THE HANGOVER REPORT – LESSONS IN SURVIVAL: 1971 is a stylish reenactment of James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni’s rich, still-timely dialogue on Blackness

Last night, the stage version of Lessons in Survival: 1971 opened Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. Co-conceived by Marin Ireland, Peter Mark Kendall, Tyler Thomas (who also directs), and Reggie … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Weaponizing pointe work: Akram Khan’s trenchant GISELLE radically and strikingly updates the iconic classical ballet

Earlier this week at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, I attended the opening night performance of English National Ballet’s production of Giselle directed and choreographed by international dance superstar … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Karen Hartman’s speculative drama NEW GOLDEN AGE unfolds like a disorienting “Dark Mirror” episode

I recently caught Karen Hartman’s New Golden Age at 59E59 Theaters. The production marks the return to in-person performance for Primary Stages, which over the years has had a successful … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the mighty CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA in evocative and vividly colored readings of Shaw, Salonen, and Ravel

Also while in Chicago, I had a chance to take in a performance by the great Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the acoustically welcoming Orchestra Hall. The performance was led by … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Steppenwolf unveils its new Ensemble Theater with SEAGULL, Yasen Peyankov’s subtly updated adaptation of Chekhov’s play

I closed out my Chicago theater-going binge by attending a performance of Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s highly anticipated production of Seagull at the company’s new Ensemble Theater. Although the recently-completed in-the-round … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – After a few postponements, the Joffrey Ballet dances a swift and spirited DON QUIXOTE at the Lyric Opera House

After two postponements due to the ongoing scheduling challenges presented by the pandemic, Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet is finally presenting its crowd-pleasing staging of Don Quixote at the Lyric Opera House, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Court Theatre’s perfectly-acted revival of August Wilson’s TWO TRAINS RUNNING is theater at its most life-giving

My theater-going winning streak in Chicago continued with the sensational revival of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running by the Court Theatre. Located on the South Side of the city on … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – LOOKINGGLASS ALICE remains an intoxicating hybrid of stylish storytelling and high-flying physical feats

This week, I flew to Chicago to re-acquaint myself with the city’s rich performing arts scene. Having spent not an insignificant portion of my adult life in the Windy City, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Somi Kakoma astonishes as South African singer and activist Miram Makeba in the new bio-musical DREAMING ZENZILE

Last night, the new musical Dreaming Zenzile opened Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop. The work is essentially a jukebox bio-musical, along the same vein as Jersey Boys and Beautiful, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In Dave Harris’s EXCEPTION TO THE RULE, naturalistic high school drama uncomfortably meets Beckettian existentialism

Last night at Roundabout Theatre Company’s intimate Black Box Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, I attended a performance of Dave Harris’s Exception to the Rule. … Continue Reading →