THE HANGOVER REPORT – John Doyle’s unsurprisingly minimalist revival of THE CRADLE WILL ROCK works as a tone poem, sans the anger

This week, John Doyle’s revival of Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock opened Off-Broadway at Classic Stage Company. The highly political so-called “play in music” – which is perhaps best known for being actively  opposed … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Mabou Mines’ FAUST 2.0 bites off more than it can chew

This week, Mabou Mines’ Fasut 2.0, Matthew Maguire’s  ambitious take on Part II of Goethe’s masterpiece, opened Off-Broadway at the theater company’s renovated home in the East Village. For those of you … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – John Guare’s masterful NANTUCKET SLEIGH RIDE is a youthful late-career effort

This past weekend at Off-Broadway’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, I caught John Guare’s latest play Nantucket Sleigh Ride, courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater, an institution that has long been key to … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ohad Naharin at the top of his game: VENEZUELA is obsessive and sexy

This weekend, I caught Ohad Naharin’s latest creation, a two-part, evening-length dance piece entitled Venezuela. The work, which was performed by Batsheva Dance Company (the choreographer’s acclaimed dance company), had its … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Heidi Schreck’s WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME, more potent than ever on Broadway

Heidi Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me has had a long journey this season already, having played to great acclaim Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop in the fall, then continuing … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Reassessing Lepage’s RING CYCLE for the Met, roughly at the halfway point

Back in 2010, renowned French Canadian experimental theater director Robert Lepage embarked on staging Richard Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle – one of the towering achievements in Western Art – for the Metropolitan Opera, replacing a … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Rehana Lew Mirza’s punchy, familiar HATEF**CK dutifully entertains

Last weekend, I caught the Off-Broadway production of Hatef**k by Rehana Lew Mirza, courtesy of WP Theater and Colt Coeur. The play continues the dialogue started by Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Theatre Re’s near wordless THE NATURE OF FORGETTING is a gorgeous portrait of early onset dementia

Playing through just this weekend is a marvelous, soulful piece of physical theater entitled The Nature of Forgetting at the New Victory Theater, courtesy of the London-based Theatre Re. The show, a … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ambiguity reigns in PERP, Lyle Kessler’s indistinct new play

Last night at TBG Mainstage Theatre, Lyle Kessler’s world premiere play Perp opened Off-Broadway courtesy of the Barrow Group. Mr. Kessler is perhaps best known for penning the 1983 play Orphans, which was famously performed … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – City Ballet star Sara Mearns shines in the delightful Encores! revival of Rodgers and Hart’s I MARRIED AN ANGEL

Sunday evening at New York City Center, I caught the final performance of the delightful Encores! revival of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s rarely performed I Married an Angel. Besides getting … Continue Reading →