VIEWPOINTS – Romantic comedies with intellect: Sparkling revivals of Elizabeth Baker’s PARTNERSHIP and George Bernard Shaw’s ARMS AND THE MAN

This past week at Theatre Row, I had the opportunity to catch up with two sparkling Off-Broadway revivals of plays – both romantic comedies – written circa the turn of … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Women waywardly finding their purpose: Dianne Wiest in SCENE PARTNERS and Lameece Issaq in A GOOD DAY TO ME NOT TO YOU

Opening last night were two new Off-Broadway plays with more than passing similarities. More specifically, both works portray women at later stages in their lives as they waywardly search for … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – A contemplative theatrical fusion: WATCH NIGHT embraces opera, poetry, and dance to create a timely tapestry

Last night, I made my way to the brand new Perelman Performing Arts Center — also known simply as PAC NYC — to catch one of its inaugural commissions Watch Night. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman’s HARMONY finally arrives on Broadway, formulaic but with high voltage timeliness

Last night, the new musical Harmony by Barry Manilow (music) and Bruce Sussman (book and lyrics) opened on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The show finally arrives on the Great White … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Scoping out the Fringes: Gems at LA MAMA PUPPET FESTIVAL and Heartbeat Opera’s lively drag riff on THE GOLDEN COCK(erel)

This past weekend – in the midst of some high profile fall theater openings – I had the urge to scope out the fringes of New York’s vibrant performing arts … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Geoff Sobelle’s immersive FOOD is an absurdist, hallucinatory meditation on why we eat how we eat

This weekend at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s flexible BAM Fisher space, I caught the final installment of Geoff Sobelle’s astonishing trilogy of works exploring seemingly mainstay notions in our … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Qui Nguyen’s POOR YELLA REDNECKS buoyantly translates the immigrant experience via graphic novels and “Hamilton”

This week at New York City Center’s subterranean Stage I, I was also able to take in Manhattan Theatre Club’s Off-Broadway production of Poor Yella Rednecks by Qui Nguyen. A companion piece … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Danny DeVito leads I NEED THAT, the prolific Theresa Rebeck’s perfectly pleasant Main Stem comedy for Roundabout

Theresa Rebeck continues to be one of the most prolific working playwrights in theater business. This fall alone, she’s unveiled two new plays – the fantastic Dig for Primary Stages … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – David Adjmi’s gorgeously nuanced new play STEREOPHONIC bristles with music, authenticity

Last night, I caught David Adjmi’s new play Stereophonic at Playwrights Horizons. Set in California recording studios during the mid 1970s, the play depicts the painful creation of a rock … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Displaying their gift of the gab: Fellow Irishmen ED BYRNE and MIKEL MURFI bewitch in their respective solo shows

Over the past few days, I encountered a pair of solo shows by hugely talented Irishmen who bewitched me with their immense charisma and undeniable gift of the gab. Read … Continue Reading →