VIEWPOINTS – Contrasting nights at the Met: A new, revisionist staging of CARMEN and a sturdily traditional revival of NABUCCO

On consecutive evenings this week, I had the opportunity to take in back-to-back viewings of contrasting productions at the Metropolitan Opera. As per usual, read on for my thoughts. CARMENThe … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – THE BEST OF 2023: Theater, Music, and Dance

With 2023 officially behind us, I’ve taken some time to look back at the year to take stock and assess the performances that have stood out and risen to the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – A fresh, young secondary cast of THE MAGIC FLUTE injects life into the Met’s holiday presentation of the Mozart favorite

Fantastical spectacle aside, Mozart’s The Magic Flute is a strange opera for family holiday consumption — which is exactly how the Metropolitan Opera has marketed and programmed the popular singspiel. … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Swinging though the holidays: A SWINGING BIRDLAND CHRISTMAS and Norm Lewis croons with the the NY POPS

In recent days, I had the great pleasure of enjoying a pair of Christmastime concerts that had me swinging through the holiday weekend. As always, read on for my thoughts. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – A new holiday tradition: John Adams’ powerfully distilled EL NIÑO: NATIVITY RECONSIDERED is accessible yet revisionist

Last night at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, I attended my third Christnastime oratorio, John Adams and Peter Sellars’ El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered (you can read my joint review … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Drag infiltrates downtown theater: Sasha Velour’s THE BIG REVEAL and ONEOFUS’s SLEEPING BEAUTY

This holiday season, you’ll be able to find drag performances — with all their joy and defiance — infiltrating legitimate theater spaces, particularly those catering to downtown audiences. Read on … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Sacred music then and now: Trinity Wall Street’s soul-searching MESSIAH and an austere performance of David Lang’s THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL PASSION

On my continued pursuit to hear music in non-traditional spaces, I came across a pair of oratorios that are representative of sacred music — both then and now. These performances … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Met’s traditional staging of Wagner’s TÄNNHAUSER returns in a musically sublime revival

Earlier this week, I caught up with the Metropolitan Opera’s current revival of Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser. Written in 1845, the opera is a transitional work that appealingly straddles traditional grand … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Cabaret Roundup: MAMIE PARRIS sings her face of in an Andrew Lloyd Webber “Thrill Ride”, and BRANDON VICTOR DIXON gorgeously croons the night away

Over the past week or so — in between attending holiday and late fall offerings — I found myself basking in a couple of excellent cabaret acts. As always, here … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – South American Magic Realism at Lincoln Center: FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS at The Met and THE GARDENS OF ANUNCIA at LCT

Before the winter doldrums set in, you’ll be able to bask in some tropical South American weather and fragrant magical realism wafting from two of the stages at Lincoln Center. … Continue Reading →