THE HANGOVER REPORT – Tim Blake Nelson’s SOCRATES overflows with riches, led by the riveting Michael Stuhlbarg

Last night, I caught Tim Blake Nelson’s new play Socrates Off-Broadway at the Public Theater. As the title suggests, the play centers around Socrates, the influential Greek philosopher whose incessant questioning of … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Irish Rep mounts an utterly ideal revival of Sean O’Casey’s JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK

Last weekend, I caught a matinee performance of Irish Repertory Theatre’s Off-Broadway revival of Sean O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock, one of the best known and well-regarded plays in the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Thaddeus Phillips’ 17 BORDER CROSSINGS is a visually ravishing examination of man-made borders

Last night, Thaddeus Phillips’ solo show 17 Border Crossings opened Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop. I had missed the production, a unique hybrid between monologue and performance piece, when it played … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Isabelle Huppert was devastating and compulsively watchable in Florian Zeller’s THE MOTHER

This weekend at the Linda Gross Theater, I caught the final Off-Broadway performance of Florian Zeller’s The Mother, which enjoyed a sold out run courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company. Although not … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Renée Fleming and Ben Winshaw are superb in NORMA JEANE BAKER OF TROY, Anne Carson’s genre-straddling concoction

It’s hard to assess a piece like Anne Carson’s Norma Jeane Baker of Troy, which marks the first theatrical run at the 500-seat Griffin Theater at The Shed, the brand new performing arts … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Stefano Massini’s sweeping THE LEHMAN TRILOGY triumphantly arrives in New York, and it’s masterful in every way

Last night at the Park Avenue Armory, I caught the highly anticipated North American premiere of Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy, which triumphantly arrives in New York after having been a sold out … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Flea’s revival of Thomas Bradshaw’s SOUTHERN PROMISES observes the Antebellum with deadpan gaze

I recently had a chance to catch the Off-Broadway revival of Thomas Bradshaw’s 2008 play Southern Promises at The Flea Theater. The Flea has long been a supporter and nurturer of … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Mara Nelson-Greenberg’s DO YOU FEEL ANGER? examines the gulf between the sexes, and whatnot

This past weekend, I caught Mara Nelson-Greenberg’s new play Do You Feel Anger? Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. The semi-surrealist play tells the story of an empathy coach who has … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Aaron Posner’s LIFE SUCKS uncannily updates and unlocks “Uncle Vanya” for contemporary audiences

In recent years, playwright Aaron Posner has become primarily associated with his trio of barbed contemporary riffs on three classic Chekhov plays – the provocatively named Stupid Fucking Bird, No Sisters, and Life Sucks (respectively after The Seagull, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Andrea Burns as Judy Holliday in SMART BLONDE shouldn’t be missed

This week at 59E59 Theaters (in a co-presentation with MBL Productions), I had the great opportunity of catching a performance of Smart Blonde, Willy Holtzman’s Off-Broadway play – with lots of music – about … Continue Reading →