VIEWPOINTS – Tapping into the universality of domestic discord: Jeena Yi’s JESA and James Caverly & Andrew Morrill’s TRASH

American drama isn’t a stranger to depicting domestic discord, which can be found in many of the works of such playwrights as Eugene O’Neill, Arthur Miller, and Edward Albee. Currently … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Working through grief through song: Taking a look at Ruthie Ann Miles’ PERFECT IMPERFECT and the Bengsons’ MY JOY IS HEAVY

For practitioners of music theater, arguably the best way to process emotional trauma is through their craft, particularly through song and the act of storytelling. This therapeutic exercise was exemplified … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Led by a jaw-dropping Jasmine Amy Rogers, the Encores! revival of LaChiusa’s THE WILD PARTY is drop dead thrilling

Currently over at New York City Center, you’ll find an absolutely drop dead thrilling Encores! revival of The Wild Party. Here’s some background. Somehow way back during the 1999-2000 theater … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Solo play revivals powered by masterful performances: Jesse Tyler Ferguson in TRU, Daniel Radcliffe in EVERY BRILLIANT THING

This past week, I had the privilege of basking in the masterful performances of two A-list actors of stage and screen — both Tony-winners — who have taken existing vehicles … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Downtown stalwarts still at it: Wallace Shawn & André Gregory’s MOTH DAYS, and Martha Clarke & John Kelly’s BUGHOUSE

Currently Off-Broadway, you’ll find a pair of productions that find stalwart downtown theater-makers — namely Wallace Shawn, André Gregory, Martha Clarke, and John Kelly — still at it. Here are … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jesús I. Valles’s SPREAD is a achingly candid glimpse into the fragile psyches of adolescent high school boys

One of the things I value most about going to the theater is the opportunity to be among the first to be exposed to works by up-and-coming playwrights, as well … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Fiercely feminist plays with a focus on reclaiming women’s bodies: Anna Ziegler’s take on ANTIGONE and Aya Ogawa’s MEAT SUIT

In recents weeks of my Off-Broadway theater going, I encountered a pair of fiercely feminist plays that centered on the reclamation of women’s bodies from a world that seems determined … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Retro-escapism: Silliness and nostalgia fuel BIGFOOT! THE MUSICAL and THE MALL THE MALL THE MALL

During these fraught times, sometimes all you need to keep you moving forward is a healthy dose of some goofy escapism, and nothing more substantial than that. Currently on the … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Mining the possibilities of puppet theater: PARCHED and THE MAGNIFICENT MS. PHAM at HERE, and FOOTNOTES at La MaMa

Over the last week or so, I had the chance to take in a number of puppet theater pieces both at HERE and at La MaMa, two notable cultivators of … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Songs of resilience in the face of health crises: The Lazours’ NIGHT SIDE SONGS and Jesse Malin’s SILVER MANHATTAN

Currently Off-Broadway, there are a pair of brave and unconventional new musicals that have taken it upon themselves to tell stories of the resilience of the human spirit in the … Continue Reading →