THE HANGOVER REPORT – David Byrne’s AMERICAN UTOPIA on Broadway is the jolt of euphoric optimism we all need

What’s the unlikeliest musical theater success story so far of this relatively young Broadway season? My pick would be David Byrne’s American Utopia, which is currently playing at the Hudson Theatre. Mr. Byrne … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – POWER STRIP & ZAUBERLAND: Lincoln Center mounts a pair of nightmarish productions documenting the Syrian refugee experience

Perhaps unintentionally, Lincoln Center has mounted a pair of strikingly compatible productions – one a play, the other essentially a “concept opera” – that bleakly convey the Syrian refugee experience, notably from … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Zawe Ashton’s FOR ALL THE WOMEN WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE MAD is an observant, harrowing immigration play that’s also a bit overwrought

This past weekend, Zawe Ashton’s new play for all the women who thought they were Mad opened Off-Broadway at Soho Rep. Apart from her work here as a playwright, the multi-talented Ms. Ashton … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Richard Nelson’s THE MICHAELS quietly stuns, continuing the excellence established by his previous “family” plays

Yesterday, the latest of Richard Nelson’s intimate family portraits opened Off-Broadway at the Public Theater. Having quietly stunned audiences over the last decade with his stealthy “state of the nation … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Lincoln Center’s genre-blurring WHITE LIGHT FESTIVAL commences its 10th anniversary, looking to the past for transcendence

Last week marked the commencement of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival, which this year is celebrating its 10th anniversary. In this incredibly crowded fall theater, dance, and classical music season, what … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Legends of ballet at work: Wendy Whelan collaborates in THE DAY and Herman Cornejo’s 20th anniversary celebration

This weekend, I had the privilege of catching superstar dancers Herman Cornejo and Wendy Whelan, two legends of the ballet world whose careers continue to inspire and awe. On Saturday … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – BAM’s Next Wave Festival is on an early roll with WHAT IF THEY WENT TO MOSCOW?, Christiane Jatahy’s ambitious multi-media triumph

Last night, I attended the opening performance of What if they went to Moscow?, Christiane Jatahy’s contemporary multi-media riff on Chekhov’s Three Sisters. Ms. Jatahy, an award-winning Brazilian auteur now making … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ntozake Shange’s seminal FOR COLORED GIRLS is joyously, stirringly revived at the Public

Also last night, the revival of Ntozake Shange’s seminal For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf opened at the Public Theater, the venue where it originally premiered back … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – On Broadway, Rob Rokicki and Joe Tracz’s THE LIGHTNING THIEF remains the scrappy cartoon it’s always been

Last night, I caught Rob Rokicki and Joe Tracz’s The Lightning Thief, which finds itself on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre after having played Off-Broadway five years ago and subsequently … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Harvey Fierstein is Bella Abzug in BELLA BELLA, a show that’s both vintage Bella and Harvey

Last night, the indelible Harvey Fierstein’s Bella Bella opened Off-Broadway at New York City Center, courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club. In the new solo show, Mr. Fierstein himself portrays feminist and political rabble-rouser (and … Continue Reading →