THE HANGOVER REPORT – Massenet’s THAÏS sounds utterly lovely at the Met, in a hackneyed production

Last night, I caught a performance of the the Metropolitan Opera’s rare revival of of Jules Massenet’s Thaïs. The opera, about an Alexandrian courtesan’s flight from her “life of sin” to the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS opens on Broadway and is mildly entertaining, at best

Last night, the hastily assembled concert Home for the Holidays limped opened on Broadway. Although the show is an altogether harmless affair, I feel the need to warn more savvy theatergoers to … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Thomas Adès’s sensational THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL takes risks, and is breathtaking (and all the more unsettling) because of them

Tonight, I caught the closing performance of Thomas Adès’s breathtaking The Exterminating Angel at the Metropolitan Opera. The opera, based on the Sartre-esque Luis Buñuel film of the same name, premiered at the Salzburg … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Thomas Dausgaard leads the Swedish forces in a magnificent performance of Beethoven’s MISSA SOLEMNIS

This past Sunday, I was lucky to attend a truly magnificent performance of Beethoven’s choral masterwork Missa Solemnis from the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Swedish Radio Choir at David Geffen Hall. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The newly-commissioned noh drama RIKYU-ENOURA at Japan Society is transporting

Last year, I immersed myself in the tradition of Japanese noh when the highly-regarded Kanze Noh Theatre graced New York to partake in the 2016 Lincoln Center Festival. It was … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Mark Morris’s choreographic interpretation of LAYLA AND MAJNUN captivates in Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival

I recently caught the closing performance of Mark Morris’s utterly captivating Layla and Majnun, which had its New York premiere this past week under the auspices of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – NYCO’s intimate operatic adaptation of DOLORES CLAIBORNE by Tobias Picker fails to ignite

The discerning New York theatergoer can easily get into the Halloween spirit by attending any number of carefully curated productions. Thomas Ostermeier’s devilish mounting of Richard III at BAM, Dave Malloy’s pungent song … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – David McVicar’s new production of NORMA for the Met is grounded and theatrically satisfying

Last night, I finally caught up with Sir David McVicar’s new production of Bellini’s Norma at the Metropolitan Opera, replacing John Copley’s dismal 2001 staging. Happily, the new production by Mr. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Pierre Boulez’s RÉPONS at the Park Avenue Armory is an enveloping experience

The late Pierre Boulez’s Répons made its first “proper” New York appearance in more than a decade this past weekend at the Park Avenue Armory. It was an enveloping musical … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Matthew Aucoin’s CROSSING is that rare new opera of the first order

This past weekend, I attended the closing performance of Matthew Aucoin’s tremendous new opera Crossing, one of headliners of this fall’s ongoing Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In … Continue Reading →