VIEWPOINTS – Impressions of Cirque du Soleil Over the Years

This past weekend, I caught a performance of “Amaluna”, the latest Cirque du Soleil tent show to grace the New York area. As I exited the big top set up … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – The Collateral Damage of Getting Things Done (or the US Two-Party System)

Change is a bitch. This is especially true of American politics in the modern era. This season, two solidly-built new American plays effectively dramatize the painful swings of the pendulum … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Hedwig, Superstar!

“Ladies and Gentlemen, whether you like it or not … HEDWIG!” So begins “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”, a show that has become one of the unlikeliest success stories in … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Using Traditional Ballet Vocabulary to Inform Fresh Visions

Over the weekend, the New York City Ballet concluded its exploration of 21st century choreographers, which included the likes of Peter Martins, Alexei Ratmansky, William Forsythe, Angelin Preljocaj, Christopher Wheeldon, … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: A Look-Back at the 2013-2014 Metropolitan Opera Season

As the 2013-214 Met season accelerates towards its conclusion next week, now would seem to be a fitting time to look back and recount the good and the bad that … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Shakespeare Highs

Dear William Shakespeare, Happy 450th birthday, sir. Since I am not convinced I’ll make it to your half century celebration, it seems that now is the right time to take … Continue Reading →

REPORT CARD: Catching up with the Great Dames of the Chicago Performing Arts Scene

This past holiday weekend, I had the privilege of spending some time in Chicago, a city in which I had spent more than a decade of my adult life. Of … Continue Reading →

REPORT CARD: Shakespeare-mania, or the 2013-2014 New York Theater Season

As the 2013-2014 New York theater season comes to a close, it seems appropriate to take the time to provide an overview of the unprecedented plethora of Shakespeare productions that … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Are the Oldies the Only Goodies (Case Studies in Revivals)?

During the “golden age” of Broadway (1940s-1960s), a run of three to five years was considered extremely successful due to the economics of Broadway at the time. Anything beyond that … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Love and Beauty in Musical Theater

Rightly or wrongly, it’s hard for many of us not to be captivated by couples who, upon initial impression, are physically incompatible with each other. One of them is much … Continue Reading →