VIEWPOINTS – Processing life through song: Todd Almond’s I’M ALMOST THERE and Gabriel Kahane’s MAGNIFICENT BIRD / BOOK OF TRAVELERS

This fall, a pair of sensitive singer-songwriters — Todd Almond and Gabriel Kahane — have taken to the Off-Broadway stage, each armed with their own beguiling song cycle(s). Read on … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Awash in grief and anxiety, Hannah Gadsby’s WOOF! finds the famed comic in transition

Last night, the New York leg of Hannah Gasby’s Woof! world tour opened at the historic playhouse at the Abrons Arts Center in the Lower East Side. The show arrives … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Performance as literal acts of survival: Molissa Fenley’s STATE OF DARKNESS and Miet Warlop’s ONE SONG

Over the past week or so, I came across a pair of performances that were literal acts of survival, both requiring Olympic-level endurance to simply get through them. As per … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The freewheeling new musical adaptation of SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED meanders, but it’s a quirky delight

Last night, the new musical adaptation of Derek Connolly’s 2012 indie film Safety Not Guaranteed opened at the BAM Harvey Theater, officially kicking off the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s storied Next Wave … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Classical music roundup: Assessing the anticipated premieres of Jeanine Tesori’s GROUNDED and Meredith Monk’s INDRA’S NET

This week, I had the chance to catch up with a pair of major premieres from two highly established and much loved female composers — Jeanine Tesori and Meredith Monk. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – James Ijames contemplates the merits of gentrification in the one-sided new play GOOD BONES

Playwright James Ijames scored big with his previous effort at the Public. That would be Fat Ham, which won him the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2022 (although the work … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Musical theater lyricist and book writer BILL RUSSELL walks down memory lane with some of his favorite divas

Last night at Birdland Jazz Club, I had the great privilege of attending a delightful one-night-only show hosted by Bill Russell — the thoughtful musical theater lyricist and book writer … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The past looms large in Jez Butterworth’s haunted new drama THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA

Last night, the Broadway transfer of Jez Butterworth’s haunted new drama The Hills of California opened at the Broadhurst Theatre (the play premiered earlier this year in London’s West End). … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Return engagements Off-Broadway: OUR CLASS at Classic Stage Company and TWELFTH NIGHT at Axis Theatre

Currently Off-Broadway, theatergoers have the opportunity to catch a pair of productions that they may have missed during their respective limited engagements earlier this year. OUR CLASSClassic Stage CompanyThrough December … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – In the midst of its fall season, NEW YORK CITY BALLET is dancing with a sense of purpose and a terrific spring in its step

Just about at the midpoint of its fall season, New York City Ballet has transitioned into full gear, churning out performances with the precision and reliability of a well-oiled machine. … Continue Reading →