VIEWPOINTS – Double Feature’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM & MACBETH: Exceedingly intimate, immersive revivals that create worlds within worlds

A night after attending Public Works’ large-scale musical adaptation of The Tempest at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, I ventured deep into Brooklyn ti a secret location (warning: brief spoilers here) … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In a farewell to the Delacorte as we know it, the luminous Renée Elise Goldsberry leads Public Works’ integrated adaptation of THE TEMPEST

Last night, I attended a performance of Public Works’ musical adaptation of The Tempest. Now in its second decade, these large-scale, city-embracing/promoting Public Works offerings have become an integral summer-capping tradition … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Cabaret Roundup: BEN CRAWFORD sings his face off at 54 Below; SUSIE MOSHER and JOHN BOSWELL unleash “Cashino” at Birdland

During these quieter days of late August, I found myself indulging in New York’s vibrant cabaret scene. Here are my thoughts on a couple of these recent nightlife outings. BEN … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL leans in on campy parody and theme park spectacle, forcefully inducing nostalgia

This week, I had the chance to catch up with Back to the Future: The Musical which savvily opened at the Winter Garden Theatre earlier this month in time to lure summer … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Funny woman SUSIE MOSHER hilariously holds court during her weekly “The Lineup” variety show

Last night, I witnessed Susie Mosher once again hold court over The Lineup, her weekly variety show at the subterranean Birdland Theater (the show is performed at the famed Midtown jazz … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Sandy Rustin’s amusingly nostalgic, tightly-staged THE COTTAGE makes for breezy, diverting summer fluff

Last night, I attended Sandy Rustin’s The Cottage at the Helen Hayes Theatre (note that the limited run is independent of Second Stage’s 2023/2024 season offerings). The 10-year-old comedy has the distinction … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Tawni O’Dell’s new drama PAY THE WRITER goes through the motions and misses the mark

Last night, Tawni O’Dell’s new drama Pay the Writer opened Off-Broadway. The play tells the fictitious story of a successful Black writer and his parallel relationships with his gay literary agent and … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Basketball Off-Broadway: Inua Ellams’ mythically-scaled THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL and Candrice Jones’s exceptional FLEX

This summer, a pair of plays with intrinsic ties to the sport of basketball graced the boards of two of New York’s premiere Off-Broadway stages. Luckily, I was able to … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – True to his stage name, EL MAGO POP’s exuberant, narrative-light trickery pops wonderfully on the Broadway stage

Last night, the European sensation El Mago Pop opened his show on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. For the uninitiated, “El Mago Pop” is the stage name of one … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – CAT KID COMIC CLUB proves to be another inspired musical adaptation for kids by TheatreWorks USA

This past weekend at Off-Broadway’s classic Lucille Lortel Theatre in the West Village, I had the opportunity to catch up with Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical, TheatreWorks USA’s musical … Continue Reading →