VIEWPOINTS – Distinctively French, American: William Christie’s LES ARTS FLORRISANT and a Gustavo Gimeno-led NY PHILHARMONIC

This past weekend, two music ensembles strove, respectively, to evoke distinctly French and American stylings. These would be William Christie’s early music specialists Les Arts Florrisant at the Brooklyn Academy … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Cunning deviousness at the heart of artistic and political success: Examining the moral corruptness that fuel KYOTO and PRACTICE

This fall, Off-Broadway has delved into the heart of darkness, particularly in two new works that investigate the cunning deviousness that often fuels success and so-called progress. These would be … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jack Thorne’s deeply humanistic A CHRISTMAS CAROL returns, this time starring Michael Cerveris as Scrooge

No holiday season in the city would be complete without at least a handful of stage iterations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol on tap. Over the last decade or … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – GOTTA DANCE! takes a nostalgic choreographic trip down memory lane through the various eras of the American musical

This week, The York Theatre and American Dance Machine’s co-production — in association with producer Riki Kane Larimer — of Gotta Dance! opened Off-Broadway at the Theatre at St. Jean’s … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – ‘Tis the season: Broadway’s AMBER IMAN and CHRISTINE EBERSOLE kick off the holidays with their cabaret shows

In terms of nightlife entertainment, this week saw the first signs of the Christmastime holiday peaking through with Broadway favorites Amber Iman and two-time Tony-winner Christine Ebersole unveiling their latest … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Sometimes less is more: Semi-staged presentations of Jeanine Tesori’s BLUE and Marvin Hamlisch’s SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS hit the mark

In recent weeks, I attended semi-staged presentations of Jeanine Tesori’s 2019 opera Blue and Marvin Hamlisch’s underrated 2002 musical adaptation of Sweet Smell of Success. With the focus squarely on … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – From the tastefully refined to the hilariously crass: Assessing the new commercial Off-Broadway musicals REUNIONS and VAPE!

Currently on the boards of this busy fall theater season, you’ll find a pair of new musicals taking a shot at commercial success Off-Broadway. As always, read on below for … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Navigating modern masculinity: Ari’el Stachel’s OTHER, Jesse Eisenberg’s THE ZIEGFELD FILES (and new material by Daniel Sloss)

In recent weeks, I came across a trio of solo shows by Ari’el Stachel, Jess Eisenberg, and Daniel Sloss. Although each on their own failed to completely captivate — for … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – After an absence of over 40 years, DUTCH NATIONAL BALLET returns to New York with two stacked programs

This week, Dutch National Ballet in a highly anticipated return has arrived in New York for its first major engagement in more than 40 years. During its relatively brief run … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Else Went’s sprawling five hour INITIATIVE is messy and excessive, just like the high school experience it painstakingly depicts

Also last night was the Off-Broadway opening of The Public Theater’s world premiere production of Initiative by Else Went (an alumnus of The Public’s Emerging Writers Group). Set in “Costal … Continue Reading →