Friday Night Footlights: The story of Creede Repertory Theater

A few weeks ago I flew to Denver, then drove hours in a woefully underpowered Nissan Versa to reach Creede, Colorado. What's going on there? Read on! This is definitely in my top 5 or maybe even top 3 of my favorite articles ever.

More theater to stream

In-person shows are coming back but streaming theater is not letting on! Here's the latest selection from my Times column.

Exit interview with Blanka Zizka

I first met Blanka Zizka in 2018, when I did a story about the Wilma Theater's acting company, the HotHouse, a few years ago. So when I heard she was retiring from the Wilma, I had to talk to her. She was just as sharp and candid as I hoped. Click here for our chat.

The Boy Behind the Door

I wrote about this new movie streaming on Shudder, an abduction slasher in which the heroes are 12-year-old boys. Click here for the review.

Woodstock 99

It's hard to wrap your head around not just what happened at this festival in 1999, but also how John Scher talks about it in 2021 — I had to replay a couple of scenes to make sure I heard him right. Click here for my review.

The Two Noble Kinsmen

 Shakespeare in the Parking Lot is back — though I caught its show not, technically speaking, in a parking lot but in Bryant Park. Click here for my review.

July's Science-fiction column

 My latest New York Times column covering streaming science-fiction movies is out and I found some goodies for the fans out there. Click here for five links.

More theater to stream

 I have been traveling and working on a time-intensive stories so I've fallen behind on posting links to my stories. Here's my latest theater-streaming guide, just as I start working on the next one, which is running next week!

Mood board with Nida Manzoor

We Are Lady Parts is one of my favorite TV shows of the year so talking to its creator, Nida Manzoor, about her influences was a wonderful treat. Thataway for Virginie Despentes et al.

50 Years of The Ed Sullivan Show

The TV show's official YouTube channel is a treasure trove, and I spent hours and hours going through it to select some of the most interesting numbers. Sorry, no Beatles. Click here for a portal to Vanilla Fudge, Harry Belafonte and Ethel Merman.

Torrey Townsend and Robert O'Hara

Another fascinating meeting with two opinionated creators: playwright Torrey Townsend and director Robert O'Hara, discussing their show Off Broadway (the title is a search-engine nightmare). Read what they have to say.

Ann Dowd and Robert Icke

As soon as I saw how Ann Dowd and Robert Icke interacted in our conversation about their project, Enemy of the People, I knew my article had to be done as a Q&A. Two lovely, smart people having an exchange of ideas. Thataway.

Streaming theater: live from Britain and Greek classics

 Theater is back IRL but streaming offers are still plentiful. A harbinger: British companies are now streaming select performances of their IRL offerings. They are ahead of American ones in that respect. Click here for more.

Lupin is back

Nobody saw Lupin coming in January; we're better prepared now, as Part 2 just dropped. I talked to a few people about the success of the Netflix series. Thataway for the goods.

Indonesian superheroes and Korean zombies

I found some goodies for my latest column about streaming science-fiction movies. There's even a good Gerard Butler movie! Click here for more. 

Awake

 Humanity may be struck with insomnia in this disaster of a disaster movie, but viewers won't have that problem. Click here for my review.

Streaming theater: special Pride edition

 It's June and you know what that means: lots of shows coming in for Pride. This installment of my streaming-theater column is packed with goodies. Click here and start streaming.

chekhovOS /an experimental game/

What I didn't realize I wanted to see: Jessica Hecht in The Cherry Orchard. It happens, sort of, in this high-concept virtual production from the Arlekin Players. My Critic's Pick is here.

Touching the Void

 My latest review for the Times is of Touching the Void, based on Joe Simpson's memoir of escaping a death trap in the Andes. Click away!

Interview with Mike Faist

I watched Mike Faist in Dear Evan Hansen and Days of Rage, then I watched him in the Amazon series Panic, and next I'll watch him as Riff in the West Side Story movie. I just didn't expect to hear about an existential crisis when I interviewed him in Park Slope recently. Read on.

Streaming theater: concerts and classics

Streaming theater shows no sign of flagging and I unearthed some gems for this installment of my column.

The Serpent mood board

What a treat to talk to Tom Shankland about the Netflix series The Serpent! I just love doing those "mood board" articles for the Times because they're about what really interests me: the art that influences the art. Click here for more.

Live Eurovision

I spent most of yesterday covering the Eurovision Song Contest for the New York Times. It was great fun to work with Matthew Anderson, Alex Marshall, Thomas Erdbrink and what felt like a veritable army of editors to deliver a live feed of the event. You can relive the magic here.

This month's obscure streaming science fiction

I continue to navigate the nooks and crannies of the Interweb to find obscure sci-fi nuggets that you might have missed. Click here for the latest installment of my column for the Times.

