THE HANGOVER REPORT – Martyna Majok’s reworked QUEENS returns Off-Broadway, streamlined and newly focused

Last week, a reworked version of Martyna Majok’s play Queens opened Off-Broadway at New York City Center courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club (the play’s first New York outing was presented … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In MESSY WHITE GAYS, Drew Droege goes down the same gay rabbit hole, happily and giddily

This week at The Duke on 42nd Street, Drew Droege’s new gay romp Messy White Gays opened Off-Broadway. Best known for his comedic, gay-themed solo shows Happy Birthday Doug and Bright Colors … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Incisively sculpted portrayals that all but disappear into their subjects: RICHARD MOVE and JEN TULLOCK give performances that had me hooked

Over the past week or so, I had the great pleasure of catching incisively sculpted portrayals from two actors who all but disappeared into their respective roles. Although the plays … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Musical revivals to cherish: RAGTIME triumphantly returns to Broadway and BAT BOY tickles and prods at City Center

This fall, you’re unlikely to find two more satisfying musicals than the revivals of two works from the late 1990s — Lawrence O’Keefe’s cult musical Bat Boy: The Musical at … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Playful, fast-paced, and meta-theatrical revivals of classics: André De Shields in TARTUFFE and Gingold Group’s PYGMALION

This fall, theater-goers looking to indulge themselves in the classic Western dramatic oeuvre should pay heed to a pair of playful, fast-paced, and meta-theatrical revivals. As per usual, read on … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Superb dramas land on Broadway, ready for primetime: Samuel D. Hunter’s LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD and Bess Wohl’s LIBERATION

This week, a pair of superb new plays landed on the Great White Way. Although both have been meticulously readied for primetime, they stand in striking contrast to one another … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Sex positivity and learning how to love, respectively, in the theatrical memoirs BEAUX CHURCH and DID YOU EAT?

Currently Off-Broadway, you’ll find a number of autobiographical shows — many of them solo shows — that endeavor to candidly impart life lessons to their audiences. I recently caught two … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Downtown theater is alive and well: Boxcutter Collective’s DIMENSION ZERO and Talking Band’s TRIPLICITY

In recent days, I ventured far from the bright lights of Broadway to catch two specimens of avant-garde theater, both of which evidenced that New York’s storied downtown theater continues … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Fine music-making across genres: Diego Matheuz leads the NY PHILHARMONIC, Heather Christian’s ORATORIO FOR LIVING THINGS returns

Fine music-making is fine music-making, regardless of where one comes across it. This past week, I was reminded of this belief when I took in performances both in an intimate … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Fraught cries for help: Caroline Guiela Nguyen’s LACRIMA and Carolina Bianchi’s THE BRIDE AND GOODNIGHT CINDERELLA

This past week, I encountered a pair of immensely ambitious, emotionally fraught productions from auteur theater-makers — both women, refreshingly — featuring characters on the brink of nervous breakdowns, many … Continue Reading →