Sci-fiction never stops

You want science fiction! I've got science fiction! The latest edition of my monthly column has more goodies to stream at home.

Off and Off Off Broadway roundup

There is still time to catch several of the shows I included in my roundup of Off and Off Off Broadway productions for May! (I know, I know — so derelict.) Click here for the list.

Five Models in Ruins, 1981

Catching up with my backlog of articles! 

I'd see Elizabeth Marvel in pretty much anything — and over the years, I feel like I've seen her in everything and anything — and I really wish this play had given her more challenging stuff to explore. My review for The NY Times is up.

Keeley Hawes

I'd been trying to interview Keeley Hawes for something like seven years and finally, the stars aligned! My feature is up at the NY Times.

Grief Camp

I think the Atlantic would have done this play a favor by putting it on its smaller stage. My review of Grief Camp is up at the NY Times.

Stranger Things The First Shadow

Does the Stranger Things-verse translate to Broadway? My review of The First Shadow is up at the NY Times.

Jeremy Jordan

I've long been a fan of Jeremy Jordan and finally got to talk to him — about Floyd Collins and other things. My feature for the NY Times is here.

Jinkx Monsoon interview

It's hard to think of a more engaging interviewee than Jinkx Monsoon. I hope I did her justice in this interview.

The Shrouds

The first David Cronenberg movie I ever saw was Videodrome, right when it came out. I didn't know what hit me! Here we are, decades later, and I reviewed his latest for the NY Times. Click here for my take on The Shrouds.

A French mother-daughter duo does Gypsy

Natalie Dessay and her daughter, Neïma Naouri, just sang Rose and Louise in Paris! I wish I'd been there. Second best was talking to them about it for the Times. Click here for the story.

Paddling the Delaware

Last year I joined the first three days of the Delaware River Sojourn: about 9-12 miles of kayaking daily and camping at night. That last part is what was making me nervous beforehand as I'd never slept under a tent before that trip. Read on to see what happened — oh, and by the way, by sheer coincidence, the green tent in the foreground in that misty photo is mine!

Five sci-fi movies for April

I've started mulling over the May column and so I probably link to the current one — I'm so behind in those posts, which are pretty much a running tally of what I publish! Here you go: 5 under-the-radar sci-fi movies to stream this month!

Revisiting the college years with the cast of All Nighter

Natalie Margolin has a real playwright's voice and I'm there for it. I talked to the cast members of her new comedy, All Nighter, about what they were up to in the mid-2010s, when the play takes place. Click here for our chat (and their playlist).

The Cherry Orchard

Only one week left to see the Benedict Andrews production of The Cherry Orchard at St. Ann's Warehouse: go, go, go! Here's my enthusiastic review for the NY Times. I cannot recommend this show enough. Chupa Chups forever!

Love Life

The Encores! series revived Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner's obscure musical Love Life, and I had mixed feelings about it: appealingly bizarre narrative and songs, but the staging that overcompensated with sentimentality. My review is here.

Being Maria

There is a bit of a Maria Schneider moment going on, and the new movie Being Maria, which I just wrote about, is part of it. I also highly recommend Vanessa Schneider's book My Cousin Maria (translated by Molly Ringwald!) Here's my NY Times feature about Jessica Palud's film.

Mayhem

I know that this post's subject line will draw some Gaga fans but it's the Norwegian band I'm talking about. Bucket-list interview for me! Thataway for my story on the ur-black metal band. 

The rites of spring skiing

Kooky outfits, wacky races, cold drinks on warm decks: I wrote about the rites of spring skiing for the Washington Post. Click here for a gift link.

Off Broadway and streaming

I wrote two theater roundups for the NY Times this month. The first one covers new shows that are playing Off and Off Off Broadway. The second features streaming theater. Since we've extended the net to theater-centric film and television, I included the 1982 made-for-TV movie Who Am I This Time? Trust me, you want to see that gem with the young Christopher Walken and Susan Sarandon.

Five sci-fi movies for March 2025

Here's my latest batch of streaming sci-fi movies you may have missed. Oh, let's face it: You're extremely likely to have missed them!

