VIEWPOINTS – High profile musicals inspired by unlikely source material: THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS and THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES

This past week saw the opening of a pair of high profile new musicals about troubled American families that are based on unlikely source material. These would be The Public … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Musical revivals to cherish: RAGTIME triumphantly returns to Broadway and BAT BOY tickles and prods at City Center

This fall, you’re unlikely to find two more satisfying musicals than the revivals of two works from the late 1990s — Lawrence O’Keefe’s cult musical Bat Boy: The Musical at … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Superb dramas land on Broadway, ready for primetime: Samuel D. Hunter’s LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD and Bess Wohl’s LIBERATION

This week, a pair of superb new plays landed on the Great White Way. Although both have been meticulously readied for primetime, they stand in striking contrast to one another … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Halloween treats: Live performances that are bound to tickle the ghoul within

With Halloween fast approaching, what better way to immerse yourself in the ghostly holiday than by attending a live performance to tickle ghoul within? Luckily, New Yorkers have a slew … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Bromance is in the air: Taking a look at the much hyped Broadway revivals of WAITING FOR GODOT and ART

This fall, bromance is in the air, as evidenced by the much hyped Broadway revivals of a pair of well-trodden plays that explore male friendships in depth. These would be … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Solo shows that go beyond tickling the funny bone: Jeff Ross’s TAKE A BANANA FOR THE RIDE and Morgan Bassichis’ CAN I BE FRANK?

I recently had the opportunity to take in a pair of (ultimately) introspective solo shows that go beyond simply tickling the funny bone. As always, read on below for my … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Here we go again: MAMMA MIA! returns to Broadway, once again spreading its bombast and balm

This August, one of musical theater’s most iconic jukebox musicals has returned to Broadway. That would be the megahit Mamma Mia!, which has re-opened at the Winter Garden Theatre, the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jean Smart cuts deep as an aspiring writer in Jamie Wax’s otherwise pedestrian solo show CALL ME IZZY

Last night, Jean Smart (perhaps most recognizable to audiences as Deborah Vance in Hacks or Charlene Frazier in Designing Women) consummated her return to the boards of the Great White … 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 – Revisiting classic musicals: Encores! revival of WONDERFUL TOWN and Roundabout’s rejiggered PIRATES! THE PENZANCE MUSICAL

This spring, two productions of well known musicals attempt to make a case for arguably creaky material, thereby exhibiting just how much leeway there is in the act of reviving … Continue Reading →