Streaming theater: Miscast and more

Streaming theater: there is so much of it! If you had told me in January 2020 that one day I'd be watching a reading of Bad Jews on Zoom with most of the original cast… There it is, and more, in my latest streaming column — which came out last Wednesday but the vast majority of the listings are available. Check it out here.

Taxilandia

I really enjoy Modesto "Flako" Jimenez's work and his new piece measured up. Click here for my review of Taxilandia.

More streaming theater

I've been following the streaming-theater scene for since its birth — which means just over a year, basically — and it's been fascinating to watch it grow. My latest roundup for the Times is here.

Jared Mezzocchi

 The pandemic was a terrible time for live performance, but Jared Mezzocchi buckled up, rolled up his sleeves and thrived. Here's my interview with him, pegged to his new show at the Geffen Playhouse.

A year of streaming international theater

Touring may have stopped but in the past year I was able to watch a lot of subtitled theater thanks to increased streaming, peaking with the Golden Mask festival in April. And then I wrote about it all for the Times.

Enter the science-fiction column

 Honored to be one of four columnists now tackling streaming genre movies for the Times! My turf is science fiction, and my first installment is here.

Robert Kirkman mood board

 After all these years being obsessed with The Walking Dead, I finally talked to Robert Kirkman — but it was for Invincible. A great treat to hear about his influences. Click here if you want to know what landmark movie Kirkman's dad introduced him to on VHS.

Assassins and Romeo and Juliet

 No, not in the same show — unfortunately. Those are just a couple of the entries in this week's streaming column, which is packed to the gills with goodies. Dive in!

The Jackson C. Frank Listening Party w/ Special Guests

An interesting concept for this new streaming play: the listening party. In this particular case, of the one and only album by Jackson C. Frank — and honestly I hadn't heard of him until the show. My Times review is here.

Streaming theatrical double bills

Starting off April with more streaming theater, including a double bill that feels so right that I refuse to believe the companies didn't plan it that way. Details? Thataway.

The Michael Mann project

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Michael Mann's first feature, Thief, the New York Times asked some fans to choose their favorite scene from his oeuvre. It was hard to narrow it down — Mann's movies are packed with great scenes, obviously — but I settled down on something from The Keep. Check out all the entries out here.

Sky Rojo

 Too much is not enough for Sky Rojo! This new series from the couple behind Money Heist will knock your socks off. Loved talking to these guys — and tip of the hat to Fabiola, who translated for us. Thataway for the feature.

LCT and Goodman are now streaming

 My latest column about streaming theater kicks off with Lincoln Center Theater and the Goodman finally making some archival shows available. Worth the wait! Check them out and more in my latest.

Genius: Aretha Franklin

I jump on every opportunity to do research, especially if pop music is involved, and this one was a real treat — I learned a lot. Check out my feature about the new series Genius: Aretha Franklin.

J Blakeson mood board

I love doing those mood board features because it's everything that interests me in how art comes out: what went into it. After George Kay for Lupin, here's J Blakeson for I Care a Lot. So. Much. Fun. I could have talked to him for hours!

Click here for the full article.

Boss Level

 Frank Grillo has long been a mover in the world of B action so it was fun to write about his latest, Boss Level. I just wish I had liked it more. Thataway for the review.

P.S. I'm pleased with that kicker.

Interview with Derek DelGaudio

 I loved Derek DelGaudio's show In & Of Itself and talking to him about his new memoir was just as bracing and intellectually exciting as I hoped it would be. Thataway for the Q&A.

Letter to My Father

 I got on Twitch to watch the latest show from the M-34 company, a multichannel staging of Kafka's missive to his dad. Click here for the review.

Streaming theater: star-studded digital shorts and escape rooms

 Forget what you thought you knew about theater: in 2021, all bets are off. For more on what's on offer, check out my latest streaming column in the Times.

Sin Eaters

 Lots of potential in Anna Moench's play Sin Eaters, which I checked out for the Times, but it doesn't quite come to fruition. Click here for the review.

Shook

 In the horror movie Shook, a killer targets social-media influencers. Oh how I wish it was better. Thataway for the review.

Streaming theater: anniversaries

 My latest column about streaming theater leads with two big anniversaries: 35 years for The Colored Museum and 25 for Rent. Check it out here.

Streaming theater for February

 Streaming theater continues unabated and here's my latest roundup.

Blood Meal

 Scott R. Sheppard wrote a play for Theater in Quarantine. Not only is it good, but the technical aspects of the staging blew me away. Read more here.

Barbara Sukowa

 Strike another one from the dream list of interviews: I chatted with Barbara Sukowa for the New York Times. Profile is here.

In & Of Itself

 I reviewed the Hulu version of Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself for the Times. Loved it! The link is here.

