VIEWPOINTS – Scoping out some downtown theater: Nicholas Brooke’s TEN TRANSCENDENTAL ETUDES and Raja Feather Kelly’s THE ABSOLUTE FUTURE

Before the onslaught of spring theater openings in Midtown, I was able this past weekend to catch some multidisciplinary experimental downtown theater. Here are my thoughts on two of them … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In TRAVELS, James Harrison Monaco pushes the boundaries of music theater and storytelling

Earlier this week, Ars Nova’s production of Travels by James Harrison Monaco opened Off-Broadway at the company’s cozy Hell’s Kitchen home base (for a while, the company was mounting shows at the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – At The Public, Clubbed Thumb remounts its acclaimed production of GRIEF HOUSE by Liza Birkenmeier

One of the highlights of last year’s Summerworks series — Clubbed Thumb’s essential summer mini-festival of adventurous new works — was Liza Birkenmeier’s Grief Hotel. Having been recognized at the Obie … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jesús I. Valles’s scattered, farcical BATHHOUSE.PPTX is an artful memorial to gay bathhouses

Over at The Flea Theater in Tribeca, you’ll find the world premiere production of Jesús I. Valles’s BATHHOUSE.PPTX. The play was the recipient of the 2023 Yale Drama Series Prize, … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The audacious musical satire TEETH continues Michael R. Jackson’s obsession with the pitfalls of religion

Michael R. Jackson has made a name for himself as a sort of disruptor of musical theater. Starting with his shattering semi-autobiographical musical A Strange Loop — which both the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In Laurence Fishburne’s LIKE THEY DO IN THE MOVIES, the film star unpacks his identity and bares his soul

Also opening last night at the super-flexible, newly-constructed Perelman Arts Center in Lower Manhattan was Laurence Fishburne’s soul-baring Off-Broadway solo show Like They Do in the Movies. Despite his status as … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Zach Zucker is the ineptly offensive JACK TUCKER, an unhinged comic creation that spares no one

Last night, I was able to experience Zach Zucker dissolve into his alter-ego — the ineptly offensive comedian “Jack Tucker” — in an act innocuously titled Comedy Standup Hour. Over … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Two theatrical legends masterfully take the stage Off-Broadway: Len Cariou in TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE and Charles Busch in IBSEN’S GHOST

Over the past few days, I had the pleasure of catching two legends of the theater masterfully take the stage in a pair of Off-Broadway shows. As per usual, read … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – J.T. Rogers’ intermittently gripping CORRUPTION flags under the weight of its ambitions

Lincoln Center Theater scored big when it presented J.T. Rogers’ Oslo, which deservedly went on to win the 2017 Tony Award for Best Play. Unfortunately, the playwright’s latest work — Corruption at Off-Broadway’s … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – David Yazbek and Itamar Moses’ quirky renegade musical DEAD OUTLAW beguiles

One of the more beguiling entries in this busy spring theater season is the new Off-Broadway musical Dead Outlaw currently playing at the Minetta Lane Theater. Featuring a score by … Continue Reading →