Peter Filichia, James Marino, and Michael Portantiere review Data @ The Lucille Lortel Theatre, Carmen @ The Met, Going Bacharach: The Songs of an Icon @ Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, Emmett O’Hanlon & Emmet Cahill: Well, Did You Evah? @ Birdland, Edward @ Rizzoli Bookstore – Chelsea, 54 Sings Broadway’s Greatest Hits, and Sherlock Holmes: The Great Detective @ Walnut Street Theatre.
Data @ The Lucille Lortel Theatre
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Showtune for Today: We Ain’t No Cheerleaders from Bring It On
Michael Portantiere | [email protected] | Facebook MICHAEL PORTANTIERE is a theater reviewer and interviewer. The founder and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in The New York Times and other publications, and he writes reviews of cabaret shows for NiteLifeExchange.com. Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and director of shows at 54 Below, the Laurie Beechman Theatre, and other venues.
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PF: Data @ The Lucille Lortel Theatre, through March 29, 2026 The new play, directed by Tyne Rafaeli (Weather Girl, Becoming Eve), stars Karan Brar (“Jessie”) reprising his role from the Arena Stage production, as Maneesh, as well as Brandon Flynn (“13 Reasons Why”) as Jonah, Sophia Lillis (“All Her Fault”) as Riley, and Justin H. Min (“The Umbrella Academy”) as Alex. Rishi Golani and Lexi Lapp join the company as understudies.
Matthew Libby’s new play DATA pulls back the curtain on Silicon Valley’s darkest ambitions. When a brilliant young programmer learns his own algorithm is the key to a massive AI surveillance project, he’s forced to challenge the tech world he once dreamt of joining. Confronting today’s most controversial headlines, this thriller follows the terrifying choices at our fingertips—and the high cost of disrupting a system that tracks your every move.
Data @ The Lucille Lortel Theatre
MP: Carmen @ The Met (October 28, 2025 – January 23, 2026) Bizet’s fiery masterpiece of seduction, obsession, and tragedy stars two of today’s leading mezzo-sopranos as Carmen, whose irresistible allure drives the soldier Don José to destruction. Isabel Leonard brings her smoldering take to the Met for the first time, opposite tenors Michael Fabiano and Matthew Polenzani, and Aigul Akhmetshina, praised by The New Yorker for the “fresh, ferocious energy” of her Carmen in the 2023–24 season, reprises her star-making portrayal, alongside tenor Michael Fabiano.
The hit play EDWARD, written and performed by Ed Schmidt, returns to NYC next week for a six-week engagement at independent bookstores across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. You are cordially invited to attend any performance.
MP: 54 Sings Broadway’s Greatest Hits (series) Saturday, January 24, 2026 The performance on Jan 24 will feature: Christopher Brian Ben Jones (Musical theater, opera, & symphony concert star) Marina Jurica Ryan Knowles (The Lightning Thief) Sarah Langford on violin (Carnegie Hall, Michigan Philharmonic, etc.) Kendra Foster McBride Tyler McCall (Fiddler on the Roof national tour) William Michals (Parade, Bright Star, South Pacific, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast)
Bill Van Horn and Harry Smith
PF: Sherlock Holmes: The Great Detective @ Walnut Street Theatre (Philadelphia), through February 14, 2026 Intrigue, adventure, and comedy unfold in SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE GREAT DETECTIVE, a world premiere adapted from the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes and Watson, drawn together once more, face rivalry, disguises, and mishaps galore. From Baker Street, the two embark on a whirlwind chase, complete with antics and absurd conspiracies, all masterminded by the sinister Professor Moriarty. Mayhem and whimsical mystery unfold in this all-new tale with the world’s greatest detective
This performer debuted on Broadway in a Sondheim show — not in the original cast, but as a replacement.
There’s a later Sondheim lyric that this performer might well have sung while auditioning had Sondheim not waited to write it 11 years later.
Hint: This performer is currently appearing on Broadway and has received enthusiastic reviews from critics, influencers and the public.
Who’s the performer? What role did the person play in the Sondheim show, and what’s the later Sondheim line that might have been said had he written it earlier?
Michael’s Musical Moments
Emmet Cahill and Emmett O’Hanlon
Music Opener: Emmett O’Hanlon: “Soliloquy” from CAROUSEL (Live at the Cutting Room in 2015)
Music Closer: Emmet Cahill: “Edelweiss” from THE SOUND OF MUSIC
