THE HANGOVER REPORT – Signature Theatre’s aptly titled SIMPLY SONDHEIM lets the master’s songs speak for themselves

Last night, I capped off my evening curling up with Simply Sondheim, Signature Theatre’s wonderfully performed revue of Stephen Sondheim songs. The virtual production launches Signature’s 5-show digital season, which … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Opera companies turn to other mediums to persist the art form: SOLDIER SONGS & THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER

Apart from filming opera productions in empty auditoriums for streaming consumption (which was the case with Opéra-Comique’s buoyant recent production of Titon et l’Aurore directed by master puppeteer Basil Twist), … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Regional theaters march on with their digital seasons: Woolly Mammoth and Steppenwolf stream HI, ARE YOU SINGLE? and RED FOLDER, respectively

As we enter 2021, the theater industry continues to reel from the inability to physically stage shows in front of live audiences. Given this harsh ongoing reality, it’s heartening to … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – WalkUpArts’ phone-based BABY JESSICA’S WELL-MADE PLAY is sprawling, unconventional, and fundamentally interactive

In 1987, “Baby Jessica” (i.e., Jessica McClure Morales) inadvertently became a celebrity when at 18 months old she fell into a well. There she remained pinned and stranded for nearly … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Duncan MacMillan’s LUNGS stealthily mulls over humanity’s environmental endgame vis-à-vis a mundane romance

Somehow, Lungs by Duncan MacMillan (1984; People, Places and Things; The Effect) managed to elude my theatergoing over the last decade. When the play premiered in 2011, it unfortunately flew … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Powerful digital revivals of Brian Friel’s FAITH HEALER and MOLLY SWEENEY reveal a master at work

I recently had the opportunity to stream a pair of exceptionally acted Brian Friel plays, Faith Healer and Molly Sweeney. Experiencing these ravishing – albeit slow-burning – shows back-to-back revealed … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Mark O’Rowe’s expertly-acted THE APPROACH, heavily informed by Pinter, is one of the many Irish plays currently on view

It seems we’re awash in Irish drama these days, the result of a welcome congruence in virtual programming. In my opinion, few pleasures are more satisfying on a winter’s day … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Despite the times, impactful new opera and music theater continue to enrich PROTOTYPE

Those of you who think opera is an antiquated art form with little relevancy should look no further than Prototype, the annual festival celebrating new opera and music theater, which … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – A roundup of the Public Theater’s digital 2021 UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL

This time last year, I was furiously hopping from show to show as I immersed myself in the city’s various “experimental” (for a lack of a better term) performing arts … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – The spirit of the Broadway musical persists in RATATOUILLE: THE TIKTOK MUSICAL and JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY

Although live/in-person theater is becoming an increasingly distant memory, the irrepressible spirit of the Broadway musical persists in other mediums. Here are my thoughts on two of these hybrid endeavors. … Continue Reading →