VIEWPOINTS – Dusting off the cobwebs: J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company’s A CLASS ACT and Mint Theater Company’s THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW

New York City Center’s Encores! series isn’t the only endeavor in town seeking to excavate past theatrical works that have gotten lost in the shuffle of time. Theater companies like … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Sanaz Toossi’s ENGLISH subtly intersects the notions of language, identity, and self-worth

Last night, Atlantic Theater Company and Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of Sanaz Toossi’s play English opened at the Linda Gross Theater. Set in a claustrophobic classroom in Iran, the new … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Despite its storytelling flaws, BLACK NO MORE intoxicates with its out-of-the-box audacity and exciting performances

Also last week, the anticipated new musical Black No More opened at the Pershing Square Signature Center courtesy of The New Group. The work is primarily the brainchild of Tariq … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The wildly hyped, skin deep revival of THE MUSIC MAN pops and crackles like a vividly animated cartoon

This past week, I was in the audience of the wildly hyped Broadway revival of Meredith Wilson’s classic musical The Music Man at the Winter Garden Theatre (back in September … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Flea re-emerges with ARDEN, a shamanistic cleansing ritual for a troubled theater company

This past weekend, I ventured down to The Flea to catch Arden: But Not Without You. The production marks the return to in-person performance for the adventurous Off-Broadway theater company, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Hansol Jung’s WOLF PLAY continues Soho Rep’s winning streak of presenting provocative, cutting-edge theater

Despite its pocket-sized performance space (i.e., the intimate and flexible Walkerspace), I’ve maintained for a while now that Soho Rep is one of the most important theater companies in the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The scrappy and quirky new musical SPACE DOGS takes a bit too many detours to make its point

Last weekend, Van Hughes and Nick Blaemire’s Space Dogs opened Off-Broadway courtesy of MCC Theater. Set mostly in the Soviet Union during the Cold War (with a few interludes that … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Composer Ricky Ian Gordon impressively debuts a pair of new operas in quick succession: INTIMATE APPAREL & THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS

In recent weeks, composer Ricky Ian Gordon pulled off quite the hat trick by impressively debuting two new operas (with different librettists and creative teams) in quick succession. Here are … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Dave Harris’s ambitious and panoramic fantasia TAMBO & BONES only moderately provokes

This week, Dave Harris’s Tambo & Bones opened Off-Broadway courtesy of Playwrights Horizons. The production is being co-presented by Los Angeles’s Center Theatre Group, where it will run subsequent to … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Indulging in some immersive theater: BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN & ODD MAN OUT

I recently had the opportunity to indulge in a pair of immersive theatrical experiences. Here are my thoughts on them. BOTTOM OF THE OCEANHouseworld ImmersiveOpen run Last week, I trekked … Continue Reading →