Jamie Allan discovered his destiny at seven — when he went with his mother to an antique store. There, he found remnants of a magician’s craft — and that unexpected inheritance sealed his fate. Lucky for his audience. The esteemed British magician/illusionist is now in Amaze, off-Broadway at New World Stages, and delivers an astounding…
Andrew Scott takes on the Herculean task of performing a one-man production of Anton Chekhov’s 1898 tragicomedy and succeeds in turning it into a mesmerizing virtuoso performance. Directed by Sam Yates, and created by Scott, along with Yates, Simon Stephens, and Rosanna Vize, Stephen’s adaptation in modern vernacular with anglicized names retains all of the…
Theatre lovers beat the mid-winter blues at the 10th Annual Broadway Convention (BroadwayCon) at the New York Marriott Marquis, joining the theater community in celebration of live stage performance. The three-day event was packed with performances, in-depth panel discussions, workshops, and cast reunions. Here’s a recap of just two of the many events. Lin-Manuel Miranda:…
There are two kinds of people: those who are willing to be enchanted by magic shows, and those who are all about figuring it out. Whether or not enchantment works for you, spending 90 minutes with Vinny DePonto’s Mindplay will be a delight. DePonto delivers patter like a showman, introducing the illusions and weaving a…
The Lyrics & Lyricists concert series at 92NY opened their 2024-2025 season with a tribute to the late, great Oscar Hammerstein II, titled Cockeyed Optimist: Where Hammerstein Found his Hope. Directed by Dick Scanlan, and co-written by Scanlan and Malcolm Gets, the performance was a delicious mélange of song and narration with Scanlan, not only…
Wonder of Wonders: Celebrating Sheldon Harnick closed out the 2023-2024 Lyrics & Lyricists series on a glorious note. Written, directed, and genially hosted by Ted Sperling, it originally was planned to be a 100th birthday celebration for Harnick. But when the lyricist died on June 23, 2023, Sperling was determined to move forward with the…
Melanie Long in Angel of the Amazon Angel of the Amazon By Cammy Paglia Under the direction of Nancy Rhodes and musical direction by Elizabeth Hastings, composer-librettist Evan Mack’s Angel of the Amazon is an operatic portrayal of a devout soul who was assassinated for her convictions. Mack was inspired to write the work after…
By Cammy Paglia Belgian born actor Ronald Guttman takes on the daunting task of elucidating the inner workings of the complex mind of Nobel Prize winning philosopher, Albert Camus in the stage production of The Fall. Directed by Didier Flamand and adapted for the stage by Alexis Lloyd, tickets will give you entree to 70 minutes…
Anyone Can Whistle by David Schultz Master Voices One Night Concert revived a rarely performed early Steven Sondheim musical at Carnegie Hall for ardent Sondheim lovers. The Sold-Out crowd was primed and outwardly effusive to experience the work in full glory. Musical conductor Ted Sperling marshaled a 22-piece orchestra and 60-person chorus…
We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert by Jeanne Lieberman photos by Phil McAuliffe Is the prematurely canceled concert celebrating New York’s victory over Covid a metaphor for incomplete victory as the Delta variant looms over us? The crowd came in exultant and in a celebratory mood. Their party personae reflecting the theme…