second-act

And when it comes to devastating musical-comedy effects, nothing beats the inspired second-act "Wonderland" segment when each of the principals airs his or her psychological hang-up.

David Finkle: First Nighter: "Follies" 2011 a Smash Hit David Finkle 2011

A chaste second-act dance between Seyfried and another young woman is as risqué as it gets.

Scott Mendelson: HuffPost Review: Red Riding Hood Scott Mendelson 2011

When he returns at the second-act get-go, he spouts a sentence with which on-lookers might be inclined to agree -- "This stage is lousy with ghosts!"

David Finkle: First Nighter: Robin Williams Broadway-Bows in Rajiv Joseph's Toothless Play David Finkle 2011

Eyre's production lets the words take center stage, and while it doesn't provide new revelations about the work, it's a lot of fun, and Rob Howell's second-act set is a work of whimsical art.

Chris Kompanek: On the Culture Front: Krapp's Last Tape, John Schaefer Celebrates 30 Years, Private Lives and More Chris Kompanek 2011

When he returns at the second-act get-go, he spouts a sentence with which on-lookers might be inclined to agree -- "This stage is lousy with ghosts!"

David Finkle: First Nighter: Robin Williams Broadway-Bows in Rajiv Joseph's Toothless Play David Finkle 2011

It may be narratively sloppy in spots (a second-act conflict between our heroes feels manufactured and goes on a bit too long) and not every actor gets their due (Cameron Diaz and Edward James Olmos could have been combined into one character), but this is a film more about watching actors playing in the superhero sandbox then watching stuff explode.

Scott Mendelson: Huff Post Review: The Green Hornet (2011) Scott Mendelson 2011

A second-act helicopter rescue is pretty mediocre and awfully silly, but the film redeems itself by basically having characters state exactly that in a following scene it's a brave movie that makes fun of its own action scenes.

Scott Mendelson: Huff Post Review: Green Lantern Not As Good As Hoped, Not As Bad As Feared Scott Mendelson 2011

Robert Israel's multistory prison cells and second-act dungeon genuinely look as though they're made of pre-stressed concrete, and Florence von Gerkan's modern costumes Eastern Europe during Communism are accurate and unfanciful.

Mirror-Image Operas Enjoy Identical Good Results Paul Levy 2011

A second-act helicopter rescue is pretty mediocre and awfully silly, but the film redeems itself by basically having characters state exactly that in a following scene it's a brave movie that makes fun of its own action scenes.

Scott Mendelson: Huff Post Review: Green Lantern Not As Good As Hoped, Not As Bad As Feared Scott Mendelson 2011

Eyre's production lets the words take center stage, and while it doesn't provide new revelations about the work, it's a lot of fun, and Rob Howell's second-act set is a work of whimsical art.

Chris Kompanek: On the Culture Front: Krapp's Last Tape, John Schaefer Celebrates 30 Years, Private Lives and More Chris Kompanek 2011