THE HANGOVER REPORT – For William Jackson Harper’s maiden outing as a playwright, the strong-boned TRAVISVILLE is exceedingly well-written and solidly structured

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to catch William Jackson Harper’s new play Travisville at Ensemble Studio Theatre. Over the years, EST has evolved into one of the city’s … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival, Week 1: SUTRA & BORDERLINE get things off to an energizing, crowd-pleasing start

Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival got off to an energizing start last week with two works of highly physical dance theater, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Sutra and Company Wang Ramirez’s Borderline. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – A.R. Gurney’s FINAL FOLLIES is simply the sum of its parts

This weekend at the cozy Cherry Lane Theatre, I caught a late run performance (the limited run ends this afternoon) of Primary Stages’ Off-Broadway production of Final Follies, a collection of … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Filmmaker Todd Solondz’s EMMA AND MAX is flawed but provocative, as expected

This afternoon, I caught a matinee performance of filmmaker Todd Solondz’s world premiere play Emma and Max at the Flea Theater. I was eagerly looking forward to the experience given that … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The explosive FIREFLIES continues Donja R. Love’s impassioned trilogy chronicling the African American experience

This week, Donja R. Love’s two-hander Fireflies opened Off-Broaday at the Atlantic Theater Company. The play, which takes place in the Deep South during the Civil Rights Movement, is the second of a … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – BAM’s Next Wave Festival, Week 3: Declan Donnellan’s timely MEASURE FOR MEASURE turns the play’s problematic ambivalence into a defiant strength

The highlight of week three of BAM’s Next Wave Festival is sure to be Declan Donnellan’s staging of Measure for Measure at the BAM Harvey Theater, a co-production between Cheek by … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Tastefully (literally) beckoning Halloween: AT THE ILLUSIONIST’S TABLE & KILLING AN EVENING WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE

Selecting a tasteful live entertainment to usher in Halloween can be a tricky proposition. Where does one start? On the surface, you’ll simply be faced with a barrage of generic, shock-oriented haunted … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Andrew R. Butler’s blazing folk/futuristic RAGS PARKLAND SINGS SONGS OF THE FUTURE is a powerful and soul-stirring new musical

Many of those who know me appreciate how much I adored Dave Malloy’s ravishing musical Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 both on Broadway, as well as its various … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – David Greenspan’s THE THINGS THAT WERE THERE succinctly meditates on loss, memory, and family

Last night, I caught David Greenspan’s The Things That Were There at the Bushwick Starr, in a co-production with the Abingdon Theatre Company. The play is a meditation on loss, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The bewitching Jomama Jones reemerges in the West Village to shed her BLACK LIGHT on our rough times

This week, Daniel Alexander Jones’s Black Light opened at the Greenwich House Theater. In this soulful, categorically-challenged solo musical, Mr. Jones takes on the fictitious persona of the regal Jomama Jones, who, from the void, … Continue Reading →