What influences can be found in 'Lupin'

 I talked to George Kay about what he influenced him when he was working on the Netflix hit Lupin — he is the creator and showrunner. Click here for what I think is quite a fun piece. 

A look at 'Call My Agent'

 The fourth and final season of Call My Agent! is dropping on Netflix today. A good opportunity to look at what made this series so good. Without spoiling anything, I'll say that it ends on a low that's also a high. Click here to read more.

Streaming theater, not slowing down

 At this point streaming theater has become its own art form, and it shows no sign of slowing down. Here's my latest column, with a new batch of shows. 

Overflow

Yep, these days I can review London productions without leaving my couch. Click here for my take on Overflow, at the Bush Theater.

Welcome to Averno

Prepare to step into a rabbit hole of content when you read my story about Averno, the setting for several musicals — and so much more. Click here for the entryway.

Who is Lupin?

Most American viewers haven't heard of the title character of the new series Lupin — which didn't stop them from sending the show to the Netflix top 10 last week. I wrote about Lupin the man, Lupin the myth and Lupin the series with showrunner George Kay, director Louis Leterrier and star Omar Sy. Thataway!

Swingin' the Dream

 Louis Armstrong, Moms Mabley, Dorothy Dandridge, Benny Goodman, Agnes de Mille and many others walk into a theater: what could possibly go wrong? I wrote about the 1939 Broadway flop Swingin' the Dream for the Times. Click here and be amazed by the swing-tacular that failed.

The January festivals are happening

It takes more than a pandemic to stop experimental theater and to my great joy the avant-festivals of January are happening this year. Thataway for my preview.

Bruce Willis now

 Over the past few years, but especially since 2015, Bruce Willis has been making a lot of movies. I watched 12 of them and lived to tell the tale. The story is here.

A look at British panto

What a treat to team up with my colleague Alexis Soloski on a panto article! And what a treat to be able to watch panto to begin with, since we are in the U.S., where this particular theatrical genre does not thrive. Click here for our conversation.

Jared Mezzocchi

 Many people stepped into the arts breach in 2020, and it was my pleasure to write about Jared Mezzocchi for the Times.

Be an Arts Hero

 I wrote about the advocacy group Be an #ArtsHero for the New York Times. Another thing I wish we didn't need, but there we are. The article is here.

Last streaming column of 2020

 What a year it's been for streaming theater. For starters: that's when streaming theater began. We could have done without that invention but there you go: lemons, lemonade. In my last streaming column of 2020, I suggest some productions that show that we've come a long way since the hesitant Zoom days of March. Click here for more.

What's happening on the Dallas stages?

 In real life, I've never stepped outside of the Dallas-Forth Worth airports — yes, there are two. In virtual life, I watched a lot of Dallas theater this fall. Click here for my story about it.

Streaming theater: holiday edition

 My column about streaming theater comes with a theme this week. You have one guess.

The 2020 Christmas movies on Netflix

 I did it last year and here I am again this year: I watched the new batch of Netflix original Christmas movies, and lived to tell the tale — and rank them! Thataway for the list, which everybody will disagree with.

Best of 2020

 I contributed to the Times' Best of 2020 list. Naturally, I highlighted some viral projects.

Split Britches' Last Gasp

One of the best art pieces of the pandemic has come from a 40-year-old company, Split Britches. I checked in on Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver, back from their eventful London sojourn, where they created Last Gasp WFH. 

A chat with HBO's Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller

 Another threeway conversation! Ah, the vagaries of scheduling. Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller are some of the most powerful women in television, yet chances are you haven't heard of them. Let's change that, shall we? Click here for our chat.

A chat with Bryan Cranston and Peter Moffat

Fun fact: 20 minutes after Joe Biden was declared President Elect, I got on a Zoom call with Peter Moffat and Bryan Cranston to talk about their new miniseries, Your Honor. Listening to the recording later on, I could clearly hear honking and yelling in the background. Thataway for the chat, which is rather entertaining.

Skiing in the time of Covid-19

Planning to ski this season? I gathered some tips to help you navigate the new landscape. The takeaway: plan ahead! Head over to my Times article for more.

Uncle Vanya and Ayad Akhtar and Adrienne Kennedy

So much good stuff is streaming, it was hard making a selection for the latest edition of my streaming column. Have at it!

Readymade Cabaret 2.0

Erin B. Mee brings Dada to the world of online theater with this streaming interactive show. My review is here.

Where to find streaming theater in November

 New streaming column, hot off the presses! Here's a whole bunch of theater to watch over the next two weeks.

Rogue City

 I don't mind Olivier Marchal movies at all, and enjoyed his TV series Braquo, but his latest cop thriller, Rogue City, is just plain bad. Click here for my review.

What the Constitution Means to Me

I reviewed Marielle Heller's capture of the Heidi Schreck play for the Times.

