THE HANGOVER REPORT – Hurricane Esparza strikes again in SEARED, Theresa Rebeck’s rock solid comedy about the restaurant industry

Over the years, playwright Theresa Rebeck has become one of the most reliable and steadfast writers currently working in theater. For nearly three decades now, it seems that not a … 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 →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – David Byrne’s AMERICAN UTOPIA on Broadway is the jolt of euphoric optimism we all need

What’s the unlikeliest musical theater success story so far of this relatively young Broadway season? My pick would be David Byrne’s American Utopia, which is currently playing at the Hudson Theatre. Mr. Byrne … 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 →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Zawe Ashton’s FOR ALL THE WOMEN WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE MAD is an observant, harrowing immigration play that’s also a bit overwrought

This past weekend, Zawe Ashton’s new play for all the women who thought they were Mad opened Off-Broadway at Soho Rep. Apart from her work here as a playwright, the multi-talented Ms. Ashton … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Richard Nelson’s THE MICHAELS quietly stuns, continuing the excellence established by his previous “family” plays

Yesterday, the latest of Richard Nelson’s intimate family portraits opened Off-Broadway at the Public Theater. Having quietly stunned audiences over the last decade with his stealthy “state of the nation … 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 – BAM’s Next Wave Festival is on an early roll with WHAT IF THEY WENT TO MOSCOW?, Christiane Jatahy’s ambitious multi-media triumph

Last night, I attended the opening performance of What if they went to Moscow?, Christiane Jatahy’s contemporary multi-media riff on Chekhov’s Three Sisters. Ms. Jatahy, an award-winning Brazilian auteur now making … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ntozake Shange’s seminal FOR COLORED GIRLS is joyously, stirringly revived at the Public

Also last night, the revival of Ntozake Shange’s seminal For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf opened at the Public Theater, the venue where it originally premiered back … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – On Broadway, Rob Rokicki and Joe Tracz’s THE LIGHTNING THIEF remains the scrappy cartoon it’s always been

Last night, I caught Rob Rokicki and Joe Tracz’s The Lightning Thief, which finds itself on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre after having played Off-Broadway five years ago and subsequently … Continue Reading →