REPORT CARD: Shakespeare-mania, or the 2013-2014 New York Theater Season

As the 2013-2014 New York theater season comes to a close, it seems appropriate to take the time to provide an overview of the unprecedented plethora of Shakespeare productions that … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Are the Oldies the Only Goodies (Case Studies in Revivals)?

During the “golden age” of Broadway (1940s-1960s), a run of three to five years was considered extremely successful due to the economics of Broadway at the time. Anything beyond that … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Love and Beauty in Musical Theater

Rightly or wrongly, it’s hard for many of us not to be captivated by couples who, upon initial impression, are physically incompatible with each other. One of them is much … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: The Frugal New York Theatergoer

After getting a sense of how many performances I attend, most people tend to ask: “How are you able to afford it all?” For the record, I am (currently) NOT … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Humanizing the AIDS Crisis Through the Truth-Telling Lens of Theater

One of darkest episodes in recent American history has been the ongoing AIDS crisis, particularly during the panic- and confusion-ridden 1980s and the anguished 1990s. Luckily, since then, life-maintaining drugs … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Space and Perspective Relative to Performance (Part II – Breaking the Fourth Wall, and Then Some)

In the previous installment, I explored how one’s experience of performance can be affected not only by the dimensions of the playing space, but also by one’s physical location within … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Space and Perspective Relative to Performance (Part I – Theatricality and Physical Dimensionality)

On Monday, I had the privilege of seeing the minimalist British band the xx perform up close and personal with 44 other lucky guests at the Park Avenue Armory, one … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: The People’s Shows (But Not the Critics’)

It’s interesting to note that some of the most well-known, longest-running shows in Broadway and West End history were greeted by negative, even hostile, initial notices from theater critics. Yet, … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Hall of Mirrors – Chronicling Drag Culture on Broadway

For decades before Jared Leto won acclaim for his Oscar-winning performance in the film “Dallas Buyers Club”, drag has been prevalent on Broadway.  Drag’s presence in mainstream Broadway owes much … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Theater in the Third Person

I’ve been spending an hour or two each day over the last week watching the recording of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s nine-hour adaptation of Charles Dickens’ sprawling “The Life and … Continue Reading →