VIEWPOINTS – UNDER THE RADAR 2018: A Festival Recap, Part 1

So far during the consistently fascinating, wonderfully-curated Under the Radar Festival – the Public Theater’s annual January festival for experimental theater – I’ve caught six “mainstage” offerings, not including shows that make up the … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Putting the “play” into the play: Fiasco’s TWELFTH NIGHT and Kate Hamill’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

These days in New York, you’ll find a number of smart, young theater artists taking on the classics with one thing on their minds: play. That is to say, having fun, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Susan Graham headlines a relatively MERRY WIDOW at the Met

Last night at the Metropolitan Opera, I caught the return of Susan Stroman’s production of Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow. I had seen the popular operetta twice before, once with the lovely Elizabeth … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Enriching legitimate theater with classical music: FARINELLI AND THE KING and MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN

As a fan of live performance across genres (theater, dance, opera/classical music, cabaret, etc.), I’ve often wondered whey there hasn’t been more meaningful cross-pollination between these types of performances, apart … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – A recap of this season’s top holiday entertainments

Happy New Year, everybody! As we embark on 2018, I’d like to recap the roster of five worthwhile holiday-themed shows in New York I attended across the worlds of theater, dance, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The scrappy, smart CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE MUSICAL strikes the right balance

Last night at Le Poisson Rouge, a beloved Greenwich Village music venue, I caught the jukebox musical version of the 1999 film Cruel Intentions, itself a loose adaptation Les Liaisons dangereuses. Cruel Intentions updates … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – SPRINGSTEEN ON BROADWAY is muscular, intimate, and altogether exultant

I recently got my hands on a much sought-after ticket to see Bruce Springsteen on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre in the appropriately-titled Springsteen on Broadway. True to his Jersey blue … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Off-Broadway revival of William Nicholson’s sturdy SHADOWLANDS is solidly acted

Last night, I caught the Off-Broadway revival of William Nicholson’s 1989 play Shadowlands (the piece played the West End and subsequently Broadway in 1990), a somewhat pat though nonetheless touching drama … Continue Reading →

2017 Year in Review – Dance

2017 was a good year for dance in New York. It was a time in which both the old guard continued to set the standard and up-and-coming artists proved there … Continue Reading →

2017 Year in Review – Opera

2017 was another interesting year in opera in New York. Even with the mediocrity on the boards of the Met and the unevenness coming from New York City Opera these days, … Continue Reading →