THE HANGOVER REPORT – Irish Rep’s immersive THE DEAD, 1904 gently and richly engages all the senses

Last night, I entered the world of James Joyce’s The Dead, quite literally. The Irish Repertory Theatre production, entitled The Dead, 1904, is adapted from the novella by Paul Muldoon and Jean Hanff Korelitz, and … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – DESPERATE MEASURES and THE MAD ONES: Two Off-Broadway musicals that just miss the mark

There really is no formula to guarantee the success of a musical, which is why I find it a fascinating exercise to analyze new works. The most significant new musicals are … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – The gay reality, then and now: BRIGHT COLORS AND BOLD PATTERNS opens, TORCH SONG shines on

Currently on the boards Off-Broadway, theatergoers can experience a healthy dose of gay history (sadly, Steven Dietz’s very funny yet mournful AIDS play Lonely Planet closed this past weekend). We’ll look … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Zoe Kazan’s ambitious AFTER THE BLAST is intelligent theater, meticulously staged

This weekend, I caught one of the final performances of Zoe Kazan’s new sci-fi/relationship drama, After the Blast. The gifted Ms. Kazan, one of the most instinctive actresses of her … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – The recently-shuttered MARCEL, STUFFED, and LONELY PLANET: Serving up laughter to deal with the pain

Yesterday, three deceptively straight-forward comedies closed Off-Broadway. Although they often had me in stitches, each dealt with the tough realities of life. First up, at Theatre for a New Audience … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Two more solo shows continue to demonstrate the astonishing versatility of the form: Transport Group’s STRANGE INTERLUDE and John Leguizamo’s LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS

This past week, I visited two solo shows, continuing to demonstrate the astonishing versatility of the form … David Greenspan is giving perhaps the performance of the season, on- or off-Broadway, in … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Christopher Wheeldon’s robust and romantic BRIGADOON at City Center is a revival to swoon over

This week, I attended New York City Center’s gala performance of Lerner and Loewe’s Brigadoon. Last year’s gala produced much excitement, when Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford led a transcendent Sunday in the Park … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – THE LAST MATCH and ACTUALLY: A pair of skillfully written and staged plays by Anna Ziegler (but is that enough?)

These are exciting times for playwright Anna Ziegler. This fall in New York, a pair of her plays are receiving expertly-staged productions. Ms. Ziegler first came to my attention about … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Brian Friel’s late-career THE HOME PLACE at the Irish Rep slowly simmers to a boil

The current main stage production at the Irish Repertory Theater, The Home Place, is vintage Brian Friel. The late, great Friel, one of Ireland’s great playwrights, is that rare artist … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Two solo shows create exspansive theater: Edgar Oliver’s NEW YORK TRILOGY and THE BECKETT TRILOGY starring Conor Lovett

Who says that big things can’t come in small packages? Two solo performances I attended recently have reminded me all over again of the potency of the form to produce … Continue Reading →