VIEWPOINTS – Bursts of drama from Flatbush to Washington Heights: Diane Exavier’s BERNARDA’S DAUGHTERS and Guadalís Del Carmen’s BEES & HONEY

This holiday weekend, I attended a pair new domestic dramas set in our teeming city that vividly capture diverse perspectives. Here are my thoughts on them. BERNARDA’S DAUGHTERSThe New Group … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Marin Alsop leads the NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC in a beautifully balanced program including Barber, Corea, and Prokofiev

This weekend at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, I attended a performance by the New York Philharmonic. The concert was led by the great Marin Alsop, who conducted a … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Keeljay Gipson’s DEMONS. unpacks grief and inter-generational trauma in an unlikely, whimsical manner

Earlier this week, I wrote a piece about how several recent performances I’ve attended have addressed how to come to terms with grief. Continuing on this trajectory is Keeljay Gipson’s … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Laughing through grief: Michael Cruz Kayne’s SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS and Jackie Hoffman’s IT’S OVER WHO HAS WEED?

Over the past week, I came across a pair of shows from comics who used comedy to deal with grief, albeit in divergent ways. Here are my thoughts, as always. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In THE SACRIFICE, South Africa’s Dada Masilo soulfully takes on “The Rite of Spring” by way of Pina Bausch and Tswana dance

Last night, Dada Masilo returned to The Joyce Theater for a weeklong run of her latest creation The Sacrifice. The South African dancer and choreographer has made a name for herself … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Simon McBurney’s new human-scaled staging of DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE basks in low-tech spectacle and literally elevates the music

Last week, the Metropolitan Opera unveiled its new production of Die Zauberflöte. Helmed by British theater director Simon McBurney, the production partially replaces Julie Taymor’s long-running staging (I say partially because … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – La MaMa exquisitely reconstructs María Irene Fornés’s EVELYN BROWN (A DIARY), a poetic meditation on a lost life

Also last night, a rare revival of María Irene Fornés’s Evelyn Brown (A Diary) opened Off-Broadway at La MaMa’s The Downstairs performance space (in fact, the piece hasn’t been revived since premiering … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The perfectly pleasant stage musical adaptation of MONSOON WEDDING coasts on the strength of its terrific score

Last night, the anticipated stage adaptation of Monsoon Wedding opened at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. Based on the 2001 movie of the same name and conceived and staged by … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – A completist’s dream, J2 Spotlight’s rare revival of THE GOODBYE GIRL charms as it highlights the musical’s flaws

This past weekend, J2 Spotlight Musical completed its 2023 season with a short run of The Goodbye Girl at Theatre Row. Premiering on Broadway three decades ago, the musical features … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Hansol Jung’s strangely playful ROMEO & JULIET both updates and stays in the play’s milieu

Last week at Off-Broadway’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater (most familiar to theatergoers as the home of Classic Stage Company), I attended a performance of Hansol Jung’s self-described “modern verse translation” … Continue Reading →