THE HANGOVER REPORT – Aleshea Harris’s electrifying revenge play IS GOD IS at Soho Rep has room for both street grit and mythic expansiveness

Yesterday, I caught Aleshea Harris’s electrifying spin on the American Western, Is God Is. The play is essentially a revenge story about a pair of African American twins who set out to wreak … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Life Jacket Theatre Company’s AMERICA IS HARD TO SEE is a gentle, tough-minded docudrama

On the heels of The New Group’s sensational production of Jerry Springer: The Opera, I caught Travis Russ’s America Is Hard to See, courtesy of Life Jacket Theatre Company at Off-Broadway’s HERE Arts … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – It was worth the wait: The New Group’s sensational chamber-sized JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA (finally) opens in New York

The New Group’s sensational chamber-sized version of Jerry Springer: The Opera (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) marks the anticipated New York premiere of Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee’s musical-cum-opera adaptation of the notorious talk show of the same … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – HERE and Dixon Place keep New York’s invaluable Off-Off-Broadway tradition of absurd, anything goes theater alive and well: FUSIFORM GYRUS & TOE PICK

Much of New York’s invaluable avant-garde Off-Off-Broadway scene, in which pretty much anything goes, flies under the radar. This is not surprising, given these shows’ lack of marketing budgets, their … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Steph Del Rosso’s word-drunk FILL FILL FILL FILL FILL FILL FILL dabbles with tough questions

What actually happens to us as individuals when we enter into serious, long-term relationships? Do we give up a part of and/or compromise ourselves? And when that relationship ends – as … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Variety shows with a twist: XIVARIÉTÉ and Thisispopbaby’s RIOT

In the early 20th century, variety shows – particularly vaudeville – were staples of American stage entertainment. Over time, vaudeville took a back seat to make way for more “sophisticated” … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – The Bushwick Starr establishes itself as a hotbed for the next generation of exciting theater-makers (MILES FOR MARY, [PORTO], CUTE ACTIVIST)

Last night, I caught the return engagement of The Mad Ones’ sensational Miles for Mary at Playwrights Horizons. I had caught the devised piece previously at The Bushwick Starr, a theater company located … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Actors Fund’s 15th Anniversary reunion concert of THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE was thoroughly miraculous

Last night, I caught The Actors Fund’s 15th Anniversary reunion concert of the 2002 Tony-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Minskoff Theatre (the current home of the long-running Disney hit The Lion King). … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Terrence McNally’s FIRE AND AIR investigates the turbulent circumstances of creating art

Last night, I attended a performance of Classic Stage Company’s production of the highly-anticipated Fire and Air by celebrated playwright Terrence McNally. The play chronicles the turbulent, often times painful, circumstances of … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Paul Alexander’s TRINKETS strives and stumbles, but still shines

Last weekend (its closing weekend), I caught a performance of the return engagement of Paul Alexander’s Trinkets at the Gene Frankel Theatre in the East Village. The musical depicts the eclectic experiences … Continue Reading →