THE STATE OF THE ARTS – December 3, 2014

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TAMBURLAINE, PARTS 1 & 2 – John Douglas Thompson is a force of nature in Marlowe’s relentless depiction of world domination. SIDE SHOW – Erin Davie … Continue Reading →

THE STATE OF THE ARTS – November 19, 2014

LAST WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TAMBURLAINE, PARTS I & II – John Douglas Thompson is giving a commanding, no-holds-barred performance in the titular role of both parts in Marlowe’s rarely-seen … Continue Reading →

THE STATE OF THE ARTS – November 12, 2014

LAST WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS LITTLE DANCER – Tiler Peck exceeds expectations and dances like a dream in Ahrens and Flaherty’s new musical (currently out-of-town at the Kennedy Center in … Continue Reading →

THE STATE OF THE ARTS – November 5, 2014

LAST WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS BLACKOUT – After all the buzz, I finally did it. I’m still kind of shell-shocked by this “haunted house” experience. I can’t speak for the … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Mini Retrospectives on the Boards this Fall

I’ve often thought that the best way to appreciate an artist’s output is within the context of the their larger body of work. Fans of Shakespeare and classical music composers, … Continue Reading →

THE STATE OF THE ARTS – October 22, 2014

RECENT RECOMMENDATIONS WHEN JANUARY FEELS LIKE SUMMER – One of the small gems of the fall theater season and a complete surprise from left field. “January” is an uneven play, … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – We’re All In This Together: The Centrality of the Audience in Performance

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been deeply moved by a number of performances that, when considering only the text, have very little to do with one another. Indeed, what … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Those Summer Nights: New York Performing Arts Festival-ing

Now that summer has officially come to a close, it is a good time to look back and recap the highs and lows of the numerous performing arts festivals that … Continue Reading →

THE NOTEBOOK (6/24/14): NY Phil Rehearses More Beethoven; Robert Wilson’s “The Old Woman” at BAM

NY Phil Rehearses More Beethoven The NY Philharmonic’s open rehearsal yesterday morning was a bittersweet occasion in a number of ways. Firstly, it was the great orchestra’s final open rehearsal of … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – My 20 Pet Peeves When Attending Live Performances

We’ve all experienced it. You treat yourself to a Broadway show at $150 a pop. And then. The annoying cellophane candy wrappers. The theater patrons who chat amongst themselves as … Continue Reading →