Buena Vista Social Club

I didn't actually use that term in my review, but Buena Vista Social Club is a jukebox musical, and a good one. My write-up for the NY Times is here.

The Electric State

Watching The Electric State, I wondered what the writers and directors understood from their nominal source material (an illustrated novel by Simon Stålenhag), because the movie is pretty much the polar opposite in terms of both content and aesthetics. Just baffling. My review for the NY Times is here.

O'Dessa

I reviewed the offbeat sci-fi musical (as if a sci-fi musical could be anything else) O'Dessa for the New York Times — one of my two reviews of movies starring Stranger Things alums in a single week. Click here for my take on this Sadie Sink vehicle.

Mary Said What She Said

There's an expression for actors like Isabelle Huppert in France: "monstre sacré." And wow did she live up to it in this show at Skirball. It was a demonstration of rigor and virtuosity the likes of which we don't often see in the US. So yeah, I was impressed, as you can tell from my review for the NY Times.

Dakar 2000

Rajiv Joseph's new play is described as a thriller but for that it'd need suspense or menace or sexual tension or something. My review is here.

Five sci-fi movies for February

Life comes at you fast…and you forget to post link to your own articles! I've been working on my selection of streaming sci-fi movies for March and remembered that I hadn't posted the February one so here goes.

Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy

The new Bridget Jones movie is going to do really well: Not only is it better than it needed to be but it's landing in an anxiety-making context where people are craving a well-made comedy. My review is here.

Night Sings Its Songs

Jon Fosse plays are a rare occurrence in NYC so of course I had to check out a new production of Nights Sings Its Songs — and reviewed it for the NY Times. Unfortunately, it was underwhelming.

Urinetown is back

I didn't like Urinetown the first time around, but re-watching the original Broadway production at the Library for the Performing Arts then seeing the Encores! revival made me change my mind: This is a really good musical. You can read my review of the Encores! Urinetown here.

A week in Peter Mills Weiss's cultural life

Another culture diary, this time from one of my favorite NY theatermakers. Weird theater is alive! Thataway for the article — and its terrific photos!

Primero Sueño

To write this story about the new processional opera Primero Sueño, I watched part of a rehearsal at the Cloisters and was bowled over. Unfortunately I could not see the finished piece due to other commitments, but at least I got to write about it.

Vanya on Huron Street

Once upon a time, Uncle Vanya was on 42nd Street. Now it can be found near the Brooklyn-Queens border. Click here for my review of Matthew Gasda's surprisingly faithful Vanya on Huron Street.

There is theater in Las Vegas

Of course there is theater in Las Vegas, you might say. Well, yes, but probably not the kind you're thinking about. In November I flew to Sin County (you read that right) to report on its thriving Off Strip scene. And the resulting story is here.

Let's watch some sci-fi movies in January

Yes, I know, I'm late posting this and January is almost over — it's not too late! The latest installment of my sci-fi column for the NY Times can be found here. Of course, I'm now working on the next one.

Some Under the Radar shows

This year's Under the Radar festival is presenting 33 works. I wrote about five of them in this critic's notebook for the New York Times. Hint: Wakka Wakka strikes again!

Ad Vitam

Fast-and-furious French action movies may well be my favorite Netflix category, so you can imagine how psyched I was about Ad Vitam. But boy, did they muck it up. Click here for my review.

Palisades Tahoe

I came, I didn't see much and I got my ass kicked: My trip to Palisades Tahoe last season coincided with one of the snowstorms that periodically hit that famed California resort. But it was still great fun and yeah, I'd go back in a hot second! Here's the article that came out of that sojourn in the white room.

All In: Comedy About Love

It's hard not to mention the price of tickets on Broadway when dealing with a show like this one. Click here for my review of Simon Rich's non-play.

Skiing for $100 a day or less

Lift tickets now reach crazy heights in the US, but it's still possible to ski for under $100 a day at many places. Mind you, it's still expensive, but at least it's not $250 or so. Thataway for my roundup.

Theater moments of 2024

It was a great pleasure to join my NY Times colleagues in picking some of the best stage moments of 2024. Full disclosure: I keep an Excel spreadsheet of what I see so it's easier to remember that kind of stuff at the end of the year. Click here for the article.

