THE HANGOVER REPORT – CHIAROSCURO interrogates the correlation between beauty and skin tone in the Black community

Last night downtown at The Flea, I caught the world premiere play Chiaroscuro: A Light and Dark Skin Comedy by Black Arts Movement writer Aishah Rahman. Presented by National Black … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – June is bustin’ out all over: Ten shows to see this Pride Month

After a dreary, rainy lead-in, can you believe we’ve once again found ourselves in sunny June? That means Pride Month is upon us! In no particular order, here are my … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Dance roundup: Ayodele Casel reminisces on her roots in THE REMIX and Ballet Hispanico brings back CARMEN.MAQUIA

This week in dance, I was able to catch tap master Ayodele Casel reminisce on her roots at The Joyce Theater and Ballet Hispanico dance a full length story ballet … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Amber Iman shimmers in the enjoyable, by-the-numbers new musical GODDESS at The Public Theater

This spring, the long-in-gestation musical Goddess has arrived at The Public Theater’s storied Newman Theater. Featuring a score by theater veteran Michael Thurber and a book co-written by The Public’s … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – The old and the new guard at 54 Below: UTE LEMPER sings Kurt Weill, ANNA ZAVELSON & HENRY PATTERSON epitomize youthful optimism

Over the past week or so, I’ve augmented my regularly scheduled performing arts programming to take in some wonderful cabaret entertainment at 54 Below. Read on for my thoughts on … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Off-Broadway roundup: Summerworks kicks off with BUSINESS IDEAS and THE UNITED STATES VS ULYSSES at Irish Arts Center

This past holiday weekend, I stayed in town and took in a pair of new Off-Broadway plays, both of which have been beautifully produced and provided rich food for thought. … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Dance roundup: Bill T. Jones’s CURRICULUM III: PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS and Kyle Abraham’s WHEN WE FELL for City Ballet

In the world of dance, two of this past week’s highlights included the latest Bill T. Jones dance theater piece, as well as the live in-person version of a streamed … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Dudamel returns, incisively leading the NY PHILHARMONIC in an homage to the symphonic form

To the delight of many music fans, the New York Philharmonic’s incoming music director Gustavo Dudamel has returned to close out the orchestra’s 2024/2025 season. The first of these Dudamel-led … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Heartbeat Opera brings intimacy, contemporary flourish, and stylish noir to Gounod’s FAUST

As one of the grandest of grand operas, it would seem that Charles Gounod’s Faust — based on the well-trodden legend about a man who sells his soul to the … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Hallucinatory musical journeys: LIGHTS OUT: NAT “KING” COLE at New York Theatre Workshop and BOWL EP at the Vineyard

This past week, a pair of what can be best described as hallucinatory musical journeys opened Off-Broadway. Although seemingly disparate by categorization — one is a jukebox musical based on … Continue Reading →