VIEWPOINTS – Experimental dance theater that’s possessed by past works of art: Marlene Monteiro Freitas’s BACCHAE and an evening of Annie-B Parson

I recently encountered two programs of experimental hybrid dance theater that seem to have been possessed by ghosts of past works of art. The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Despite some staging mis-steps, Ross Golan’s stirring score for THE WRONG MAN beguiles, as does leading man Joshua Henry

This past weekend, I caught up with The Wrong Man, Ross Golan’s highly anticipated new Off-Broadway musical at MCC Theater. The list of pop artists with whom Mr. Golan has … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – DruidShakespeare’s RICHARD III is lucid, diabolical, and one of the most thrillingly entertaining stagings of the play I’ve seen

Corey Stoll’s superb Macbeth for minimalist director John Doyle at Classic Stage Company isn’t the only Shakespearean villain baring his fangs this fall in New York. He faces stiff competition from … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival in full swing with the welcome return of THE MANGANIYAR SEDUCTION and James MacMillan’s searing new STABAT MATER

This past week found Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival in full swing with two offerings that exemplified, at its purest, the festival’s core tenet – the belief that transcendence and illumination of the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The sensational Adrienne Warren dazzles in the otherwise merely mediocre TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL

Last night at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, the latest in the seemingly endless parade of jukebox bio-musicals opened on Broadway. That would be Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, the British import that’s … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – “The Scottish Play” two-ways (or maybe three or four): CSC’s MACBETH, Roundabout’s SCOTLAND, PA, etc.

This fall in New York, “The Scottish Play” is all the rage, as evidenced by two high profile productions of and inspired by the Shakespeare tragedy that recently opened Off-Broadway. At … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Liza Birkenmeier’s DR. RIDE’S AMERICAN BEACH HOUSE endearingly depicts women fumbling their way into their own

Last night, Liza Birkenmeier’s Dr. Ride’s American Beach House opened Off-Broadway at the Greenwich House Theater, courtesy of the always adventurous folks at Ars Nova. Set in June 1983 in Missouri, … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Two Irish playwrights remind us why they are masters: Conor McPherson’s DUBLIN CAROL & Brian Friel’s MOLLY SWEENEY

Over the past month or so, New Yorkers have been privy to two very fine Off-Broadway revivals of semi-forgotten plays from the 1990s by two well regarded Irish playwrights, Conor … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Hurricane Esparza strikes again in SEARED, Theresa Rebeck’s rock solid comedy about the restaurant industry

Over the years, playwright Theresa Rebeck has become one of the most reliable and steadfast writers currently working in theater. For nearly three decades now, it seems that not a … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – BAM’s Next Wave continues with a barrage of ninja-like, boundary-pushing offerings (and not all of them involve live performance)

Last week saw BAM’s 2019 Next Wave — so far — at its most daringly eclectic via a barrage of short, ninja-like productions. Collectively (if not individually), they pushed the boundaries of … Continue Reading →