the conflict a little closer to home.

Alisa Solomon is a long-time theatre critic, and a regular contributor to WNYC.