THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jesús I. Valles’s SPREAD is a achingly candid glimpse into the fragile psyches of adolescent high school boys

One of the things I value most about going to the theater is the opportunity to be among the first to be exposed to works by up-and-coming playwrights, as well … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Fiercely feminist plays with a focus on reclaiming women’s bodies: Anna Ziegler’s take on ANTIGONE and Aya Ogawa’s MEAT SUIT

In recents weeks of my Off-Broadway theater going, I encountered a pair of fiercely feminist plays that centered on the reclamation of women’s bodies from a world that seems determined … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Retro-escapism: Silliness and nostalgia fuel BIGFOOT! THE MUSICAL and THE MALL THE MALL THE MALL

During these fraught times, sometimes all you need to keep you moving forward is a healthy dose of some goofy escapism, and nothing more substantial than that. Currently on the … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Mining the possibilities of puppet theater: PARCHED and THE MAGNIFICENT MS. PHAM at HERE, and FOOTNOTES at La MaMa

Over the last week or so, I had the chance to take in a number of puppet theater pieces both at HERE and at La MaMa, two notable cultivators of … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Songs of resilience in the face of health crises: The Lazours’ NIGHT SIDE SONGS and Jesse Malin’s SILVER MANHATTAN

Currently Off-Broadway, there are a pair of brave and unconventional new musicals that have taken it upon themselves to tell stories of the resilience of the human spirit in the … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Depicting fraught homecomings in the return of Clare Barron’s YOU GOT OLDER and the premiere of Jake Brasch’s THE RESERVOIR

Now running Off-Broadway, you’ll also find two plays that depict fraught homecomings of bruised characters who make the difficult decision to return to their childhood home to reset there lives. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The mildly satiric CHINESE REPUBLICANS continues Alex Lin’s investigation into the costs of assimilation

Last night, Roundabout Theatre Company’s world premiere production of Chinese Republicans opened Off-Broadway at the Laura Pels Theatre. In short, Alex Lin’s new play is a mildly satiric look into … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Aigner Mizzelle and Okieriete Onaodowan are heart-stopping in Ngozi Anyanwu‘s deeply affecting THE MONSTERS

This week, I was able to catch up with Manhattan Theatre Club and Two River Theater’s Off-Broadway world premiere co-production of The Monsters, Ngozi Anyanwu‘s extremely affecting two-hander that centers … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – A pair of piercing documentary theater works look back at past crises: Daniel Fish’s KRAMER/FAUCI and Milo Rau’s HATE RADIO

This snowy and chilly February, theatergoers have been given two opportunities — courtesy of a pair of adventurous and highly curious auteur stage directors — to look back at past … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Dance roundup: Anticipated debuts at City Ballet’s SLEEPING BEAUTY, commercial street dance animates 11 TO MIDNIGHT

Before New York dance aficionados are bombarded by the onslaught of offerings coming their way via the upcoming Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival, here are my thoughts … Continue Reading →