VIEWPOINTS – Addressing modern day anxieties: Abe Koogler’s STAFF MEAL and S. Asher Gelman’s SCARLETT DREAMS

Currently Off-Broadway, you’ll be able to catch a pair of world premiere plays that, in their respective ways, deal with modern day anxieties. Here is my assessment on these new … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Led by Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, London’s hotly anticipated CABARET descends on Broadway, mis-judged

It’s fascinating to gauge how much of a delicate balance live theater can be. For example, take the current Broadway of revival of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s classic musical Cabaret (which … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Documentary theater at its best: The National Theatre’s sobering production of GRENFELL at St. Ann’s Warehouse

Last night, I ventured out to St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn to catch Grenfell: In the Words of Survivors by Gillian Slovo. First presented across the pond at London’s highly … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Rachel McAdams is luminous in the Broadway edition of Amy Herzog’s quietly harrowing play MARY JANE

This week, I was able to catch up with the Broadway edition of Mary Jane by Amy Herzog. Presented by Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater, the deeply human … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – From personal to universal: The Bengsons meditate on grief and death in THE KEEP GOING SONGS

Over the past few years, the singer/songwriter duo of Abigail and Shaun Bengson — together known simply as the Bengsons — have become a quiet theatrical force, particularly in the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Sting “dansical” import MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE uses street dance to convey the refugee experience, to mixed results

This past weekend, I had the chance to take in the new jukebox “dansical” Message in a Bottle by dance theater maker Kate Prince (who is the Artistic Director of … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The singular Taylor Mac stars in a spirited revival of Sarah Ruhl’s stage version of ORLANDO, putting the focus on queerness

Just like its title character, Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando has withstood the test of time. Beginning as a sort of literary oddity, the piece has proved to be ahead … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Paula Vogel’s MOTHER PLAY encapsulates the many facets of familial relationships with elegant theatricality

This past week, I also had the chance to take in Second Stage’s production of Mother Play by Paula Vogel (a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1998 for her haunting play … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Simply put, the Huey Lewis jukebox musical THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL is one a helluva good time

This past week, I was also able to catch up with the new jukebox musical The Heart of Rock and Roll, which is currently playing at the beautifully refurbished James … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ife Olujobi’s unpinnable new play JORDANS explodes racial and gender politics at the workplace

Currently at the Public Theater, you’ll find the debut of Ife Olujobi’s Jordans. Set in a fancy rentable New York studio, the unpinnable new play tells the story of two … Continue Reading →