In this special rapid-fire grab bag episode, Critical Darling tackles three productions that have slipped through the cracks so far during the season: Yasmina Reza's Tony Award-winning comedy Art, the Manhattan Theatre Club drama Punch, and Simon Rich's comedy event All Out: Comedy About Ambition. Rather than the show's usual deep-dive format, Andrew offers quick-hit reviews and reflections on each production on the quest to complete his mission of covering every major Broadway play and musical from the season.

Along the way, Andrew is joined by two returning fan-favorite guest hosts. Sean Reilly returns to unpack Punch, the true-story drama about restorative justice, accountability, and forgiveness, while Brent McCreary joins the conversation on All Out, Simon Rich's star-studded evening of comedy featuring music from Lawrence. Together, they discuss everything from celebrity-driven revivals and Broadway economics to the power of redemption stories and New York City's enduring hold on the people who love it. It's a fast-moving collection of hot takes, big feels, and final verdicts on three productions that helped define Broadway's 2025–26 season.

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CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction

1:49 Setting the Stage - Art

3:08 Hot Takes - Art

8:35 Big Feels - Art

14:10 Should You See It? - Art

16:36 Setting the Stage - Punch

17:49 Hot Takes - Punch

24:01 Big Feels - Punch

27:28 Should You See It? - Punch

32:01 Setting the Stage - All Out

33:31 Hot Takes - All Out

47:03 Big Feels - All Out

49:04 Should You See It? - All Out

51:00 Outro

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ABOUT THE SHOWS

More on Art: https://artonbroadway.com/

More on Punch: https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/shows/2025-26-season/punch/

More on All Out: https://alloutbroadway.com/

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GUEST HOST LOVE

Watch SNL Skit Woodbridge High School Drama Club Sketch: youtube.com/watch?v=323v_FtWqvo&themeRefresh=1

Follow Sean on IG: https://www.instagram.com/stufffromsean/

Check out Sean's Scholarship Initiative: https://afs.org/global-stem/

Follow Brent: https://www.instagram.com/crazyforconcerts/

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Fallen Angels (w/ Eric Emch)

Fallen Angels is one of Noël Coward's sharpest early comedies, a 1925 comedy of manners that follows two married women whose lives spiral into chaos after learning that a former French lover they once shared is returning to London. Set among the British upper class between the wars, the play balances sparkling wit, physical comedy, and surprisingly modern observations about friendship, marriage, and female agency. Now revived on Broadway by Roundabout Theatre Company at the Todd Haimes Theatre, the production embraces both the elegance and absurdity of Coward's writing, transforming the century-old text into a fast-paced theatrical cocktail filled with champagne, chaos, and razor-sharp one-liners.

Host Andrew Cole is joined by creative director Eric Emch to unpack the revival's standout performances, design work, and the emotional undercurrents beneath all the comedy. Directed by Scott Ellis, the production stars Kelli O'Hara and Rose Byrne as the gloriously unraveling Julia and Jane, alongside Tracy Chimo, Asif Mandvi, Christopher Fitzgerald, and Mark Consuelos. Together, Andrew and Eric discuss Coward's enduring fascination with glamorous, complicated women, why the production feels surprisingly modern despite being written 100 years ago, and if this revival succeeds via pure theatrical escapism.

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CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro / Welcome Eric Emch

10:35 Setting the Stage

11:50 Hot Takes

28:31 Big Feels

37:34 Should You See It?

42:24 Outro

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ABOUT THE SHOW

See Fallen Angels on Broadway: https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2025-2026-season/fallen-angels

Watch Kelli O'Hara's "My Life in the Theatre" Video: https://playbill.com/article/my-life-in-the-theatre-kelli-ohara

*****

GUEST HOST LOVE

Learn More About Eric: https://ericemch.com/

*****

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Joe Turner's Come and Gone is one of August Wilson's most celebrated plays and part of his 10-play American Century Cycle chronicling Black life across the 20th century. First premiering at Yale Repertory Theatre before transferring to Broadway in 1988, the play is set in a Pittsburgh boarding house in 1911 during the Great Migration and follows a community of Black travelers, workers, and dreamers searching for identity, connection, and belonging in the shadow of slavery's aftermath. Widely regarded as one of Wilson's most spiritually rich works, Joe Turner's Come and Gone blends realism, folklore, music, and memory into a meditation on displacement, healing, and the lifelong search for one's "song."

Host Andrew Cole is joined by actor, director, and producer Brett Radek to unpack the current Broadway revival directed by Debbie Allen. The production stars Taraji P. Henson as Bertha Holly, Cedric the Entertainer as Seth Holly, Joshua Boone as Harold Loomis, and Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Bynum Walker. Together, Andrew and Brett discuss the production's emotional power, the muscular beauty of Wilson's writing, the show's exploration of trauma and self-discovery, and why this revival feels both deeply historical and urgently contemporary.

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CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro / Welcome Brett Radek

12:33 Setting the Stage

14:53 Hot Takes

40:30 Big Feels

48:02 Should You See It?

51:26 Outro

*****

ABOUT THE SHOW

See Joe Turner on Broadway: https://joeturnerbway.com/

*****

GUEST HOST LOVE

Follow Brett on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brettradek/

Follow Out/Play NYC on IG: https://www.instagram.com/outplaynyc

Support Out/Play NYC: https://linktr.ee/outplaynyc

*****

SUPPORT CRITICAL DARLING

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