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.

Stars on Broadway

Four screen stars, four Broadway shows: I wrote about Rachel McAdams, Steve Carell, Jessica Lange and Eddie Redmayne for the Washington Post — article here.

Orlando

Signature brought back Sarah Ruhl's adaptation of the Virginia Woolf novel, now directed by Will Davis. "Wildly uneven" is the quickest way to describe the production. My review is here.

The Heart of Rock and Roll

Okay, let's face it: Huey Lewis isn't the heart of rock and roll. But the new jukebox drawing from his songs is a lot of fun. Yes, I had a good time. Click here for my review.

Hell's Kitchen

After a middling premiere at the Public Theater, the Alicia Keys musical is now on Broadway. Happy surprise: just like Suffs, it's really improved and now I can wholeheartedly endorse it. My review is here.

Suffs

Having seen its previous version at the Public Theater, I was frankly flabbergasted that Suffs was transferring to Broadway. But the creative team did the hard work and while I still have reservations, I'm happy to report that the show is now very good. Thataway for my review in the Washington Post.

The Outsiders

It's hard to oversell S.E. Hinton's book The Outsiders, which is really remarkable — especially knowing she wrote it when she was 16. I got to review the musical adaptation for the Washington Post, and found the visuals a lot more striking than the music and book. You can read my piece here.

Science fiction for the spring

Under the radar no more: I've unearthed another quintet of obscure or semi-obscure sci-fi movies for you to enjoy this month. The list is here.

It's Only Life After All

I've never really been into Indigo Girls but I loved the new doc about them — which is a sign of a movie well made. The director was incredibly lucky that Amy Ray is such a pack rat! Click here for my review.

An appreciation of Christopher Durang

We lost a good one this week. I threw a few thoughts together for the Washington Post, and you can find them here.

Yannick

Quentin Dupieux strikes again! I got to review his latest, Yannick, for the Times. And by "latest" I mean latest to be released in the U.S.: one more came out since, and his next is premiering at Cannes. I just love him. Click here for the review.