THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ethan Lipton’s western romp TUMACHO was a winning diversion for our troubled times

One of the unfortunate casualties of the mass theatrical suspensions in New York was Ethan Lipton’s Tumacho, which closed prematurely two nights ago as part of the theater community’s proactive precautionary measure to … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Paul Muldoon’s INCANTATA is ferociously adapted for the stage by Sam Yates and Stanley Townsend

I recently had the opportunity to take in the stage adaptation of Incantata, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon’s elegy to his former partner Mary Farl Powers – herself an artist – who … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The late Michael Friedman’s lovely, mature score is the highlight of UNKNOWN SOLDIER

Last night, Michael Friedman and Daniel Goldstein’s new musical Unknown Soldier opened Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons. For those of you who don’t know, Michael Friedman – a musical theater composer and lyricist … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: “Mommy Dearest” in Hell’s Kitchen: Ma-Yi remounts Haruna Lee’s SUICIDE FOREST and MCC presents C.A. Johnson’s ALL THE NATALIE PORTMANS

Currently in Hell’s Kitchen, two Off-Broadway theater companies are putting on plays that respectively depict strained mother-daughter relationships, fiendishly calling to mind the infamous 1981 film Mommie Dearest. First up is Ma-Yi Theater Company’s … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jillian Walker’s unruly SKINFOLK excavates blackness, amorphously but with soul

This past weekend, I caught Jillian Walker’s SKiNFoLK at the Bushwick Starr in Brooklyn. The new, loosely autobiographical concept musical (for a lack of a better term) is being presented in collaboration with the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Conor McPherson and Bob Dylan’s GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY ravishes despite its unsparing bleakness

Last night, Conor McPherson and Bob Dylan’s musical Girl From the North Country landed on the Great White Way at the Belasco Theatre. The new musical arrives on Broadway after having … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The music-soaked COAL COUNTRY is documentary theater of the highest order

This week saw the opening of yet another Off-Broadway show, the Public Theater’s production of Coal Country. The new play with music – written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen and … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Richard Greenberg’s new comedy THE PERPLEXED unfortunately lives up to its title

Last night, Richard Greenberg’s new drawing room comedy The Perplexed opened Off-Broadway at New York City Center in a production by Manhattan Theatre Club. The world premiere play by Mr. Greenberg – whose Tony-winning Take … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Hideki Noda’s ONE GREEN BOTTLE is an energetic but ultimately tiresome absurdist romp

This weekend, I caught Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre’s production of One Green Bottle by Hideki Noda. This English version of the play (translated by Will Sharpe) previously visited London’s Soho Theater in 2018 … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Christopher Chen’s cool, puzzle-like THE HEADLANDS doubles as unassuming whodunit and astute psychological thriller

  It’s March, which means that the New York theater season is officially in full swing, as evidenced by the recent and upcoming string of back-to-back openings, particularly Off-Broadway. Among them … Continue Reading →