THE HANGOVER REPORT – The entertaining THE CHER SHOW is self-effacing, and the better for it

This week, the Broadway season’s second jukebox musical opened at the Neil Simon Theatre, the anticipated The Cher Show (the first to open was the under-appreciated Go-Go’s musical Head Over Heels, which … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Kerry Washington and Steven Pasquale combust in AMERICAN SON, Christopher Demos-Brown’s timely and agenda-driven new play

There’s no denying the intensity that drives American Son, the timely and agenda-driven new play by Christopher Demos-Brown which recently opened on Broadway at the Booth Theatre. Set in the middle of … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Two hugely entertaining productions return for encore runs: Mike Birbiglia’s THE NEW ONE and Jocelyn Bioh’s SCHOOL GIRLS

This fall, two hugely entertaining and rewarding productions returned to New York for encore runs – Mike Birbiglia’s The New One and Jocelyn Bioh’s School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play. Mr. Birbiglia’s The New … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jez Butterworth’s magnificent THE FERRYMAN has arrived on Broadway, and it’s a meaty masterpiece

I recently caught Jez Butterworth’s meaty new play The Ferryman, which has crossed the pond and arrived in New York, where it has docked at Broadway’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. The play … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The big-hearted THE PROM is the Broadway season’s first real musical contender

Last night, the supremely cheery new Broadway musical The Prom opened at the Longacre Theatre, and I’m happy to report that it’s a total hoot. The musical, with a score by … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – KING KONG is an awkward spectacle, but the puppet is a total triumph

Last night, the musical version of King Kong opened on the Great White Way at the Broadway Theatre. What did I think? It’s certainly a spectacle, but an awkward one at that. There’s just … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Michael Urie and Mercedes Ruehl ignite Harvey Fierstein’s trailblazing TORCH SONG for a new generation of Broadway theatergoers

In terms of dramatizing the fringes of human sexuality, it’s fascinating to see how far the dialogue has come since Harvey Fierstein’s Tony-winning Torch Song (formerly known as Torch Song Trilogy), the triumphantly … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Lonergan’s compassionate yet clear-eyed THE WAVERLY GALLERY breaks the heart, slowly but surely

Last night, the Main Stem revival of Kenneth Lonergan’s 1999 play The Waverly Gallery opened at the John Golden Theatre. Mr. Lonergan’s play about one woman’s descent into senility – and its very immediate … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Radcliffe, Cannavale, and Jones crackle in the topical THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT

Last night, Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell’s starry new comedy The Lifespan of a Fact opened on Broadway at Studio 54. In essence, the play, which is based on … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – BERNHARDT/HAMLET & THE NAP: The value proposition of the non-for-profit model on Broadway

I say thank God for the presence of non-for-profit theater companies on Broadway. Without the commercial glare typically associated with Broadway, these institutions are able to take risks, particularly as it relates to … Continue Reading →