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 →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Who doesn’t like a rom-com?: The flawed but immensely likable two-hander musical TWO STRANGERS arrives on Broadway

Last night, the Broadway transfer of Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) officially opened at the Longacre Theatre. Arriving on our shores on a wave of strong word … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Irish Arts Center presents Garry Hynes’ muscular, incisively-acted production of Beckett’s ENDGAME

It’s been quite the fall for Samuel Beckett, whose plays have received a number of notable New York productions over the last month or so. Given these fraught post-pandemic times … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Tom Hanks and Kelli O’Hara charm in THIS WORLD OF TOMORROW, a decidedly old fashioned time traveling romance

Last night, Tom Hanks and James Glossman’s new play This World of Tomorrow opened at The Shed in Hudson Yards. Starring Hanks and Tony-winner Kelli O’Hara, the play tells the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE returns in an utterly delightful, top notch Off-Broadway revival

Last night marked the opening of the first major New York revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. As its title indicates, the musical essentially re-enacts a fictitious … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Horror by way of psychological terrorism: Looking into Off-Broadway’s THE WASP and THE YELLOW WALLPAPER

If you’re in the mood for some blood chilling theater by way of psychological terrorism, I encourage you to check out a pair of intensely intimate Off-Broadway plays, both of … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Brilliant musical theater scores wrapped in questionable premises: The quest to fix CHESS and THE BAKER’S WIFE continues

Two of this fall’s biggest theater stories are the return of Chess and The Baker’s Wife, two musicals that notoriously flopped in their maiden outings. The reason they have endured … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Sadler’s Wells in New York: Hofesh Shechter’s THEATRE OF DREAMS and the late Paul Roberts’ QUADROPHENIA, A ROCK BALLET

This week saw the arrival of a pair of full length dance pieces with origins from across the pond, namely the prolific dance presenter that is Sadler’s Wells in London. … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Out-of-the-box theatrical curiosities that might just fit the bill: ROB LAKE MAGIC and POP UP DINNER THEATER

As one of the indisputable hubs of the entertainment industry, New York is teeming with bespoke theatrical experiences clamoring to satisfy whatever craving — no matter how niche — you … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – High profile musicals inspired by unlikely source material: THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS and THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES

This past week saw the opening of a pair of high profile new musicals about troubled American families that are based on unlikely source material. These would be The Public … Continue Reading →