THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ike Holter’s EXIT STRATEGY at Primary Stages succeeds through its winning characters

I recently had a chance to catch Ike Holter’s Exit Strategy at the Cherry Lane Theatre, courtesy of Primary Stages. The play, which chronicles the final days of a Chicago … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Paper Mill’s PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES is sweetly diverting

This afternoon, I took a short field trip out to the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ to catch a matinee performance of the breezy musical Pump Boys and Dinettes, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Lessing’s still-relevant NATHAN THE WISE casts a quiet spell at CSC

Last night, I caught a performance of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing’s rarely-performed Nathan the Wise (in a 2003 translation by Edward Kemp) at Classic Stage Company. Lessing’s play, a plea for … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – A gorgeous-sounding 110 IN THE SHADE charms at Ford’s Theatre

Last night, I attended Ford’s Theatre charming revival of the under-appreciated musical 110 in the Shade, which features a score by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones (who also provided the immortal … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Two women playwrights explore new forms to get further to the core of things

Currently on display on the boards of New York theater are two thought-provoking works from two boundary-pushing women playwrights. First up is Antlia Pneumatica (RECOMMENDED) by Anne Washburn, which is … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – The magisterial KING AND COUNTRY cycle at BAM showcases the RSC in tip-top form

After last season’s epic Wolf Hall on Broadway, the venerated Royal Shakespeare Company returns to New York to present some more juicy tales of the triumphs and woes of English … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Mike Birbiglia and Neal Brennan’s stand-up comedy acts at the Lynn Redgrave prove the legitimacy and potency of the form

Currently playing in repertory down at the Lynn Redgrave Theater is an outstanding pair of solo shows in the guise of stand-up comedy acts: Mike Birbiglia’s Thank God for Jokes … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – In DC, two literary adaptations take to the stage, to varying results

Putting together stage adaptations of literary works is tricky business. By its very nature, literature is an introspective genre, being unmoored, really, from time and space. On the other hand, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Lucy Prebble’s THE EFFECT asks provocative questions in David Cromer’s incisive production at the Barrow Street Theatre

This past weekend, I caught the North American premiere of Lucy Prebble’s The Effect at the Barrow Street Theatre. The play, which was originally staged by the London’s prolific and … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – A trio of Off-Broadway plays discusses what it means to be poor in our capitalist society

Currently on the boards of our Off-Broadway theaters are a trio of plays (one a revival of a rarely-seen Shaw play and two new plays) that explore what it means … Continue Reading →