New York's Amoralists

In today's Post, I profile the Amoralists, a newish NY company whose play, The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side, returns to PS 122 until August 17. It's very exciting to find a new local voice that balances full-on actor physicality with great social, philosophical and political concerns. Highly recommended.

Book of the year?

A few days ago I bought Vince Aletti's The Disco Files 1973-78 at St. Marks Bookshop. It's a collection of the columns Aletti (now the photography reviewer at The New Yorker) wrote for Record World magazine in the 1970s.

If you love classic disco, as I do, this is a goldmine. There's no benefit of hindsight here, and Aletti's taste is spot-on — anybody who can gush about Peter Brown's "Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me" and Claudja Barry automatically gets my everlasting admiration. I've been spending way too much time tracking down some of the songs I didn't know and that he particularly gushes about, and so far it's been one nugget after another. Undisputed Truth's "You + Me = Love"? Amazing! This is what YouTube was invented for. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Russian-Italian axis

More reviews from the Lincoln Center Festival in today's Post. First we have Lev Dodin's Life and Fate, which I quite liked. Then it's Trilogia della Villeggiatura, about which I was more meh (a technical theater term).

Last night I saw Declan Donnellan's staging of Boris Godunov and tonight I conclude my summer adventures in world theater with a Hungarian Peasant Opera. It's been a pleasant trip overall, and I'll blog about it at more length over at the Post.

Vanities fair

Completing my trifecta of Off-Broadway reviews this week is Vanities at Second Stage.

Any musical that borrows from Burt Bacharach automatically gets a reprieve from me, but seriously: When are we going to see Promises, Promises on Broadway again? The Encores! production was fun but I could see this show a few more times.

Sinking to new lows

Lisa Ebersole's hapless Mother gets trashed in today's Post.

Demolishing a small show presented in a nice space like the Wild Project isn't fun, but then neither is Mother.

Ragging on the Rag

The dog days are here again... Today, I review the bland Tin Pan Alley Rag (a place-holder at the Laura Pels) in the Post. And there's more fun coming our way, I can tell you that.

Shakespeare on the big screen

A preview of the Walter Reade's new film series, "The Bard Goes Global," in today's New York Post. I have to admit, I'm a little Shakespeare'd out right now.

Let the Soleil shine in

Ariane Mnouchkine and the Théâtre du Soleil's Les Éphémères at the Park Avenue Armory, New York Post, July 10.

And we're off with this year's Lincoln Center Festival! Tonight I'm catching a Hungarian production of Chekhov's Ivanov at John Jay.

Navel gazing

A bit of wacky fun before diving into Euro high art as I review the new Umbilical Brothers' show, Speedmouse, at the Joyce.

Tonight, I'm heading off to the Park Avenue Armory for the first part of Les Éphémères, Ariane Mnouchkine's latest epic, with the second part tomorrow night. Surely you already have your ticket(s)?

Off we go to the Lincoln Center Festival

Rather than a full preview, today in the Post I offer my highly subjective picks for this year's Lincoln Center Festival, which starts tomorrow.

The kick-off alone should be something to behold: Part 1 of Ariane Mnouchkine and the Théâtre du Soleil's Les Ephémères, to unfurl at the Park Avenue Armory. It's Mnouchkine's first show here since 2005's Le Dernier Caravansérail, and if you happened to see that…well, chances are you already have tickets for the new one.

De-Bausched

A short piece about the late Pina Bausch in today's New York Post.