THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jeanine Tesori and David Henry Hwang throw the kitchen sink in SOFT POWER, to head-spinning effect

Also last night, Soft Power – the totally interesting and highly anticipated collaboration between the Tony-winning pair of Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home) and David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly) – opened … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Catya McMullen’s rollicking GEORGIA MERTCHING IS DEAD is an ode to girl power and the families we choose for ourselves

This past weekend, I caught Ensemble Studio Theatre’s Off-Broadway production of Catya McMullen’s new play Georgia Mertching Is Dead. The play tells the story of three women – all former … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Memory in motion: Paul David Young’s ALL MY FATHERS and Tennessee Williams’ THE GLASS MENAGERIE

This past weekend, I caught back-to-back performances in the East Village – Austin Pendleton and Peter Bloch’s revival of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie at the Wild Project and Paul … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Will Arbery’s riveting HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING paints a startlingly lucid portrait of the Christian right

Last night, Will Arbery’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning opened Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons. When I caught Mr. Arbery’s previous play Plano last year at Summerworks – Clubbed Thumb’s excellent annual festival of adventurous … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Satoshi Miyagi uses Japanese noh tradition to bring poetry to ANTIGONE, to mesmerizing effect

One of the toughest tickets to come by currently in town is Shizuoka Performing Arts Center’s adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone at the Park Avenue Armory (the rest of the run is sold … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jeff Augustin’s THE NEW ENGLANDERS is thoughtfully of-the-moment although not quite satisfying

This week, the Manhattan Theatre Club production of Jeff Augustin’s The New Englanders opened Off-Broadway at New York City Center. Set in a quiet, upper middle class New England town, … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Two young playwrights go to extremes: Anna Moench’s MOTHERS and Alexis Scheer’s DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD

Over the last week, I had the opportunity to be exposed to two new voices – playwrights Anna Moench and Alexis Scheer – who in their respective Off-Broadway plays aren’t … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – WHY?: Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne return to Brooklyn to gently question why we do theater

The centerpiece of a city-wide celebration of Peter Brook’s monumental contribution to contemporary theater is the mounting of his latest play Why? at Theatre for a New Audience in Brooklyn (the … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – 59E59 plays host to theater companies from out of town: FERN HILL & ONLY YESTERDAY

It’s always an adventure frequenting theaters like 59E59 Theaters (one of the few theaters within close proximity of the upper east side), whose programming is comprised of an eclectic mix of shows … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Gingold Theatrical Group’s effervescent revival of Shaw’s CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA sparkles

This week, Gingold Theatrical Group’s Off-Broadway revival of George Bernard Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra opened at Theatre Row. Set in Egypt, the rarely-performed play tells the story of the fictitious meeting … Continue Reading →