VIEWPOINTS: Hall of Mirrors – Chronicling Drag Culture on Broadway

For decades before Jared Leto won acclaim for his Oscar-winning performance in the film “Dallas Buyers Club”, drag has been prevalent on Broadway.  Drag’s presence in mainstream Broadway owes much … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Theater in the Third Person

I’ve been spending an hour or two each day over the last week watching the recording of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s nine-hour adaptation of Charles Dickens’ sprawling “The Life and … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Exploring the Intersection of Visual and Performing Arts (Part III)

In this final installment, I celebrate stage designers whose works have transcended conventional stage designs to establish themselves as standalone works of visual art. Many of these stage designers are … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Exploring the Intersection of Visual and Performing Arts (Part II)

In the first installment, I explored some instances in which established visual artists have themselves created scenic landscapes for the stage. This second installment further explores the intersection of the … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Dissecting Immersive Theater

New York these days is agog with “immersive theater”. Experiences like Punchdrunk’s “Sleep No More” and Third Rail Project’s “Then She Fell” have captured New Yorkers’ imaginations, particularly the young, … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: 10 Years On, Revisiting “Wicked” and “Avenue Q”

Has it already been 10 years since that memorable David and Goliath showdown between the naughty but spirited “Avenue Q” and that behemoth of a musical “Wicked”? Indeed, it has. … Continue Reading →

2013’s Best in Play Revivals

2013 was a sensational year for play revivals, both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. 2013 was also an unusually plentiful year for Shakespeare in New York; two of these productions are featured … Continue Reading →

2013’s Best in New Plays

2013 proved that, these days, the best place to catch the most exciting new plays is Off-Broadway. Established playwrights such as Richard Greenberg, Amy Herzog, and Conor McPherson all unleashed … Continue Reading →

2013’s Best in Musical Revivals

2013 was a year in which the American musical proved its presentational versatility. Indeed, I encountered stunning musical theater revivals in settings as diverse in opera houses, philharmonic concert halls, staged … Continue Reading →

2013’s Best in New Musicals

2013 was great year for new musicals, not necessarily on Broadway (where musicals are most closely associated). Like new plays, productions of new musicals found a more nurturing home Off-Broadway. … Continue Reading →