THE HANGOVER REPORT – At 54 Below, the irrepressible BETH LEAVEL puts over the Sondheim songbook with her trademark sardonic wit

This past weekend at 54 Below, I was able to catch Beth Leavel’s final performance — at least for now — of her latest show Beth Leavel Sings Sondheim. As … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Bel canto summer: Teatro Nuovo mounts a charming LA SONNAMBULA and THE VERSAILLES ROYAL OPERA ORCHESTRA debuts

This summer, bel canto seems to be the genre of choice for classical music ensembles, particularly as exemplified by Teatro Nuovo’s 2025 season and the New York premiere performances of … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Irish Rep once again locates the vital human pulse of Conor McPherson’s masterpiece THE WEIR

This summer, Off-Broadway’s Irish Repertory Theatre has brought back its rock solid production of Conor McPherson’s The Weir (the current run is the third time the Chelsea-based theater company has mounted the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In TA-DA!, Josh Sharp existentially expounds on coming out and a near death experienc via Power Point slides

This week, Josh Sharp’s ta-da! opened Off-Broadway at the Greenwich House Theater. In essence, Sharp’s new show is a playful yet rigorous solo turn along the lines of Carl Holder’s Out of Order, … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – At The Joyce, MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP illuminates humanity vis-à-vis musicality as only Morris and his company can

Currently at The Joyce Theater in Chelsea, you’ll be able to catch Mark Morris Dance Group in the midst of a two-week summer run consisting of two completely distinct programs. … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Betsy Wolfe is winning as the trailblazing Miracle Mop inventor in the otherwise pedestrian new musical JOY

This week, Joy: A True New Musical opened Off-Broadway at the Laura Pels Theatre (typically the Off-Broadway home of Roundabout Theatre Company, which is renting the space this summer to … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Nightlife roundup: LAURA & LINDA BENANTI team up at 54 Below, and JACKIE BEAT rings in another year at the Cutting Room

Even in the midst of New York’s scorching summers, the city’s iconic cabaret and nightlife scene remains by and large unfazed, as exemplified by a pair of highly entertaining shows … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Money can’t buy everything, hope the Off-Broadway satires DILARIA and POLISHING SHAKESPEARE

Currently Off-Broadway, you’ll find a pair of satires critiquing the extent to which money shapes and influences our lives — both culturally and socially — in today’s world. As always, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In a refreshing change of pace, Charles Randolph-Wright gives us an unabashed love story in DUKE & ROYA

This summer, in a refreshing change of pace from the status quo, Charles Randolph-Wright has given playgoers an outright, unabashed love story of the likes of classic Hollywood films like … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Processing personal crises through performance: Crystal Skillman’s OPEN and Carl Holder’s OUT OF ORDER

Currently on the boards far from the bright lights of the Great White Way are a pair of dramas that use the intimacy of the solo show format to process … Continue Reading →