VIEWPOINTS – Sometimes less is more: Semi-staged presentations of Jeanine Tesori’s BLUE and Marvin Hamlisch’s SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS hit the mark

In recent weeks, I attended semi-staged presentations of Jeanine Tesori’s 2019 opera Blue and Marvin Hamlisch’s underrated 2002 musical adaptation of Sweet Smell of Success. With the focus squarely on … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – From the tastefully refined to the hilariously crass: Assessing the new commercial Off-Broadway musicals REUNIONS and VAPE!

Currently on the boards of this busy fall theater season, you’ll find a pair of new musicals taking a shot at commercial success Off-Broadway. As always, read on below for … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Navigating modern masculinity: Ari’el Stachel’s OTHER, Jesse Eisenberg’s THE ZIEGFELD FILES (and new material by Daniel Sloss)

In recent weeks, I came across a trio of solo shows by Ari’el Stachel, Jess Eisenberg, and Daniel Sloss. Although each on their own failed to completely captivate — for … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Else Went’s sprawling five hour INITIATIVE is messy and excessive, just like the high school experience it painstakingly depicts

Also last night was the Off-Broadway opening of The Public Theater’s world premiere production of Initiative by Else Went (an alumnus of The Public’s Emerging Writers Group). Set in “Costal … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Irish Arts Center presents Garry Hynes’ muscular, incisively-acted production of Beckett’s ENDGAME

It’s been quite the fall for Samuel Beckett, whose plays have received a number of notable New York productions over the last month or so. Given these fraught post-pandemic times … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Tom Hanks and Kelli O’Hara charm in THIS WORLD OF TOMORROW, a decidedly old fashioned time traveling romance

Last night, Tom Hanks and James Glossman’s new play This World of Tomorrow opened at The Shed in Hudson Yards. Starring Hanks and Tony-winner Kelli O’Hara, the play tells the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE returns in an utterly delightful, top notch Off-Broadway revival

Last night marked the opening of the first major New York revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. As its title indicates, the musical essentially re-enacts a fictitious … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Horror by way of psychological terrorism: Looking into Off-Broadway’s THE WASP and THE YELLOW WALLPAPER

If you’re in the mood for some blood chilling theater by way of psychological terrorism, I encourage you to check out a pair of intensely intimate Off-Broadway plays, both of … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Brilliant musical theater scores wrapped in questionable premises: The quest to fix CHESS and THE BAKER’S WIFE continues

Two of this fall’s biggest theater stories are the return of Chess and The Baker’s Wife, two musicals that notoriously flopped in their maiden outings. The reason they have endured … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Out-of-the-box theatrical curiosities that might just fit the bill: ROB LAKE MAGIC and POP UP DINNER THEATER

As one of the indisputable hubs of the entertainment industry, New York is teeming with bespoke theatrical experiences clamoring to satisfy whatever craving — no matter how niche — you … Continue Reading →