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Purpose, a Steppenwolf Theatre Production @ The Hayes Theater

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The Play: Purpose; the family of a Jesse Jackson-style civil rights leader comes together for one pivotal day that is filled with comedy, tragedy and reckonings with the heavy legacies passed from one generation to the next  Written by: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins        Directed by: Phylicia Rashad One good thing: The crackerjack cast—which includes LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Kara Young, Glenn Davis and a very charismatic Jon Michael Hill—is firing so surely on all cylinders that even the clichés of the dysfunctional family genre hit with a satisfying pop One not-so-great thing: I wish the play, or maybe the direction, had dug even deeper into how the burdens placed on the families of self-sacrificing leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Jesse Jackson have lead to tragic outcomes for so many of their children and even grandchildren    
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All Nighter @ MCC's Newman Mills Theater

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The Play: All Nighter; a very funny but ultimately poignant look at a group of college seniors as they study for finals and learn lessons about themselves and about what does and doesn’t tie them together as friends Written by: Natalie Margolin        Directed by: Jaki Bradley One good thing: The audience at the performance I attended was filled with people who looked to be around 30, as opposed to the gray heads I usually see in theaters, proving that younger people will turn out when they think shows have something to say to them  One not-so-great thing: Margolin seems uncertain about where her play should end, and so ends it several times     
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Vanya @ the Lucille Lortel Theatre

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The Play: Vanya, a one-man version of Anton Chekhov’s increasingly popular mediation on how unrequited love and existential despair surface when a retired professor and his young trophy wife visit relatives in their remote rural home Adapted by: Simon Stephens        Directed by: Sam Yates One good thing: Andrew Scott,  supported only by a few small props,  is a marvel, playing all of the eight major characters while keeping each one distinct and the story dramatically engaging One not-so-great thing: As great as Scott is and as clever as Yates’ direction is (look out for the sex scenes!) I still don’t get what having one actor take on all the roles reveals about the play itself    
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Ghosts @ Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi E. Newhouse

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The Play: Ghosts, a new streamlined adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s morality tale about how a widow’s plan to open an orphanage in the name of a husband she never loved provokes acts of hypocrisy and questions about the legacy of sin Adapted by: Mark O’Rowe        Directed by: Jack O’Brien One good thing: Lily Rabe gives a burn-the-house-down performance as the widow, and in the process stakes her claim as the leading stage actress of her generation One not-so-great thing: The framing device is in keeping with the new trend of having actors amble onstage as themselves before moving into their roles but it seems distractingly superfluous here    
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Amerikin, a Primary Stages Production @ 59E59 Theaters

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The Play: Amerikin; a wannabe-in-with-the-in-crowd guy’s plan to join a local white supremacist group is upended by a DNA test that throws his life and his entire community into turmoil Written by: Chisa Hutchinson        Directed by: Jade King Carroll One good thing: Primary Stages, which has publicly refused to comply with new NEA mandates that threaten to withhold federal funds from organizations promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, deserves even more credit for taking on such a third-rail topic as white nationalism One not-so-great thing:   A subplot about postpartum depression seems both underdeveloped and unnecessary 
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Deep Blue Sound, a Clubbed Thumb production @ The Public Theater

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The Play: Deep Blue Sound; the residents on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest come together to save the whales disappearing from their coastline—and their own sense of human connection— in this charming homage to “Our Town”  Written by: Abe Koogler        Directed by: Arin Arbus One good thing: The actors who bring the show's quirky but relatable characters to life are all terrific but it’s Isabella Byrd’s subtle lighting design and Mikaal Sulaiman’s slightly eerie soundscape that truly underscore the story’s sense of place and displacement One not-so-great thing:   I was baffled by the one or two surreal moments in the play but as his previous work “Staff Meal” showed, that kind of magical realism seems to be Koogler’s thing these days    
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Sumo @ The Public Theater

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The Play: Sumo; an intriguing exploration of male camaraderie and competition at an elite wrestling center in Japan  Written by: Lisa Sanaye Dring        Directed by: Ralph B. Peña One good thing: The entire cast—all Asian and all large men—are clearly reveling in the opportunity to show off the full range of their talents and in the process providing a glimpse into a fascinating culture One not-so-great thing:  The script crams in too many issues (secret romances, suicide, commercial ambitions and personal betrayals) when focusing on one or two might have allowed for a cleaner finish    
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