THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ivo van Hove’s potent new DON GIOVANNI arrives at the Met, splendidly sung and surprisingly straightforward

Last night, I caught up with Ivo van Hove’s anticipated new production of Don Giovanni, which opened last week at the Metropolitan Opera. The Belgian auteur’s production replaces Michael Grandage’s lifeless … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Julissa Contreras’s bilingual family drama VÁMONOS revisits 9/11 trauma from a different perspective

This past weekend, I also had the opportunity to check out the world premiere of Julissa Contreras’s Vámonos, which arrives Off-Broadway courtesy of the Latinx focused INTAR Theatre in Hell’s … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Encores! mounts a decidedly grim, well-sung revival of Lionel Bart’s OLIVER! at New York City Center

Last night at New York City Center, I attended Encores! latest entry in its 2023 season, an enticingly cast revival of Lionel Bart’s beloved 1960 musical Oliver! (the 1968 film adaptation won … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – They’ve still got it: Downtown theater artists RIZO and KAREN FINLEY urgently return to live performance

Over the course of the past week, I had the opportunity to catch the return to live performance of two revered downtown artists, both of whom have come out of … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Cie Focus & Cie Chaliwaté’s DIMANCHE playfully realizes escalating climate change calamities with gleeful macabre

This past weekend at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s BAM Fisher Center, I attended Cie Focus and Cie Chaliwaté’s production of Dimanche. In a series of loosely interlocking vignettes – … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – NEW YORK CITY BALLET’s gala performance focused squarely on forward-looking dance, unveiling new works by Wheeldon and Pires

At last week’s glamorous New York City Ballet spring gala, the company kept the gimmick light and focused squarely on forward-looking dance, presenting a pair of world premieres, in addition … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The 81-year-old MasterVoices performs a starry, utterly delightful staged concert of Gilbert & Sullivan’s IOLANTHE

Earlier this week at Carnegie Hall, MasterVoices finished off its astonishing 81st concert season with a starry, utterly delightful staged concert of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe (or, The Peer and … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s SHADOW/LAND heavy-handedly unpacks inter-generational trauma and legacy via Hurricane Katrina

Last night, Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s shadow/land opened Off-Broadway at the Public Theatre (the play was originally released in podcast form during lockdown). Set in New Orleans during the imminent onset of Hurricane Katrina, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Laura Horton’s BREATHLESS kicks off 59E59 Theater’s 2023 Brits Off Broadway season in fine fashion

Earlier this week, I had a chance to catch up with Laura Horton’s Breathless, the first entry in 59E59 Theater’s 2023 edition of its excellent Brits Off Broadway series. As … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Red Bull and Fiasco’s lively revival of THE KNIGHT OF THE BURNING PESTLE pushes a tad too hard for laughs

I recently had a chance to catch up with Red Bull and Fiasco’s co-production of The Knight of the Burning Pestle at Off-Broadway’s Lucille Lortelle Theatre. Penned by Francis Beaumont way … Continue Reading →