THE HANGOVER REPORT – Playwright James Graham brings his latest kinetic docudrama PUNCH to the Great White Way

This past weekend, I was able to catch up with James Graham’s new play Punch, which is currently playing on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman theatre courtesy of Manhattan … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Uniquely immersive performances of contemporary classical music: Paola Prestini’s HOUSES OF ZODIAC, Georg Friedrich Haas’s 11,000 STRINGS

This past week, I encountered a pair of uniquely immersive performances of contemporary classical music that unlocked live music’s ability to viscerally shake one to the core. If this has … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Met commences its season with a fluent adaptation of THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY

Earlier this month, The Metropolitan Opera kicked off its 2025/2026 season with an operatic adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In FLAMING SEPTEMBER, Justin Vivian Bond voluptuously channels Marianne Faithfull

Last week, I had the great pleasure of attending a Justin Vivian Bond concert at the ornate St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn Heights. Entitled Flaming September … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In ALL RIGHT. GOOD NIGHT., Rimini Protokoll artfully articulates the process of gradual disappearance through music and text

Last night at NYU Skirball, I had the opportunity to catch the North American premiere of Rimini Protokoll’s All right. Good night. in a co-presentation by L’Alliance New York as a part … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Gustavo Dudamel and young superstar pianist Yunchan Lim kick off the NY PHILHARMONIC’s 2025/2026 season

This past week, the New York Philharmonic kicked off its 2025/2026 season with a highly anticipated program led by incoming music director Gustavo Dudamel. The concert commenced with a world … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – In the uncompromising pursuit of authenticity: Eisa Davis’ THE ESSENTIALISN’T and Robert Ashely’s CELESTIAL EXCURSIONS

This past weekend, I was able to sink my teeth into a pair of experimental music theater pieces in pursuit to authentically articulate nuanced aspects of the human experience. As … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT — ARIEL QUARTET gives a full-bodied account of Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 131 in the Green-Wood catacombs

Last week at the atmospheric catacombs of Green-Wood Cemetery, I had the opportunity to catch the acclaimed Ariel Quartet’s account of Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Nights at 54 Below: Veterans CHESTER GREGORY and LIZ CALLAWAY claim their spots in the Broadway pantheon

No doubt about it, Broadway is a tough business — competitive and often times subject to the inexplicable whims of a finicky public. Last week, I had the great pleasure … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Nightlife roundup: SAMANTHA PAULY at Joe’s Pub, JOE ICONIS & FRIENDS at 54 Below, and an OSCAR PETERSON centennial celebration at Birdland

In recent weeks, I made the rounds and caught up with the latest offerings at some of New York’s premiere cabaret and jazz clubs. Here are my thoughts on these … Continue Reading →