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 →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Amber Iman shimmers in the enjoyable, by-the-numbers new musical GODDESS at The Public Theater

This spring, the long-in-gestation musical Goddess has arrived at The Public Theater’s storied Newman Theater. Featuring a score by theater veteran Michael Thurber and a book co-written by The Public’s … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Off-Broadway roundup: Summerworks kicks off with BUSINESS IDEAS and THE UNITED STATES VS ULYSSES at Irish Arts Center

This past holiday weekend, I stayed in town and took in a pair of new Off-Broadway plays, both of which have been beautifully produced and provided rich food for thought. … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Hallucinatory musical journeys: LIGHTS OUT: NAT “KING” COLE at New York Theatre Workshop and BOWL EP at the Vineyard

This past week, a pair of what can be best described as hallucinatory musical journeys opened Off-Broadway. Although seemingly disparate by categorization — one is a jukebox musical based on … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Alexander Molochnikov’s pointed production of SEAGULL: TRUE STORY works marvelously on multiple levels

On Monday night, Russian theater and film director Alexander Molochnikov’s pointed production of Seagull: True Story opened at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village. The piece is both adapted … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Breslin and Foley’s THE LAST BIMBO OF THE APOCALYPSE giddily dissects celebrity culture by way of the internet

Last night, The New Group’s production of The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse opened Off-Broadway at the Pershing Square Signature Center. Created by Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley — the … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Women on the verge: Caitlin Saylor Stephens’ FIVE MODELS IN RUINS, 1981 and Natalie Margolin’s ALL NIGHTER

The young women in Kimberly Belflower’s terrific John Proctor Is the Villain aren’t the only women going through onstage breakdowns. This week, I was able to catch two Off-Broadway plays … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Norm Lewis digs deep in the hard-hitting revival of Lonne Elder III’s rarely performed CEREMONIES IN DARK OLD MEN

This past weekend at the Theatre at St. Clement’s, I had the opportunity to attend a performance of Peccadillo Theater Company’s revival of Lonne Elder III’s rarely performed Ceremonies in … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Revisiting classic musicals: Encores! revival of WONDERFUL TOWN and Roundabout’s rejiggered PIRATES! THE PENZANCE MUSICAL

This spring, two productions of well known musicals attempt to make a case for arguably creaky material, thereby exhibiting just how much leeway there is in the act of reviving … Continue Reading →