All articles by Alix Cohen
By Alix Cohen Once more unto the breach!* This is the 14th Blue Wave concert raising money for Democratic candidates since 2018. Stephen Hanks, at various times editor, writer, publisher, re…
By Alix Cohen Two slight plays- the first more than the second- show Frank Cossa has an ear for naturalistic dialogue. The first features Tom (Riyadh Rollins) waiting impatiently at a café …
A compassionate look at being institutionalized by Alix Cohen
By Alix Cohen Irish Repertory Theatre founders, Charlotte Moore & Ciarán O’Reilly, throw a grand party. At 37, the theater is not only as vibrant and energetic as ever, it still has a…
By Alix Cohen There’s much to recommend The Public Theater’s first production of this Shakespeare classic in 40 years. Firstly, its cast contains stand-outs: Star-crossed lovers, Romeo (…
By Alix Cohen In October 1989, Donald Smith’s four year-old Mabel Mercer Foundation held its first annual New York Cabaret Convention. The New York Times headline read: Cabaret Convention …
By Alix Cohen Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman left one of the most enduring legacies in American songwriting, crafting elegant, emotionally rich lyrics that became part of the cultural fabr…
By Alix Cohen This is hands down the most thrilling dance production to which I’ve ever been treated. In words I’ve rarely written, there’s nothing I would change. Be prepared for hype…
By Alix Cohen People become jockeys not because it’s easy, but because they can’t imagine life without horses, competition, and the thrill of the ride. Robert Montano was the short kid p…
By Alix Cohen Imagine, dear reader, a young boy set adrift upon the bustling and often unkind tide of the world, furnished with little more than a hopeful heart and a talent for observing it…
By Alix Cohen Josh (Harrison Bryan) is successively suspended from NYU and kicked out of rehab. He goes on a bender, apparently flies to Miami, then finds himself literally on the ground in …
By Alix Cohen Lucille Carr-Kaffashan is a psychologist. This is a smart show with excellent, often little known song choices that relate to one another. Wise points are well made. The vocali…
By Alix Cohen It takes artistic audacity for a female artist to offer a show of Barbra Streisand material.Though Melissa Errico tells us the evening is an homage– trying to chart the ways …
By Alix Cohen This is a terrific presentation, terrific. Rarely do components come together with such finesse, feeling and craftsmanship. History and tradition provide whole cloth through wh…
By Alix Cohen The night before her wedding, Maggie (Quincy Tyler Berstine) almost opted out.Twenty-five years later when her husband dies, she wonders not only whether she loved him, but als…
By Alix Cohen Outside Mullingar is the tale of two lonely souls livin’ side by side on neighboring farms. Anthony Reilly’s a soft, odd sort of man, tangled up in thinkin’ somerthin’s…
By Alix Cohen “If Con Ed could wire KT Sullivan, Manhattan would light up like Christmas. Vibrating even when perched, she might be a humming bird with wing speed too fast to observe. Her …
By Alix Cohen In the last five years the U.S. has seen a record rise in censorship laws and enforcement mechanisms—particularly targeting education. The number of bills, the proportion ena…
1936. The Spanish Civil War began. American Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, undermining Hitler’s claims of Aryan superiority. In England, King Edward VIII abdicate…
On the stairs of a 1911 Pittsburgh boarding house, a young tenant plays the song “Joe Turner’s Blues:” They tell me Joe Turner’s come and gone/They tell me Joe Turner’s come and go…
By Alix Cohen I think I’ve seen all thirteen of Stephen Hanks -produced Blue Wave/Blue Tsunami shows. What became clear again last night, the first of four new evenings, is though donation…
By Alix Cohen Established 1974 in New York City, Talking Band was founded by Paul Zimet, Ellen Maddow, and Tina Shepard—all former members of Joseph Chaikin’s Open Theater. Tonight, both…
By Alix Cohen Former musical-theater actress Donna Rubin and former artistic director of Guild Hall Josh Gladstone have embarked on a third sparkling season bringing popular cabaret artists …
