Frank Sinatra was far more than the swaggering leader of the “Rat Pack” or the unmistakable voice behind “New York, New York.” He helped elevate popular music into an art form. As Eric Comstock, co-creator and performer of Our Sinatra: a Musical Celebration, observes, “No one did more to make pop music an art form.” This lively production proves his point.
Burt Bacharach made sophistication sound effortless. Songs such as “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” invite an easy singalong, yet their unusual time signatures, surprising chord changes, and demanding vocal ranges can expose an unprepared performer. In ‘Going Bacharach: The Songs of an Icon,’ the singers and musicians meet those challenges with style, precision, and control.
If you want a clear plot, conventional heroes and villains, or an evening free of disturbing material, ‘Les Enfants Terribles’ at East Village Basement is not the play for you.
How can an actor make an audience care about a character who speaks with a ghost, is consumed by his mother’s remarriage, helps drive the woman he loves toward suicide, and kills three men—two of them unarmed? ‘Becoming Hamlet’ answers this by removing the distance between spectator and prince: the audience does not merely observe Hamlet’s turmoil but assumes its many dimensions.
The AMT Theater was established as a regional theater in the heart of the Theater District. Its mission is to expand artistic opportunities by offering a haven for playwrights, actors, directors, and stagehands, while inviting audiences to take part in the creative process.
Politicians come and go, but bureaucracies endure. Daniel R. O’Brien explores that idea in Jugular, a ninety-minute political satire about urgent contemporary issues. A graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts, O’Brien is an award-winning playwright.
Playwright Brian S. Brijbag’s ‘Funeral of god‘ blends comedy and philosophy to explore questions of faith, meaning, and humanity’s relationship with the divine. Instead of waiting for Godot, a troupe of actors are waiting for god. The major difference is that Brijbag adds more humor than Beckett.
As the audience enters the theater, the space feels like a peaceful underwater world.
Although it is not required, most New York City high school students encounter at least one Shakespearean play each year. As a result, Hamlet is one of New York’s best-known yet least-read of Shakespeare’s plays. (Remember Cliff Notes?) So, there is no need to restate the plot.
Theater is continually expanding its audience. We encounter history through hip-hop. Shakespeare comes to Central Park, making his plays accessible to people from all walks of life.