THE HANGOVER REPORT – ICONS/IDOLS: IN THE PURPLE ROOM is a scrappy but ambitious hybrid of choral drama and immersive installation

This weekend at the New Ohio Theatre, I attended Icons/Idols: In the Purple Room presented by Byzantine Choral Project, a music theater company that champions women’s voices (both cis and … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Happily back in front of a live audience but still a tad rusty: FUNNY WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE and HAUNT QUEST

Although it’s a thrill to finally start sitting in an actual theater on a more regular basis, sometimes I forget that most performers haven’t had the opportunity to hone their … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Simon Godwin’s elegantly succinct ROMEO AND JULIET for the National is triumphant proof that theater and cinema need not be mutually exclusive

It’s a bit scary to see just how many things director Simon Godwin’s hybrid film/staging of Romeo and Juliet for the National Theatre – which is currently available for viewing … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Art imitates life: Tennessee Williams’ early career as chronicled by Jacob Storms’ tastefully written and performed TENNESSEE RISING

Last night at the cell – or more precisely, the Chelsea venue’s cozy backyard – I attended Tennessee Rising, a solo show written and performed by Jacob Storms. Despite a … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – MEANDER & THE VISITATION: Two immersive sound-walks that implore us to shift how we perceive and experience the world

For more than a year now, theater-makers have had to adapt to survive. One of the more interesting sub-genres to evolve as a result is the outdoor “sound-walk”. During the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Flako’s enlightening and uniquely immersive TAXILANDIA documents a neighborhood in transition

Last night, I received an enlightening and entertaining lesson in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick by way of Taxilandia, an intimate and immersive theatrical experience created and performed by Modesto … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – The lieder dreamily engages contemporary existential matters in THE WANDERING & WE NEED TO TALK

This week, I encountered two fascinating productions that use the lieder (i.e., nineteenth century art songs, typically set to poetry) – or the form of the lieder – to dreamily … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – THE BROKEN EAR SETLIST & WEIGHTLESS: The Bengsons and the Kilbanes explore the intriguing possibilities of the “theatrical concert”

I recently streamed a pair of productions that, in my estimation, compellingly explore new avenues in music theater, particularly the intriguing possibilities of the “theatrical concert” sub-genre. Here are my … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – I keep dancing on my own: SOCIAL! THE SOCIAL DISTANCE DANCE CLUB at the Park Avenue Armory is a cathartic experience for the uninhibited

This past weekend at the Park Avenue Armory, I attended one of the marquee theatrical events of this transition period for the performing arts. That would be SOCIAL! the social … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Old Vic’s spirited musical adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s THE LORAX receives an inspired In Camera treatment

During the pandemic, The Old Vic in London was one of the few theater companies that I could depend on to deliver satisfying live-streamed theater, handily quenching my thirst for … Continue Reading →