Sci-fi movies to end the year

My last sci-fi column for the year came out a few days — ok, a couple of weeks — ago and you can find it here. I also joined the New York Times' other genre columnists and we all came up with our fave movie of 2024 in our respective field — click here to discover mine. Fun was has by all!

2024 holiday movies

They're baaaaaack! The roundup of new streaming holiday movies has become one of my favorite assignments. And this year, I even got to do a video supplement! The list is here and my NY Times video debut is here.

A week in Jay Wegman's cultural life

In November I shadowed Jay Wegman, artistic director at NYU Skirball, to monitor his cultural diet — which makes me green with envy, of course! Here's the result.

Holiday shows

I wrote a roundup of holiday shows for all ages and tastes. And they're not all in New York! Thataway for a little something that hopefully will give you ideas for the end of the year.

We Are Your Robots

I couldn't help myself and snuck in Devo and Daft Punk references in my review of the new Ethan Lipton musical. Click here for the article.

Five sci-fi movies to stream in November

Wrapping up November with my latest batch of streaming science fiction. The conclusion of Die Alone is one of my favoring endings of the year. Check out the roundup here.

Sabbath Queen

My review of the new doc Sabbath Queen is up at the Times. Thataway for the article.

Baby and Music City

Two reviews in one with a critic's notebook about the music-themed play Babe and the country tuner Music City. I liked one very much, the other less so — which is which? Read on here.

What's your Romeo and Juliet IQ?

My first quiz for the NY Times! To be clear, it's not about the play Romeo and Juliet but about its ubiquity in pop culture. The test was pegged to the revival currently on Broadway, starring Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor. I'm in the minority to have enjoyed Sam Gold's production, though I wasn't crazy about the often confusing double casting. Click here for the quiz.

Tammy Faye

My first visit to the refurbished Palace Theater was for the new musical Tammy Faye, which I reviewed for the Times. For my take on the show, you can click here. For the venue itself, I'll just say that I'm not a fan of theaters where you have to take an escalator to the auditorium (ie the Shed, Perelman, Marquis). It just feels like a fire trap.

Interview with Aldis Hodge

There's a new Alex Cross in town, and this time they got him right. I had the pleasure to talk to Aldis Hodge about taking on James Patterson's creation for Amazon's Cross. Click here for OK McCausland's amazing splash photo (and my article).

In the Amazon Warehouse Parking Lot

On the one hand, I love seeing any attempt at a science-fiction setting on stage. On the other, I wish Sarah Mantell's play was better. My review is here.

Sci-fi movies keep coming

This list of five sci-fi movies to stream came out in October but I'm posting it the day after the presidential election. I've got to say, it's going to be tough to keep watching all these movies about a dystopian future when we're about to enter a dystopian present. Click here for the list.

Jump scares

I love when the New York Times goes all out with the multimedia stuff, and I love being part of a team effort. Check out this ranked list of some of the best jump scares in movies.

We Live in Cairo

It is possible to do a dull show about fiery revolutionaries: welcome to We Live in Cairo, a new musical at New York Theater Workshop. Click here for my review.

Showgirl

Showgirl singular is Marlène Saldana and Jonathan Drillet's take on Showgirls but also cinema, art and morality. It's a lot more fun that this makes it sound! Read my preview for more, including a reminder than Paul Verhoeven's movie is now a lot talked about than the two prestige Las Vegas movies that came out in 1995. Click here to be reminded what they were. 

The Big Gay Jamboree

I enjoyed Titanique when I saw it, and reviewed it (and had not expected what it would become). I was less keen on Marla Mindelle's new vehicle, The Big Gay Jamboree. Thataway for my review.

Daaaaaalí!

Quentin Dupieux is back! Daaaaaalí! isn't among my favorites by him but I can rest easy knowing he'll have a new movie out in the US soon enough. Click here for my review.

Norman Reedus's culture 10

As an early adopter of The Walking Dead, talking to Norman "Daryl" Reedus was definitely exciting. Cool dude. Click here for his culture picks.

A new batch of sci-fi movies for September

Five new under-the-radar sci-movies to stream this month! Thataway for my selection.

