THE HANGOVER REPORT – Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz’s peppy BE MORE CHILL, as euphoric as ever on Broadway

Last night, Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz’s Be More Chill made the leap from Off-Broadway cult hit to the Broadway mainstream. I’m happy to report that the expanded version of the musical, which … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Milo Rau’s FIVE EASY PIECES is a provocative experiment that pushes the envelope

For three performances only this weekend, Milo Rau’s Five Easy Pieces, which has been created in collaboration with the International Institute of Political Murder and Ghent’s CAMPO Arts Centre, played NYU Skirball. Mr. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Matt Williams’ ACTUALLY, WE’RE F**KED is a generic, workmanlike play that’s been polished to a professional sheen

Yesterday, I caught Matt Williams’ new play Actually, We’re F**ked at the Cherry Lane Theatre. The play tells the story of two seemingly normal youngish couples. When infidelity, secrets, and personal fears are … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas’ enigmatic RECENT ALIEN ABDUCTIONS is tonally uneven, but it got under my skin

This week I caught PlayCo’s production of Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas’ new play Recent Alien Abductions at the Walkerspace in Soho. The mysterious, delicate play tells the story of a young man named … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – CHICK FLICK THE MUSICAL fulfills its targeted lowbrow aspirations

I had a perfectly pleasant time at Chick Flick the Musical, which opened Off-Broadway this week at the Westside Theatre. The new musical tells the story of four 40-something women who … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Viva Verdi!: Verdi operas dominate the Met before Wagner’s Ring Cycle settles in

Before the Metroplitan Opera embarks on staging a series of performances of Wagner’s Ring Cycle this spring, the mighty opera company has programmed a trio of Verdi operas, two of … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Bekah Brunstetter’s THE CAKE takes on topical issues in the guise of wholesome comedy

Last night, Bekah Brunstetter’s new play The Cake opened Off-Broadway at New York City Center’s subterranean Stage I, courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club. The play tells the story of a … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Massive “DADDY” issues: Jeremy O. Harris’s ambitious new play provokes as it frustrates

There’s little doubt that Jeremy O. Harris’s searing Slave Play, which ran in the fall at New York Theatre Workshop, would make many people’s list of important new plays of the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s distilled, authentic FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is better than ever

Last week, I had the chance to revisit National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s production of Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock’s classic musical Fiddler on the Roof at Stage 42, where it has recently transferred for a … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT– In its unfussiness, Les Arts Florissants’ RAMEAU, MAÎTRE À DANSER proves invigorating

This weekend, I caught William Christie’s exquisite 24-member baroque chamber music ensemble Les Arts Florissants perform an operatic double bill by Jean-Philippe Rameau at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House. Mr. … Continue Reading →