VIEWPOINTS – Joe’s Pub continues to be a hotbed of vital, unpredictable performances: American Sing-Song’s HOLE! and Varla Jean Merman’s THE DROWSY CHAPPELL ROAN

After many years of attending performances at Joe’s Pub, I’m happy to report that the venue continues to be a hotbed for vital, unpredictable performances of the distinctly downtown variety. … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Now in its sixth season, J2 Spotlight presents lovingly staged revivals of CARNIVAL and THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

Musical theater aficionados not quite satiated by New York City Center’s annual Encores! programming should be thankful for J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company, another producing entity — now in its … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Potent American origin stories in theatrically unassuming packages: MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET and HOW MY GRANDPARENTS FELL IN LOVE

This spring, I encountered a pair of Off-Broadway shows that have landed in New York after successful runs at regional theaters just outside the city. Despite the unassuming, decidedly old … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – New opera is alive and well: Gregory Spears’ SLEEPERS AWAKE at Opera Philadelphia and Kaija Saariaho’s INNOCENCE at the Met

And just like that, contemporary opera is alive and well — In an unexpected one-two punch this past weekend, I was able to take in a pair of new opera … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Off-Off-Broadway, intimate solo shows of note: Anthony Rapp in TOUCH and John Kevin Jones in KILLING AN EVENING

More often than not, I find that the intimate settings bring out the best in one person shows, giving viewers close up vantage points from which to access the storytelling … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Chekhov, boldly remixed: Dmitry Krymov’s UNCLE VANYA, SCENES FROM COUNTRY LIFE and Alexander Molochnikov’s SEAGULL: TRUE STORY

Earlier this week, I enjoyed a deliciously improbable doubleheader of Chekhov riffing that included spending the afternoon with Dmitry Krymov’s refocused Uncle Vanya, scenes from country life at La MaMa, … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Identity-blurring solo shows to catch: David Greenspan in WITHOUT MIRRORS, Sean Hayes in THE UNKNOWN

Currently on the boards, I encourage you to check out a pair of intriguing and alluring solo shows that blur the identities of their narrators. Indeed, by the end of … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – History through the fantastical lens of theater: MARCEL ON THE TRAIN at CSC and MOTHER RUSSIA at Signature

As we all know, history is a slippery, tricky thing. Currently on the boards, there are two new Off-Broadway plays that have chosen to cut through the thick gauze of … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – In its opening days, DANCE REFLECTIONS ambitiously takes on technology, human connection, and the natural world

This past week saw the arrival and departure of the three initial offerings of the 2026 edition of the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival, an expansive, nearly … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Scrappy opera companies banking on the genre’s ability to speak to today: Heartbeat Opera’s MANON! and Off-Brand Opera’s 3PENNY OPERA

This winter also saw the arrival and departure of a pair of substantially revised versions of classic works of the operatic canon from two scrappy opera companies that are banking … Continue Reading →