Come Back, Little Sheba, a play by William Inge. Manhattan Theatre Club, starring S. Epatha Merkerson, Kevin Anderson and Zoe Kazan. Directed by Michael Pressman. Although we've admired William Inge's plays on film, most especially "Picnic," "Come Back, Little Sheba" was the first opportunity for us to see one up on the boards in a major revival. We were not disappointed - "Come Back, Little Sheba" is a powerful play, a masterpiece, and along with the audience, we were fully engaged with what happened on stage. As Lola, a role created by the great Shirley Booth, S. Epatha Merkerson gives a shattering performance, most especially it is in her quiet moments that she is most eloquent. In an equally heartbreaking performance Kevin Anderson as the poor drunken Doc makes a memorable leap for Broadway stardom. Then there is the remarkable Zoe Kazan who gives a very subtle and layered performance as the pretty young border Marie. The set struck me initially as too busy, but as the action unwound, the set worked perfectly. One of the most effective features of the production is how convincingly the cast inhabits the play's 1950's period setting. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade A.

The 39 Steps, a play adapted by Patrick Barlow from the Hitchcock Film. American Airlines Theatre. Starring Arnie Burton, Charles Edwards, Jennifer Ferrin and Cliff Saunders. Directed by Maria Aitken. This marvelous show, more comedy than thriller, is pure adrenalin, pure joy, a gas from first to last. Ingeniously conceived by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon, adapted by Patrick Barlow, and executed by an amazing cast of four led by the dapper Charles Edwards as the intrepid Richard Hannay, "The 39 Steps" is the fourth top flight Broadway play we've seen this season, the best such season we can ever remember. How these four mega talented actors recreate every scene in the famous Hitchcock thriller, has to be seen to be believed. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade A.

The Little Mermaid, a musical by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Starring Sierra Boggess, Sean Palmer and Sherie Rene Scott. Directed by Francesca Zambello. We went to a mid-week performance of "The Little Mermaid" as a special trip down nostalgia lane. The animated film was the first we'd taken our little girl to and now it was her 21st birthday! And while "The Little Mermaid" is alas, not another smash like "The Lion King" it's a very enjoyable show and we felt it has the best new score of any current Broadway Show including "Curtains." And the good news is that Menken has evidently found a good lyricist to work with again, Glenn Slater. What other new Broadway musical has a standard as good as "She's In Love"? There is a ravishingly beautiful new duet which turns into a quartet, "If Only." And again, "if only" there were other composers capable of such lyricism today! Undeniably, the score is disjointed, it doesn't flow as an integrated whole which reveals the patchwork nature of adding new songs with a new lyricist to songs written earlier with the incomparable Howard Ashman who died so tragically young in the first awful wave of AIDS losses. Another problem with the show is that it is too static and has a kitschy look to it, despite the sumptuous sets and costumes. Nonetheless, this is a solid family entertainment and in our opinion, is every bit as good as "Wicked" and with much better music. And the performances from the two leading ladies, the gorgeous dewy beauty Sierra Boggess as Ariel and Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula are sensational and hopefully will get rewards recognition in spite of the snobbish cultural prejudice against all things Disney. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade B-.