Theater: Say Amen, Everybody

Broadway cynics are of two minds about the current theatrical season: a) it hasn't started yet; b) it's already over. Only two new musicals and four new plays--and no certifiable hits--have opened since Labor Day. For the moment, Broadway is dominated by the Brits and the blacks. The Royal Shakespeare Company has extended its repertory run of Cyrano de Bergerac and the enchanting Much Ado About Nothing. But the English are invaders. New native works measure the pulse of the American theater, and just now three new Broadway shows are the creations of blacks. Once again black performers are lighting up...