THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Met’s delightful new production of COSÌ FAN TUTTE almost unlocks Mozart’s problematic opera

Like Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte is a fiendishly opera difficult to get right. That’s because, on paper, its depiction of women is terribly dated, even mean-spirited. In the opera, two … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Meredith Monk’s CELLULAR SONGS at BAM is equally beguiling and confounding

Tonight, I caught the opening night performance of Meredith Monk’s Cellular Songs at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. BAM has long been a hotbed for avant-garde music- and theater-making, and Ms. Monk … 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 →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Met revives its raw production of Richard Strauss’s ELEKTRA, ecstatically led by Christine Goerke and Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Tonight, I revisited the Metropolitan Opera’s raw production of Richard Strauss’s still-shocking, laser-focused one-act operatic adaptation of the Greek tragedy Elektra. Even if the staging from the late, great Patrice Chéreau this time around … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Stellar vocals save the Met’s clunky production of Rossini’s rarely-performed SEMIRAMIDE

I recently had a chance to catch the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Rossini’s Semiramide. The bel canto opera, one of Rossini’s final operas and one that’s rarely in the repertoire these … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Anthony Minghella’s production of Puccini’s MADAMA BUTTERFLY at the Met remains as striking as ever

There are a handful of productions at the Met that never fail to leave a deep impression on me, regardless of the quality of the cast. One of those is … 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 →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Donizetti’s L’ELISIR D’AMORE receives an appealing revival, courtesy of Bartlett Sher, from a solid cast

Tonight, I caught a performance of Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore at the Metropolitan Opera, in a refreshingly traditional, intimate staging by go-to Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher (he’ll be represented back at Lincoln Center … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Yannick Nézet-Séguin triumphantly steers Wagner’s singular PARSIFAL at the Met

Last night, the Metropolitan Opera opened this season’s run of Richard Wagner’s singular Parsifal, led by the company’s incoming music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. By all accounts, it was a triumph. There really … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Pepe Martinez’s CRUZAR LA CARA DE LA LUNA makes a case for mariachi in music theater

Last night, José “Pepe” Martinez’s self-professed mariachi opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna opened under the auspices of New York City Opera at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater, in a co-production … Continue Reading →