VIEWPOINTS – Celebrity solo shows worthy of the buzz: Billy Crystal wistfully goes down memory lane in 860, Andrew Scott devastates in the incisive SEA WALL

This fall, there are a pair of celebrity solo shows that I’m happy to report were worthy of the buzz, if not necessarily their hefty price (at least as it … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Company premieres and well-worn classics: An assessment of AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE’s eclectic fall season

This past weekend, American Ballet Theatre concluded its fall season at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. For two weeks, the company turned out three bespoke, eclectic programs … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – New York City Center’s thrillingly fresh gala revival of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s IN THE HEIGHTS explodes off the stage

This past weekend, I had the great privilege of attending New York City Cener’s fall production of In the Heights. The 2005 musical was Lin-Manuel Miranda’s breakout show, which ultimately … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Assessing new ensemble-driven musicals: Roundabout’s EDM-fueled THE HEART, the Bobby Conte-led COPPERFIELD! open Off-Broadway

Recently opening Off-Broadway are a pair of Off-Broadway musicals that have been designed to be driven by ensemble-based theatrical storytelling (similar to the Olivier Award-winning musical adaptation of The Curious … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Dance roundup: LONDON CITY BALLET returns to The Joyce, Oona Doherty’s SPECKY CLARK haunts Irish Arts Center

In the world of dance, this past week saw the return of London City Ballet with a pair of mixed bills to The Joyce Theater, as well as the New … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Solo shows depicting women pushed to the extremities of their sanity: Elf Lyons in THE WOMAN ON THE EDGE, Paul David Young’s LIVIA

Over the past week or so, I was able to catch a pair of Off-Broadway solo shows depicting women pushed to the extremities of their sanity. These would be Elf … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Unconventional theatrical forms conveying inner lives: Hoi Polloi’s revival of Sarah Kane’s CRAVE, Mona Pirnot’s I BECAME WE

When you sit down and think about it, what really is a “well-made” play? Most people will point to the wealth of examples from the likes of Shakespeare to Arthur … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Docu-dramas that use history to expose today’s woes: Assessing the return of KRAMER/FAUCI and the US premiere of FOUR WALLS AND A ROOF

Over the last week, I took in two theatrical docu-dramas that keenly reconstructed historical happenings, stealthily exposing today’s woes in the process. Read on for my assessments on the return … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Met’s atmospheric new production LINCOLN IN THE BARDO manifests the strange liminal world between the living and the dead

Last night, I was able to catch up with The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Lincoln in the Bardo. Based on George Saunders 2017 Booker Prize–winning novel of the same … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Truth and deception explored in two new Off-Broadway dramas: David Zax’s AFTERMATH, Kate Vozella’s MACHINE LEARNING

This past week, I came across a pair of Off-Broadway plays that examine the notions of truth and deception within the context of intimate relationships. Here are my thoughts on … Continue Reading →