THE HANGOVER REPORT – The world premiere of A BRONX TALE: THE MUSICAL at Paper Mill is a diverting, workmanlike effort

Last week, I journeyed down to Millburn, NJ to catch the world premiere of A Bronx Tale: The Musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse. The show is the musical adaptation … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Manhattan Concert Productions’ glorious 25th anniversary staged concert of THE SECRET GARDEN was a night for the ages

In the spring of 1991, a beauty of a musical opened at the St. James Theater, Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon’s lush adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel The Secret … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Maly Drama Theatre’s vaudevillian THE CHERRY ORCHARD entertains and terrifies at BAM

Last night, I trudged through the wind and rain to attend a performance of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, courtesy of St. Petersburg’s Maly Drama Theatre, at the Brooklyn Academy … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – A pair of Off-Broadway plays explore human nature through crises of faith

In about a week, the highly anticipated Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible starts previews at the Walter Kerr Theatre. However, you don’t have to wait for that upcoming … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Anthony Giardina’s timely THE CITY OF CONVERSATION plays Washington, where it belongs

Last night, I caught a performance of Anthony Giardina’s The City of Conversation at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. Few plays in recent memory are better suited to playing our … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Lydia R. Diamond’s SMART PEOPLE lacks focus and, sad to say, smarts

Yesterday evening, I had a chance to catch Lydia R. Diamond’s Smart People, which opened last week at Second Stage. Ms. Diamond’s play, a meditation on love, race, and identity … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Encores! revival of CABIN IN THE SKY is a joyous, if curious, affair

I just got back from Encores! revival of Vernon Duke and John Latouche’s forgotten 1940 musical Cabin in the Sky at City Center, and boy, is it joyous stuff. The … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – MTC’s winter season gives us two personal, beautifully-acted portraits of unmoored, headstrong lives

This winter, Manhattan Theatre Club is offering audiences a pair of compelling, albeit flawed, plays from two of our most respected playwrights. What these plays have in common is that … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Economic hardships drive hard-hitting dramas, then and now

This week in our nation’s capital, I had the opportunity of catching two serious dramas – one a new work, the other an established classic. They were Lynn Nottage’s latest, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – THE WOODSMAN creates magic on its own intimate terms

This week, James Oritz’s The Woodsman opened at New World Stages after a successful run a few seasons back at 59E59 Theaters. Like Wicked, that inescapable mega-hit playing just down the … Continue Reading →