VIEWPOINTS – Solo shows as group therapy sessions: NSangou Njikam in A FREEKY INTRODUCTION and Julia Masli in HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Over the past week or so, I encountered two solo shows that doubled as group therapy sessions. In A Freeky Introduction and Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, both … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Recalibrated Off-Broadway revivals of classic plays: August Strindberg’s CREDITORS and Sophie Treadwell’s MACHINAL

Over the past week or so, I was able to catch a pair of Off-Broadway revivals of classic plays that have been thoughtfully recalibrated for contemporary audiences. As always, read … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Queers past, present, and future: BLOOD, SWEAT & QUEERS; MY SON’S A QUEER (BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO?); and PRINCE FAGGOT

Now that we’re well into Pride Month, it’s about time that I start assessing the wide spectrum of LGBTQ+ themed plays that are currently gracing ours stages. Three of these … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Join the uprising: Revolutionary vibes fuel the immersive DEATH OF RASPUTIN and the freewheeling COUNTERFEIT OPERA

Now with the 2024/2025 Broadway season firmly behind us, the focus has officially turned to this year’s crop of early summer theater offerings, of which two productions have been capturing … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jean Smart cuts deep as an aspiring writer in Jamie Wax’s otherwise pedestrian solo show CALL ME IZZY

Last night, Jean Smart (perhaps most recognizable to audiences as Deborah Vance in Hacks or Charlene Frazier in Designing Women) consummated her return to the boards of the Great White … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Despite its competing agendas, Christin Eve Cato’s raucously acted O.K.! mostly hits the mark

A few hours prior to the Tony Awards last Sunday, I managed to squeeze in the final performance of Intar Theatre’s Off-Broadway production of O.K.! by Christin Eve Cato (as … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Fine acting elevates LUNAR ECLIPSE, Donald Margulies’ moderately captivating new romantic two-hander

This past weekend at the Pershing Square Signature Center, I was able to catch Donald Margulies’ latest play Lunar Eclipse courtesy of Second Stage Theater (the play was previously scene … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – A pair of Off-Broadway revivals dissect human yearning: William Inge’s BUS STOP at CSC and Sarah Ruhl’s EURYDICE at Signature

This past week, I was able to catch a pair of Off-Broadway revivals that seek to unpack and dissect the throbbing ache that is human yearning. As per usual, read … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – CHIAROSCURO interrogates the correlation between beauty and skin tone in the Black community

Last night downtown at The Flea, I caught the world premiere play Chiaroscuro: A Light and Dark Skin Comedy by Black Arts Movement writer Aishah Rahman. Presented by National Black … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – June is bustin’ out all over: Ten shows to see this Pride Month

After a dreary, rainy lead-in, can you believe we’ve once again found ourselves in sunny June? That means Pride Month is upon us! In no particular order, here are my … Continue Reading →