VIEWPOINTS: The Frugal New York Theatergoer

After getting a sense of how many performances I attend, most people tend to ask: “How are you able to afford it all?” For the record, I am (currently) NOT … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Space and Perspective Relative to Performance (Part II – Breaking the Fourth Wall, and Then Some)

In the previous installment, I explored how one’s experience of performance can be affected not only by the dimensions of the playing space, but also by one’s physical location within … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Space and Perspective Relative to Performance (Part I – Theatricality and Physical Dimensionality)

On Monday, I had the privilege of seeing the minimalist British band the xx perform up close and personal with 44 other lucky guests at the Park Avenue Armory, one … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Hall of Mirrors – Chronicling Drag Culture on Broadway

For decades before Jared Leto won acclaim for his Oscar-winning performance in the film “Dallas Buyers Club”, drag has been prevalent on Broadway.  Drag’s presence in mainstream Broadway owes much … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Exploring the Intersection of Visual and Performing Arts (Part III)

In this final installment, I celebrate stage designers whose works have transcended conventional stage designs to establish themselves as standalone works of visual art. Many of these stage designers are … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Exploring the Intersection of Visual and Performing Arts (Part II)

In the first installment, I explored some instances in which established visual artists have themselves created scenic landscapes for the stage. This second installment further explores the intersection of the … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Exploring the Intersection of Visual and Performing Arts (Part I)

The stage. What grander canvas can a visual artist ask for? Over the years, its death and rebirth “burning man” allure has intrigued many a visual artist. Unlike the permanence … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: When Performing Opera, Is Less More?

After attending Saturday night’s exhilarating account of Richard Strauss’s voluptuous “Salome” by the Vienna Philharmonic and Vienna State Opera (led powerfully by young Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons) at Carnegie Hall, … Continue Reading →

REPORT CARD: January Experimental Performing Arts Festivals

January has become theater heaven for lovers of experimental theater in New York. This January (bleeding into February in some cases), there were no less than six substantive avant-garde performing … Continue Reading →

2013’s Best in Opera

It was a bittersweet year for opera lovers.  After 70 years, New York City Opera shuttered, but not before bidding farewell in thrilling fashion with its triumphant “Anna Nicole” by Mark-Anthony … Continue Reading →