Gabriel Kahane and Todd Almond

Some interesting song cycles happened to open at around the same time Off Broadway: two by Gabriel Kahane and one by Todd Almond. Read on to know which I liked best.

KS6, Medea Re-Versed, The Voices in Your Head, The Ask

Last month I dropped by a few smaller stages to see what was going on. I'm pleased to report that La MaMa is still going strong, hosting Belarus Free Theater once again, that the site-specific The Voices in Your Head is as lovely as it was back in January, and that The Ask definitely was thought-provoking. A bit less enthusiastic about the hip-hop Medea at Sheen but it had some strengths. Click here for my critic's notebook.

Ian McKellen talks about critics and ghosts

Ian McKellen is the living memory of decades of theater and talking to him is just endlessly fascinating. That was one for the bucket list. Click here for my interview.

Counting and Cracking

I recommended this show to soooo many friends, and not a single person who saw it disliked it. Consensus! You can read my review here.

James Earl Jones on stage

A belated link to my look at five important stage turns in James Earl Jones's career. Click here for my contribution to the Times's coverage after his death.

A chat with Norman Reedus

Three rockers with deep gothic roots who came up in my conversation with Norman Reedus: Nick Cave, Gavin Friday and Ian Astbury. Click here for Reedus's 10 cultural picks.

Afraid

The title of this techno-thriller actually is AfrAId, but the NY Times doesn't play typographical games. The movie has some of the worst acting I've ever seen in a supposedly legit production, and it's all downhill from there. Click here for my review.

Ending August with some science fiction

Anchoring my latest sci-fi column, which came out at the end of August, is the South Indian epic Kalki 2898 AD. It is as much of a spectacle as you would expect it to be. Click here for the details.

Profile of Zoe Sarnak

Galileo, The Lonely Few, Empire Records in 2024, and at least four more shows in development: I don't know if Zoe Sarnak is the single busiest musical-theater composer-lyricist right now, but she must be up there. Thataway for the profile.

10 Alain Delon movies

I had to make sure the movies were streaming in the US so there are a couple that I couldn't include, but overall this list is very much what I'd recommend to someone who's never seen any of Alain Delon's work. And people who have seen the biggies will discover some gems, like Once a Thief. The list is here.

Looking back at the Alien franchise

To celebrate the release of Alien: Romulus, I watched all the movies in the franchise and wrote about it for the Times. There's an audio version, too!

Caligula: The Ultimate Cut

If you search this blog, you'll find a couple of entries about the 1980 movie Caligula. I'm back into the fray for this "Ultimate Cut": review thataway.

Ivo van Hove interview

Ivo van Hove has taken the reins of the Ruhrtrienniale for three years. We talked about the programming for his inaugural edition, putting on shows and whether we'll see him originate a show on Broadway again. Thataway for the interview.

Once Upon a Mattress on Broadway

The Encores! production of Once Upon a Mattress is now on Broadway, and the chemistry between Michael Urie and Sutton Foster is even better than it was in January. You can read my review in the New York Times here.

A trip to Wisconsin

Before my weekend in Chicago I'd spent a few days discovering American Players Theater in Spring Green, Wisconsin — and the resulting article is here. I'm already making plans to return on vacation next year, possibly in August when they have more shows in rep and I can really binge!

A trip to Chicago

On a recent whirlwind weekend in Chicago, I saw musical adaptations of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Lord of the Rings, as well as the latest Samuel D. Hunter play, Little Bear Ridge Road. You can find my critic's notebook here.

Science fiction for early August

The well of science fiction never runs dry! Here are five more movies to stream when it's too hot outside.

Introducing team handball

For the New York Times Audio, I spoke about team handball. Hint: it's not played against a wall and there are teams and goalies. Click here then put on your headphones.

Pre-Existing Condition

I spoke to all the actresses — Tatiana Maslany, Maria Dizzia, Julia Chan, Deirdre O'Connell, Tavi Gevinson and Edie Falco — who have or are playing the character A in the play Pre-Existing Condition, as well as the author, Marin Ireland. Quite a feat, if I may say so myself, to manage to quote everybody in such a relatively short piece. Click here for the story.

