D. R. Lewis
banner
drlewiswrites.bsky.social
D. R. Lewis
@drlewiswrites.bsky.social
Chief Theatre Critic™ @ my friend group.
The Sunday Critic on Substack.
American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association 2024-2025 Helbing Fellow.
Trying to write a great gay novel.
Part 2 (refusing to call it "For Good," sorry!!) also mostly slaps, as the kids say. Apologies to the haters!
Well, team... the Wicked movie is, in fact, terrific. Just a total love letter to the stage production, Fleming film, and Baum and Maguire books. It's magnificently sumptuous, but never to the degree that it overwhelms the story. It builds and builds and builds. Simply cannot wait for Part 2.
November 24, 2025 at 2:30 AM
New edition of The Sunday Critic is live with stops at a Nashville bar, an Ohio rec center, an Idaho mortgage broker's office, and a Dublin public bus (by way of the theatre, of course). Read on and subscribe (for ~ free ~)!
'Tis the Season to (Not) Be...Married?
On ho ho ho ha ha ha ha, Liberation, Beau: The Musical, A Case for the Existence of God, Stephen Fry, In Good Company, and A Man of No Importance
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:28 AM
I registered for my first @awpwriter.org conference today. I can't wait to mix and mingle with so many other creative writers. How many days? #awp26
November 21, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Want to keep up with my writing? Check out The Sunday Critic on Substack! Theatre-first, DC-forward, but plenty of musings on film, literature, and music, too. Hit that subscribe button! open.substack.com/pub/thesunda...
The Sunday Critic | D.R. Lewis | Substack
The Sunday Critic is a theatre-first, DC-forward newsletter of cultural criticism from D.R. Lewis. Click to read The Sunday Critic, by D.R. Lewis, a Substack publication.
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Popping in after a social media break to share Richard Brody's exceptional encapsulation of why critics are a vital part of (and bridge between) the arts and journalism ecosystems.

"In Defense of the Traditional Review" www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
In Defense of the Traditional Review
Far from being a journalistic relic, as suggested by recent developments at the New York Times, arts criticism is inherently progressive, keeping art honest and pointing toward its future.
www.newyorker.com
August 1, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Well, team... the Wicked movie is, in fact, terrific. Just a total love letter to the stage production, Fleming film, and Baum and Maguire books. It's magnificently sumptuous, but never to the degree that it overwhelms the story. It builds and builds and builds. Simply cannot wait for Part 2.
November 23, 2024 at 4:39 AM
Happy Broadway opening to "Swept Away," which I thoroughly enjoyed during its tryout at Arena Stage last year. Here's my review of that outing for @dclinenews.bsky.social.
The Avett Brothers bring big questions to the high seas in ‘Swept Away’ at Arena Stage
The distance between The Avett Brothers’ upbringing in Concord, North Carolina, and the 19th-century whaling industry of New Bedford, Massachusetts, spans hundreds of miles and several lifetimes. But ...
thedcline.org
November 19, 2024 at 9:12 PM
I really liked David Auburn's "Summer, 1976" when it was at MTC in 2023. But Vivienne Benesch's new production at DC's Studio Theatre, with beloved hometown actors Kate Eastwood Norris and Holly Twyford, is even richer and more beautiful this time around. Read my latest for DC Theater Arts.
Kate Eastwood Norris and Holly Twyford are not to be missed in 'Summer, 1976'
David Auburn's poignant memory play at Studio Theatre portrays two women's fragile friendship.
dctheaterarts.org
November 19, 2024 at 3:59 PM
Thinking back on last weekend's @theatrecritics.bsky.social conference and feeling grateful for the opportunity to learn from so many folks whose work I admire, including @feldmanadam.bsky.social. It's always a treat to nerd out with critics from across the country.
November 15, 2024 at 6:48 PM
I always struggle with Forum, which hits me as a Shevelove-Gelbart play that just happens to include a light Sondheim score. And when a production does pop up, it typically seems out of obligation. But Signature's loving production feels like an earnest attempt to bring new life to an aged property.
November 15, 2024 at 4:49 AM
So much to love about RAGTIME at Encores, but having the opportunity to hear that score again (and especially Lynn Ahrens' lyrics) was just... ugh. Have not been able to get the 🎶Hallelujah, praise the maker... of the Model T🎶 from "Henry Ford" out of my head. A genius lyric about worship of wealth.
November 13, 2024 at 7:13 PM
Swung by the Jerry Herman estate auction preview at Doyle NYC this weekend. It's so clear how much this man treasured his shows and how deeply the world loved/loves them too. Also, why don't we have poster art like this anymore?

#broadway #jerryherman #theatre #musical
November 13, 2024 at 5:04 AM
I always stand for 1.) outstanding performances and 2.) opening night bows (getting a show—good or not—to opening is a herculean feat and deserves to be recognized accordingly).

If you want to stand, do it. If you don't want to stand... don't.
Everyone Else Is Giving a Standing Ovation. Do I Have To?
Theatergoers and other performing-arts lovers are noticing the practice seems to have become the rule, not the exception.
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2024 at 4:45 AM