THE HANGOVER REPORT – Rajiv Joseph’s KING JAMES examines male friendship through the lens of LeBron James fandom (oh, and racial and socio-economic circumstances, too)

Last night, Rajiv Joseph’s latest play King James opened Off-Broadway at New York City Center. The production arrives in New York by way of Chicago and Los Angeles, where it was presented … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Wesley Du’s HONG KONG MISSISSIPPI leans in on stereotypes in telling a cross-cultural coming-of-age tale

This past weekend at La MaMa’s The Downstairs venue, I attended one of the closing performances of Hong Kong Mississippi. Written and performed by Wesley Du, the solo show chronicles … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – At 59E59 Theaters, Alan Bennett’s THE HABIT OF ART humanizes Auden and Britten (and theater-making)

Currently over at 59E59 Theaters, you’ll be able to catch Original Theatre’s production of The Habit of Art by Alan Bennett (a playwright perhaps best known for penning the award-winning … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Extraordinary 19-year-old prodigy YUNCHAN LIM makes a smashing debut with the New York Philharmonic

Yesterday, I attended a memorable performance by the New York Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall. As helmed by the exciting young American conductor James Gaffigan, the orchestra has rarely sounded … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – When accessibility creates its own artistic impression: TBTB’s revival of GOD OF CARNAGE and Up Until Now Collective’s MIDAIR FOR SOME TIME

Over the past week or so, I encountered a pair of productions that have made artistic impressions by virtue of granting accessibility to theater patrons (the same feeling I came … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Elizabeth Swados’s intoxicating THE BEAUTIFUL LADY makes its long-awaited New York debut, courtesy of La MaMa

This week at the Ellen Stewart Theatre, composer/lyricist Elizabeth Swados’s The Beautiful Lady made its long-awaited New York debut courtesy of La MaMa (the 1984 work was previously seen in … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ivo van Hove’s potent new DON GIOVANNI arrives at the Met, splendidly sung and surprisingly straightforward

Last night, I caught up with Ivo van Hove’s anticipated new production of Don Giovanni, which opened last week at the Metropolitan Opera. The Belgian auteur’s production replaces Michael Grandage’s lifeless … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Julissa Contreras’s bilingual family drama VÁMONOS revisits 9/11 trauma from a different perspective

This past weekend, I also had the opportunity to check out the world premiere of Julissa Contreras’s Vámonos, which arrives Off-Broadway courtesy of the Latinx focused INTAR Theatre in Hell’s … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Encores! mounts a decidedly grim, well-sung revival of Lionel Bart’s OLIVER! at New York City Center

Last night at New York City Center, I attended Encores! latest entry in its 2023 season, an enticingly cast revival of Lionel Bart’s beloved 1960 musical Oliver! (the 1968 film adaptation won … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – They’ve still got it: Downtown theater artists RIZO and KAREN FINLEY urgently return to live performance

Over the course of the past week, I had the opportunity to catch the return to live performance of two revered downtown artists, both of whom have come out of … Continue Reading →