July sci-fi

 July sci-fi: hey, it rhymes! My latest batch of streamable nuggets is here.

A Quiet Place Day One

A Quiet Place is emerging as one of my favorite franchises and even when a movie has problems, like the new prequel, I have a good time. More, please! I reviewed A Quiet Place: Day One for the Times.

A trip to the Jimmys

The Jimmy Awards have become a major scouting ground for casting directors, and the 15th edition did not let anybody down. Check out my report and see what the kids are up to.

Babylon Berlin primer

The great German historical series is finally back to the US with new episodes! It's been a while since the last time we met with Gereon, Lotte et al., so I wrote a primer to prep viewers for Season 4. Click here.

Find Me Here

Crystal Finn's play is middling but its cast is absolutely sterling so I'd say it's a go. My review is here.

Musicians on Broadway

Please, let's have more stories about musicians on Broadway! Not biomusicals — stories about made-up musicians. They give writers, directors and actors a lot more leeway than the hagiography and mimicry required by biographical material. I wrote about a positive new trend for the Washington Post.

R.I.P. Françoise Hardy

I took that loss hard. It was hard to pick just eight songs to trace Françoise Hardy's career arc but you can find my YouTube picks here. I also wrote the intro to a wonderful gallery put together by the photo department, and that's here.

How Suffs changed for Broadway

I wasn't crazy about Suffs at the Public Theater but the Broadway version may well be my favorite musical of the year, tied with Dead Outlaw. I talked to Shaina Taub and Leigh Silverman about the changes they made to their show over the past two years. Click here for my story. 

What to see during Pride month

I rounded up some theater performances of interest for Pride month. Some of them are settled on Broadway but others have short runs so don't sleep on them. Go for it! 

Godzilla leads the sci-fi pack this month

Godzilla Minus One is finally streaming so of course I had to lead the latest installment of my sci-fi column with it! What a great movie. The column can be found here.

The Watchers

Ishana Shyamalan's debut feature has a lot of issues but Dakota Fanning is, as always, a compelling screen presence. Click here for my review.

Becoming Karl Lagerfeld

I became interested in the intersection of fashion and nightlife in 1970s Paris after reading Alicia Drake's great book The Beautiful Fall a few years ago. Many of the same characters, events and settings pop up in this Hulu series. I talked to a few of the principals and recommend watching the show. My feature is here.

The Great Lillian Hall

Catching up with a lot of stories so get ready for a link dump! 

I reviewed this HBO production starring Jessica Lange as an aging theater star, and wow is the movie tailor-made for her. It really made me want to see Lange do The Cherry Orchard, as she does in the film. Thataway for the review.

Usus

Clubbed Thumbed's Summerworks is one of my favorite theater series and even when a show doesn't entirely work, like Usus, I enjoy going. My review is here.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

Julia Masli's Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha is impressive in many ways, which is why I wanted it to cut so much deeper. She stops just short of where it becomes really interesting. My review is here.

Nobody Cares

Yes, that title sounds a bit like Laura Benanti is fishing for compliments but she pulls off a really fun show at Minetta Lane, produced by Audible. Click here for my review.

Dungeons and Dragons

I went to Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern and wow, it really brought me back to my role-playing days! It's fun to see the game enjoy a resurgence and extending to new mediums like the theater. Click here for my review.

Crying at Broadway shows

Have you been crying at Broadway shows this season? It's ok — so have I, and a lot of other people too. Click here for my Washington Post story.

Science fiction for May 2024

Here's another batch of under-the-radar sci-fi movies that are new (or at least newish) to streaming and VOD this month.

Eurovision 2024

Once again I joined the New York Times team covering Eurovision. World news have really intruded on that pop stage in the past few years, even more so at this year's edition. You can find our live commentary at this link. I also had separate articles touching on some specific aspects: a guide to the 2024 contest,  how the voting works, the pop powerhouse known as Sweden.

The Miser

I ventured — and by that I mean that I walked —to Prospect Park to check out Molière in the Park's production of The Miser. Like pretty much everybody who grew up in France, I read Molière in school, so I'm always excited to see one of his plays here in the US. You can check out my review here.