Carolyn Clay
Theater Critic
Carolyn Clay, a theater critic for WBUR, was for many years theater editor and chief drama critic for the Boston Phoenix. She is a past recipient of the George Jean Nathan Award for dramatic criticism.
Recently published
At The Huntington, Pulitzer-Winning 'Sweat' Tugs At Roots Of Rage That Empowered Trump
The production captures the polarizing politics that boil over today.
Company One's 'Wolf Play' Explores What It Means To Have A Pack
Portrayed by an adult actor manipulating a child puppet, the play’s protagonist follows the journey of a boy who thinks he’s a wolf and the couple trying to adopt him.
In A.R.T.'s 'Gloria: A Life,' Steinem Gets By With A Little Help From Her Friends
Directed by Diane Paulus, the show is a multimedia, biographical theater piece based on the life of second-wave feminist powerhouse Gloria Steinem and her allies.
In 'We All Fall Down,' A Secular Jewish Family Wings A Satisfying Seder
In its world premiere at Huntington Theatre Company, Lila Rose Kaplan’s dramedy is a hilarious reminder of the ways in which cultural history and personal identity are entangled.
'Pass Over' At SpeakEasy Stage Is An Intense And Affecting Experience
In Antoinette Nwandu’s pained and powerful “Pass Over,” two young black men while away the night on a ghetto street corner in an unnamed American city, hoping to dodge hopelessness,...
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12 Productions To See On Stage This Winter
This winter, gender, generational and racial tensions are gearing up to be explored -- or exploded -- all over theater stages around Boston, says critic Carolyn Clay.
Apollinaire Theatre's 'Cry It Out' Takes An Empathetic Look At Parenthood
The show is rooted in playwright Molly Smith Metzler’s own experience as an isolated new mom living in a Long Island duplex, literally being looked down on by the privileged...
12 Plays And Musicals That Mattered In Boston This Year
From "Cambodian Rock Band" at Merrimack Rep to "Dragon Cycle" at the A.R.T., critics Carolyn Clay and Ed Siegel take a look at the year in theater.
Moonbox Productions Marches Out An Impressive, Impassioned 'Parade'
The haunting if relentless show directed by Jason Modica recounts the true story of the unauthorized execution of factory overseer Leo Frank who was convicted of raping and killing a...
In The A.R.T.'s Musical 'Moby-Dick,' The Whale Is An Extraordinary Sum Of Diverse Parts
The musical is an epic undertaking: a three-and-a-half-hours-long, singing and dancing riff on the Pequod as a stand-in for America when our melting pot is captained by a megalomaniac.