VIEWPOINTS – Is the age of avant-garde performance over?: Nikos Karathanos’s THE BIRDS and Meg Stuart’s UNTIL OUR HEARTS STOP

Are we living in a world in which the avant-garde is obsolete, a mere caricature of what it has historically been? Or have we simply been desensitized to a degree … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Basil Twist’s genre-busting SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE returns, triumphantly

What’s the most compelling dance performance currently playing in town? Well, I’d place my bet on singular visual artist Basil Twist’s gorgeously handcrafted Symphonie Fantastique at HERE Arts Center. The thing is, … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Tolstoy onstage, unexpectedly: Gob Squad’s WAR AND PEACE and Eifman’s ANNA KARENINA

Tolstoy’s works are undisputed masterworks of world literature. Two novels in particular, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are towering achievements, panoramic works that are at once intense psychological portraits. Over the last … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – John Kelly’s TIME NO LINE weaves together a living memoir, creating art in the process

Last night, I caught one of the final performances of veteran performance artist John Kelly’s theatrical memoir Time No Line at, fittingly, La Mama’s Ellen Stewart Theatre. Sufficiently doing justice to his long, storied … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Variety shows with a twist: XIVARIÉTÉ and Thisispopbaby’s RIOT

In the early 20th century, variety shows – particularly vaudeville – were staples of American stage entertainment. Over time, vaudeville took a back seat to make way for more “sophisticated” … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – The stimulating, often trailblazing COIL, in its 13th iteration, closes shop

2018 marks the 13th and, sadly, final iteration of the Coil Festival. Over the years, Coil has provided stimulating, often trailblazing, performances across theater, dance, performance art, everything in between, and sometimes … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – 2018 AMERICAN REALNESS wraps up, and it was as defiant as ever

Today marks the final day of American Realness, the annual festival that celebrates and challenges performative norms, particularly in the sphere of contemporary dance and performance at large. This year’s … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – UNDER THE RADAR 2018: A Festival Recap, Part 2

Today marks the final day of the Public Theater’s 2018 edition of its Under the Radar Festival. Here are my thoughts on six more shows. All in all, its been … 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 →