THE HANGOVER REPORT – In the smart and sensationally energizing & JULIET, Broadway has found a worthy successor to MAMMA MIA!

Earlier this fall, the new musical & Juliet opened on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. Having proved a solid hit across the pond in London’s West End, the jukebox … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Kevin Puts’s starry, much hyped opera adaptation of THE HOURS fails to mine the riches of Michael Cunningham’s novel

Last night at the Metropolitan Opera, I attended a performance of the starry, highly anticipated opera adaptation of The Hours by Kevin Puts (music) and Greg Pierce (libretto). Based on … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In the intermittently thrilling ONLY GOLD, Parisian love is animated through dance and song

On its closing weekend, I had the opportunity to catch up with Only Gold, Kate Nash, Andy Blankenbuehler, and Tedd Malawer’s highly anticipated dance-heavy musical at MCC Theater in Hell’s … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – On Broadway, KPOP exchanges its immersive edge and raw backstage drama for pop concert exuberance

Last night, KPOP opened at Circle in the Square, making the leap to the Great White Way after making a splash Off-Broadway five years ago in an audaciously immersive production … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The fabulous Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway return to 54 Below with a crowd-pleasing “highlights” show

On Thanksgiving Eve, I attended the latest nightclub act from cabaret circuit favorites Liz Callaway and Ann Hampton Callaway, who have settled into 54 Below for a weeklong holiday run. … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Surreal, formally rigorous works that investigate the current state: YOU WILL GET SICK and EVANSTON SALT COSTS CLIMBING

Over the course of the past week, I had the opportunity to take in a pair of formally rigorous Off-Broadway productions that conjure surreal worlds in their pursuit to make … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – At Second Stage, Bess Wohl’s bittersweet romance CAMP SIEGFRIED is both heavy-handed and frustratingly opaque

A few days ago, I attended a performance of Bess Wohl’s Camp Siegfried at Off-Broadway’s Tony Kiser Theater, courtesy of Second Stage Theater. Set in Long Island in 1938, the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In DOWNSTATE, Bruce Norris’s unflinching stunner of a play, audiences are confronted with uncomfortable questions

This past weekend, I attended Downstate, Bruce Norris’s latest play which is currently running Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons. The production was previously seen in 2018 at Chicago’s revered Steppenwolf Theatre … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – On Broadway, a pair of impressive solo performances that grapple with mortality: Mike Birbiglia in THE OLD MAN AND THE POOL and Jefferson Mays in A CHRISTMAS CAROL

This fall on Broadway, theater fans have the opportunity to take in a pair of solo performances that grapple with mortality. I’m happy to report that both absolutely sing. Here … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Using first hand accounts to frame reactions against psychotherapy and organized religion: THE PATIENT GLORIA and THE UNBELIEVING

This past weekend, I took in a pair of investigatory works of theater that use first hand accounts to frame contemporary reactions against psychotherapy and organized religion. Here are my … Continue Reading →