The Charming 'Sunset Circus' is Back
By Alix Cohen What makes Sunset Circus different? "Two things: the story and the intimate environment. Ours is a theatrical show (on stage) in which the circus acts help tell the story. Phys…
By Alix Cohen What makes Sunset Circus different? "Two things: the story and the intimate environment. Ours is a theatrical show (on stage) in which the circus acts help tell the story. Phys…
By Alix Cohen Remember the Golden Age of musicals whose plots had a linear beginning, middle and end; thwarted lovers, apparent villains, drama, comedy relief, and lush music? Monte Cristo a…
By Alix Cohen Described by friends and associates as gentle, observant, ironic, and emotionally reserved, playwright Anton Chekhov exhibited those qualities in his work. The artist called on…
By Alix Cohen This play sneaks up on one, its hero does not. Every minute Jordan Matthew Brown is onstage as Zack is captivating. The actor creates a sweet, bumbling, childlike young man for…
By Alix Cohen British director Leigh Carver (Max Baker) practically salivates over having secured Academy Award winning Jay Conway (Michael Broderick) to star in his upcoming production abou…
By Alix Cohen "Maybe if we stopped chasing grace, we'd learn to love the process of becoming Grace." Elizabeth Addison apparently has no theater and barely any music training. Like Irving Be…
By Alix Cohen Married 7 years, Bobby (Schoen Hodges) and his second wife, Elise (Leigh Wulff) are on the ropes. Her catering company has imploded; his assistant professorship replaced by sub…
By Alix Cohen Charles Strouse (1928-2025) composed music for 14 Broadway musicals, garnering three Tony Awards. An additional 16 musicals were produced elsewhere. Just out of school, playing…
By Alix Cohen Henry Darger was an American outsider artist and reclusive writer whose work remained largely unknown during his lifetime. Born in Chicago in 1892 his mother died when he was y…
By Alix Cohen The longevity industry in the United States"anti-aging medicine, supplements, biotech research, medical spas, and diagnostics"is worth tens of billions of dollars per year. Ant…
By Alix Cohen Lillias White is an amalgam of Etta James, Mae West and Puck (A Midsummer Night's Dream.) She sizzles her way onstage with a defiant "I'm Getting' Along Alright" (Bobby Sharp/C…
By Alix Cohen Mel Tormé (1925-1999), known as "The Velvet Fog", impressed audiences and peers alike with his silken voice, innate swing, improvisational skill, and sophisticated arrangement…
By Alix Cohen Tin Pan Alley originated in the late 19th century on West 28th Street in New York City, where music publishers and songwriters clustered to produce and promote popular sheet mu…
By Alix Cohen Kenneth Ard was in bed when he received a text from a former mentee. Cats: The Jellicle Ball was coming to Broadway. Ard had originated the role of Macavity in the 1982 Winter …
By Alix Cohen Prejudice against Chinese women in corporate America often operates at the intersection of race and gender, where stereotypes about both Asian identity and femininity shape wor…
By Alix Cohen Playwright Eugene O'Neill had a strong personal connection to the sea from his time as a sailor and an interest in New England's whaling culture. Though he never went whaling h…
By Alix Cohen Do NOT be put off by title or fight images. There's nothing gratuitously violent in playwright Ngozi Anyanw's chronicle of sibling trauma, abandonment and reconciliation. Borne…
By Alix Cohen Parched opens with the recording of an actual public service announcement about conserving water and the song "Waiting on the Rain. " Lighting (Tyler Kieffer) and Scenic Design…
By Alix Cohen It's the 1950s. We meet Charlie, a regular guy with a penchant for swing music, draped across an old (full sized) radio console. A fedora covers his face. One day he spots Ruby…
By Alix Cohen Thirty five year ago, Laurie Krauz and MD, Daryl Kojak had a regular gig at Danny's Skylight on West 46th Street. In an effort to recreate those "casual" appearances, the colla…
By Alix Cohen Playwright Brian Dykstra has a habit of sneaking up on one with narratives so topically incisive they startle. His work is a prime example of the aphorism "language holds power…
By Alix Cohen There's little rhyme or reason to Ann Kittredge's choice of songs this evening except nostalgia with starting her career at Don't Tell Mama's and gratitude to the venue's heart…
Piano player, composer, arranger, musical director, orchestrator, conductor, and uber-fan Marc Shaiman By Alix Cohen At age seven, Marc Shaiman parroted his sister's piano lesson by ear. At …
By Alix Cohen "CO_LAB Theater Group is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing Creative Opportunities without Limits And Boundaries. The organization offers individuals with de…
By Alix Cohen When Frenchwoman Margot Sergent appeared at the doors of Berklee School of Music 12 years ago, she had a classical harp background. When she left, the vocalist was a jazz baby.…