THE STATE OF THE ARTS – December 3, 2014

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

TAMBURLAINE, PARTS 1 & 2 – John Douglas Thompson is a force of nature in Marlowe’s relentless depiction of world domination.
SIDE SHOW – Erin Davie and Emily Padgett are giving masterfully subtle, heartbreaking performances in a bombastic musical that’s anything but subtle.
PUNK ROCK – Simon Stephens may have a big Broadway hit on his hands with “Curious Incident”, but it’s his downtown stunner that truly gets under your skin.
DON QUIXOTE – The Mikhailovsky Ballet closed out its first ever NYC residency in heart-stopping fashion with a thrilling “Don Quixote” with the incomparable duo of Ivan Vasiliev and Natalia Osipova at the helm.
DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NURNBERG – Maestro Levine is giving a loving, moving account of Wagner’s grand comic opera. Veteran James Morris (who may be singing his final Hans Sachs at the Met) leads a sterling cast.

UPCOMING AND HOTLY ANTICIPATED

THE ELEPHANT MAN – Beautiful superstar Bradley Cooper is the Elephant Man on Broadway. This will test theatergoers’ ability to suspend their disbelief, for sure.
THE INVISIBLE HAND – Ayad Akhtar, who’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Disgraced” is currently on the boards of the Great White Way, premiers his latest at the New York Theatre Workshop. As with his previous works, it’s likely to provoke.
THE AMBASSADORS – The ubiquitous John Tiffany directs singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane’s song cycle at BAM.
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO – Sir Richard Eyre’s new production of the evergreen Mozart opera returns to the Met with a new cast.
A PARTICLE OF DREAD (OEDIPUS VARIATIONS) – Sam Shepard’s latest, an adaptation of the Oedipus myth, is sure to ignite debate at the Signature. Stephen Rea stars.

Interludes