JQA

 Aaron Posner is back with JQA, a meta-historical — or is that meta-fictional? — play about John Quincy Adams. I liked its civic mind very much so click here for the review.

Streaming theater: alt-cabaret and zombies

This edition of the biweekly theater column covered Halloween, and the streaming gang rose to the occasion. Click here for leads to many shows.

Circle Jerk

 Give it up for the Fake Friends company, which named its new show something that will lead to some interesting Google results. For my review, however, click here.

Streaming theater: Halloween and alt-cabaret

Downtown clubs aren't open anymore but that doesn't mean we can't have alt-cabaret. Click here for places to find it, and more streaming theater.

That Kindness: Nurses in Their Own Words

 V, formerly known as Eve Ensler, talked to nurses and then made a play. It's amazing, and not surprising at all, to hear the anger rise over the course of the show. My review for the Times is here.

Profile of Aaron Pedersen

 What a treat to interview Aaron Pedersen for the Times — and it was published on Indigenous People's Day, too. He could not have been gracious, a true mensch in life and on screen. Click here for the story.

Streaming theater — Scotland and nurses edition

Broadway may be closed until March 21, but theater is expanding its footprint online. My latest column gives an idea of the wealth of stuff out there. Click here for the details.

Interview with Dylan Wissing

Dylan Wissing is a drummer with both sleuthing and musical chops, as well as a fine collection of things that make a noise when you hit them. Read all about him and the fascinating process known as sample replay in my profile.

American Dreams

 In the play American Dreams, three men compete in a game show to win American citizenship. My review of the interactive production is here.

Elephant Room — Dust From the Stars

 Geoff Sobelle, Trey Lyford and Steve Cuiffo's sequel to Elephant Room is so, so good! I hope they bring it back for a longer run because this is the first Zoom show I've seen with a genuine theatricality. My review is here.

Streaming theater: catty birthdays and lessons in survival

 I am in the middle of putting together a music-article with some complicated moving parts so I forgot to link to my latest streaming-theater column, which came out last week. Lots of stuff is still available so check it out.

Interview with Róisín Murphy

 Drop everything and read my profile of Róisín Murphy, the Irish maverick who's been blazing her own path for 25 years now!

Interview with Kara Young

I talked to Kara Young, one of New York's most vital actresses, a little before the airing of Bulrusher, the Eisa Davis play in which she takes on the title role. If you go to the theater on a semi-regular basis, perhaps you saw Young in Syncing Ink, The New Englanders, All the Natalie Portmans or Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven. And in that case, you remember her. Thataway for the article.

#Alive

Aside from Black Summer, my favorite zombie offerings of the past couple of years have been from South Korea, namely Train to Busan and Kingdom. While #Alive does not quite reach those heights, it's still a very good addition — and I loved the bit about bleeding eyes being a symptom of infection, a nice visual touch. My review is here.

Streaming theater after six months

On the six-month anniversary of Broadway shutting down, I did another roundup of streaming theater. (Not that Broadway is all American theater but for my purposes it's a good enough symbol.) Click here — quite a few of the shows I mention are still viewable.

How to change theater

 What a joy to join the Times' hive mind as we cooked up ways to save theater. "Pie in the sky," they said — so I went for it. Lots of food for thought here.

Streaming theater is here to stay

 In my latest streaming column, I look at the fact that for many theater companies and festivals, streaming is here to stay. The Sydney Fringe, for example, will likely keep its online Global Fringe initiative even when physical performances resume. This and more here.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 I've never been to the Edinburgh Fringe but this year I got to review a couple of its shows — thank you, streaming! It was a pleasure to team up with Jesse Green and Alexis Soloski for this little adventure.

The best places to stream horror

 I checked out the major streaming platforms' strengths and weaknesses when it comes to horror. Thrills and chills thataway!

Chad Deity returns on Zoom

 Of all plays to do on Zoom, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity is among the unlikeliest choices. If anything, the format allowed the full focus to be on the words, which remain punchy as ever. I discussed the reading with Maya Phillips so check out our conversation.

Finish the fight, and other adventures in streaming theater

 Time for another column about streaming theater, and there was a lot this time around. Click here, then click on all the links!

Ice Factory festival

 Undaunted by Covid-19, the Ice Factory festival took place this year — online, obviously. I wrote about it for the Times, and you will see why Zoom can be so gosh-darned confusing. Click here for my Critic's Notebook.

La Cinetek

We can't watch the movies on the French streaming platform La Cinetek from the US but most are available here and the main point is the directors' lists, and those we can check out. Hours of fun! Click here for my article for the Times.

Another roundup of streaming theater

Who would have thought back in March that we'd still be talking about streaming theater? And yet here were, and likely here we will be for the next several months. Here's my latest streaming column for the Times.