By Alix Cohen The United States government has censored – in part- the following from official documents: vulnerable, entitlement, diversity, transgender, fetus, evidence-based, science-ba…
By Alix Cohen Like the 1975 film, The Rocky Horror Show is a gleefully outrageous, high-energy musical romp. On their way to visit former high school teacher, Dr. Scott- now a government ope…
By Alix Cohen Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003) was a German actress, photographer and filmmaker best known for the last, making propaganda movies in service of Adolph Hitler. One of the few wome…
By Alix Cohen “He wants me to go in a date?!” Clara Schumann (1819-1896) anxiously and excitedly tells us.* Having not had a man in her life for 17 years, like any widowed or divorced wo…
By Alix Cohen Unable to reach her mother, Susan, for days, Suzanna (Lauren Patten), who has a tendency towards the dramatic, is freaking out. Susan has MS. Despite their antagonistic relatio…
By Alix Cohen The good news is that Beaches remains tender hearted. As book and lyrics are written by the novel’s author, Iris Rainer Dart, the musical retains much of its appeal even with…
By Alix Cohen “Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as a well…How many times will you watch the moon rise and yet it all seems limitless…” gentle, gruff …
By Alix Cohen Founded by Lee Pope in 1983, The Schoolhouse Theater is Westchester’s longest running professional Equity venue, producing over 100 plays and supporting new works. Operating …
BY Alix Cohen Since 2018, Stephen Hanks, at various times editor, writer, publisher, reviewer, publicity agent, vocalist; always a dedicated political activist, has produced 11 Blue Wave con…
By Alix Cohen "Everybody loves a circus/Until they become the clown/Every weak cog has its purpose… until they been chased from town…" ("Everybody Loves a Circus"- Michele Bettencourt/He…
By Alix Cohen Charlotte Moore and Ciarán O'Reilly concocted Irish Repertory Theatre picturesquely chatting at a kitchen table, rather like Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, except with cred…
By Alix Cohen The work of thirteen Broadway choreographers is here showcased in a series of numbers accompanied by full orchestra. Though singing is less polished, dancing is predominantly t…
By Alix Cohen Donna McKechnie explodes onto the stage, arms shooting out like fireworks. "Everything's Coming Up Roses" (Jule Styne/Stephen Sondheim), usually a finale, is here a wake-up son…
By Alix Cohen Adam Gopnik, master of the caffeinated essay (forty years at The New Yorker) and iconoclastic books, navigates culture with fluid elegance and restless curiosity. At the same t…
By Alix Cohen The thespian walks onto a stage empty but for a chair and ghost light. "It still smells like stale coffee and opening night nerves…" He drops his bag breathing in familiar at…
By Alix Cohen Anna (Danielle Ryan), Denise (Kate MacCluggage) and Cora (Carmen M. Herlihy) were at school together and shared rooms. Over the years, life distanced them. Cora, the neediest o…
By Alix Cohen Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the early Romantic era, famous from childhood, known for his melodic elegance and clarity. This i…
By Alix Cohen Billie Dawson (Sally Mayes) has returned to Livingston, Texas to clear out her mama's house after she passed. Her Southern-influenced accent"closer to Louisiana and Arkansas in…
By Alix Cohen "Jason Graae explores his Graae-ness" is an accurate description for this utterly charming, biographical collage of wit, music and storytelling- not just patter. Graae is a pat…
By Alix Cohen The Grand Ole Oprey began in 1925 as Nashville's "WSM Barn Dance", a simple radio show of fiddle tunes and folk songs. A joking, on-air remark gave it the formal name. Quickly …
By Alix Cohen Brian Stokes Mitchell's life and career span both artistic triumph and personal resilience. Onstage, he rose to the top of Broadway with standout performances in Ragtime and Ki…
By Alix Cohen Alvin Ailey transformed modern dance by centering Black experience, spirituality, and community in works that speak to universal emotion. His legacy continues to expand access,…
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…
