VIEWPOINTS – At 59E59, the prolific Alan Ayckbourn continues to cast his warm, knowing gaze on the human condition

Over the past week, I caught up with Brits Off-Broadway’s Alan Ayckbourn offerings, which this year is comprised of the Stephen Joseph Theatre productions of Confusions and Hero’s Welcome. Both … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Martin Creed’s WORDS & MUSIC performance celebrates human limitations

To accompany his current large-scale exhibition at the increasingly essential Park Avenue Armory, British artist Marin Creed (who won the Turner Prize in 2001) and his band are appearing in … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Paper Mill’s WEST SIDE STORY is exemplary

Jerome Robbins’ singular vision permeates every major production of West Side Story, that muscular, immortal musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet by the venerated triumvirate of Arthur Laurents (book), Leonard … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT –The Theatre of Nations’ SHUKSHIN’S STORIES soulfully exemplifies the vitality of the Russian spirit through life as lived

Last night, I had the great privilege of catching the first of four performances of The Theatre of Nations’ Shukshin’s Stories at New York City Center. I first encountered this … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – This spring, Ibsen’s legacy permeates New York stages

Late in this spring season, New York has come alive with plays by or inspired by Henrik Ibsen. Classic Stage Company is in the midst of a run of the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – SIGNATURE PLAYS haven’t lost their ability to provoke, move

Over the holiday weekend, I swung by the Pershing Square Signature Center to catch Signature Plays, a patchwork of three short, disorienting one-act plays about the human condition: Edward Albee’s … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – James Fritz’s slight ROSS & RACHEL raises unsettling questions at 59E59

Last night at 59E59 Theaters, I caught James Fritz’s Ross & Rachel, one of the offerings at this year’s Brits Off-Broadway Festival. The solo show, featuring a committed central performance … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – HADESTOWN at NYTW features a stunning score by Anaïs Mitchell but lacks theatrical cohesion

Last night at New York Theatre Workshop, I attended a performance of Hadestown, the stage adaptation of Anaïs Mitchell’s critically acclaimed concept album, a free-flowing recasting of the Orpheus and … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Stew’s THE TOTAL BENT at the Public is murky storytelling yet mightily entertaining

Looking back, Stew and Heidi Rodewald’s Passing Strange was perhaps one of the more exciting achievements in musical theater over the the last decade. That coming-of-age musical was a rowdy … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Gillian Anderson leads an uneven STREETCAR at St. Ann’s Warehouse

Last night, I caught yet another revival of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, where it is completing its run. Among the pack, Benedict … Continue Reading →