THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jen Silverman’s slippery new play SPAIN investigates the power of art via propaganda and war

I recently had the chance to catch a performance of Second Stage Theater’s Off-Broadway production of Spain by Jen Silverman on its closing weekend at the Tony Kiser Theater. Set … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Song and Dance: Milo Cramer’s SCHOOL PICTURES and Jenn Freeman’s IS IT THURSDAY YET? artfully animate personal experiences

This past week, I took came across a pair of performances that artfully – through song and dance, respectively – animated personal experiences. Read on for my thoughts on them. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The supremely silly SPAMALOT returns to Broadway, lifted by inspired casting and the general public’s need for escapism

Earlier this fall, the supremely silly musical Spamalot returned to Broadway at the St. James Theatre. The revival arrives in New York by way of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., where … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Awash in urgent music and dance, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB finds thrilling new life as a stage musical

Last night, the highly anticipated musical incarnation of Buena Vista Social Club opened Off-Broadway at the Linda Gross Theater courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company. As a storytelling-driven adaptation of the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In their latest solo show LESS LONELY, comedian Jes Tom presents a slippery sense of self

Last night, Jes Tom’s Less Lonely opened Off-Broadway at the Greenwich House Theater. The new autobiographical solo show finds the transgender comedian updating audiences with the latest occurrences in their … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – For the holidays, Paper Mill stages a timely, generously performed revival of Bock & Harnick FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

For its annual holiday musical, Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ has programmed a revival of Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s classic musical Fiddler on the Roof. For those of … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Emphatically appealing to mainstream Broadway, HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO introduces autistism to wider audiences

Last night, the new musical How to Dance in Ohio opened on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre. Based on Alexandra Shiva’s award-winning HBO series of the same name, the production … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ruth Stage’s expanded LONE STAR brings depth to the material at the expense of satiric edginess

This weekend, I was able to catch Ruth Stage’s Off-Broadway revival of James McLure’s Lone Star at Theatre Row.  Set in the secluded back lot of a Texas bar, the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Lesson learned: Lynette Wallworth serenely reflects on HOW TO LIVE (AFTER YOU DIE)

Last night at BAM Fisher, I took in the the latest offering of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s storied Next Wave Festival – Lyette Walworth’s solo show HOW TO LIVE … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Channeling the past through music: Hershey Felder’s MONSIEUR CHOPIN and the Mloteks’ AMID FALLING WALLS

Music has the power for thrilling dramatic evocation when wielded in the right manner. This was the case with two works of theater that I came across this week, both … Continue Reading →