VIEWPOINTS – The Best of 2019

2019 is now officially a series of memories. Here are the best of them (in alphabetical order, by category).   BEST NEW PLAYS Ain’t No Mo’ (The Public Theater) BLKS (MCC … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Met’s revival of THE QUEEN OF SPADES is chock full of notable house debuts (one that’s particularly exciting)

A star is born in Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen, who made a glorious Metropolitan Opera debut last night in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. That Tchaikovsky’s operatic psychological thriller is rarely … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Proof that classical music can be among the coolest things in town: Philip Glass’s AKHNATEN & the Currentzis-led Verdi REQUIEM

Last week, I attended two highly anticipated classical music events that were among the hottest tickets in town, proving that art form can be — contrary to the general thought … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Christine Goerke unveils a very human Isolde via the NSO’s dramatically and musically alert performance of Wagner’s intoxicating score

Yesterday at David Geffen Hall, Gianandrea Noseda led the National Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Act II of Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. The raison d’être for the concert, an offering at this … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – “The Scottish Play” two-ways (or maybe three or four): CSC’s MACBETH, Roundabout’s SCOTLAND, PA, etc.

This fall in New York, “The Scottish Play” is all the rage, as evidenced by two high profile productions of and inspired by the Shakespeare tragedy that recently opened Off-Broadway. At … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – BAM’s Next Wave continues with a barrage of ninja-like, boundary-pushing offerings (and not all of them involve live performance)

Last week saw BAM’s 2019 Next Wave — so far — at its most daringly eclectic via a barrage of short, ninja-like productions. Collectively (if not individually), they pushed the boundaries of … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – POWER STRIP & ZAUBERLAND: Lincoln Center mounts a pair of nightmarish productions documenting the Syrian refugee experience

Perhaps unintentionally, Lincoln Center has mounted a pair of strikingly compatible productions – one a play, the other essentially a “concept opera” – that bleakly convey the Syrian refugee experience, notably from … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Lincoln Center’s genre-blurring WHITE LIGHT FESTIVAL commences its 10th anniversary, looking to the past for transcendence

Last week marked the commencement of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival, which this year is celebrating its 10th anniversary. In this incredibly crowded fall theater, dance, and classical music season, what … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Gershwins’ PORGY AND BESS receives a sturdy new staging at the Met, led by the superb pairing of Eric Owens and Angel Blue

This afternoon, I caught a performance of the Metropolitan Opera’s new staging of the Gershwins’ 1935 American folk opera Porgy and Bess. The production launched the mighty opera company’s 2019-2020 season … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Immersive performances that throw in the kitchen sink: LOOKING AT YOU & OSCAR AT THE CROWN

Over the last couple of days, I caught a pair of marvelously excessive immersive performances that had me at once fascinated yet baffled. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – … Continue Reading →