THE HANGOVER REPORT – Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the mighty CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA in evocative and vividly colored readings of Shaw, Salonen, and Ravel

Also while in Chicago, I had a chance to take in a performance by the great Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the acoustically welcoming Orchestra Hall. The performance was led by … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Steppenwolf unveils its new Ensemble Theater with SEAGULL, Yasen Peyankov’s subtly updated adaptation of Chekhov’s play

I closed out my Chicago theater-going binge by attending a performance of Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s highly anticipated production of Seagull at the company’s new Ensemble Theater. Although the recently-completed in-the-round … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – After a few postponements, the Joffrey Ballet dances a swift and spirited DON QUIXOTE at the Lyric Opera House

After two postponements due to the ongoing scheduling challenges presented by the pandemic, Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet is finally presenting its crowd-pleasing staging of Don Quixote at the Lyric Opera House, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Court Theatre’s perfectly-acted revival of August Wilson’s TWO TRAINS RUNNING is theater at its most life-giving

My theater-going winning streak in Chicago continued with the sensational revival of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running by the Court Theatre. Located on the South Side of the city on … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – LOOKINGGLASS ALICE remains an intoxicating hybrid of stylish storytelling and high-flying physical feats

This week, I flew to Chicago to re-acquaint myself with the city’s rich performing arts scene. Having spent not an insignificant portion of my adult life in the Windy City, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Somi Kakoma astonishes as South African singer and activist Miram Makeba in the new bio-musical DREAMING ZENZILE

Last night, the new musical Dreaming Zenzile opened Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop. The work is essentially a jukebox bio-musical, along the same vein as Jersey Boys and Beautiful, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In Dave Harris’s EXCEPTION TO THE RULE, naturalistic high school drama uncomfortably meets Beckettian existentialism

Last night at Roundabout Theatre Company’s intimate Black Box Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, I attended a performance of Dave Harris’s Exception to the Rule. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Met’s handsome production of Stravinsky’s rarely-performed THE RAKE’S PROGRESS returns with a vocally sterling cast

This week, Jonathan Miller’s production of The Rake’s Progress returned to the Metropolitan Opera. Given its relatively infrequent appearance in the company’s repertory (the work was last scene at the Met … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Principal dancer Amar Ramasar retires in a spirited A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, concluding City Ballet’s resilient spring season

This past Sunday at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, principal dancer Amar Ramasar retired from the ranks of New York City Ballet in a performance of George … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Target Margin Theater’s ONE NIGHT is a nine-hour act of heroic theatrical storytelling and wonderment

Over the years, I’ve participated in a number of durational theatrical experiences. Having experienced Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music at St. Ann’s Warehouse (24 hours), Nat Randall and … Continue Reading →