605 stories by "Joel Benjamin"
"Song Before Spring," to a vibrant and pulsating steel band score by Philip Glass is an exciting addition to the NYTB repertory. Choreographed by Zhong-Jing Fang and Steven Melendez, "Song"…
The second Balanchine masterpiece was "Prodigal Son," the final work that the great impresario Serge Diaghilev commissioned. Prokofiev's moody, rough-hewn score and colorful, scenery and co…
The focus too often strays from Chekhov and his darkly comic portrait of a Russia to a piece of silly business or a maladroit placement of rows of audience members, breaking the fourth wall.…
Maillot decided, however, to set his version in a distorted fantasy realm, with no identifiable time period or place, distancing the story's emotional impact. It is difficult to identify wi…
A constant criticism of Nikolais' work is that he "de-humanized" his dancers by putting them into odd, sculptural costume constructions and giving them "mechanical" movements. This program …
There are relatively few venues, even in dance crazy NYC, where fledgling choreographers can work on their craft in a totally professional environment. Soaking WET at the West End Theate…
In the course of a single hour, Ms. Masilo managed to tell the basic story of Swan Lake"albeit a reconfigured version in which the Prince, Siegfried (a wiry, stalwart Songezo Mcilizeli) want…
Linda Lavin wears Anna in Richard Greenberg's "Our Mother's Brief Affair" like a chic couture outfit with many layers each of which reveals layers of colorful, woven cloth. There is a const…
Chase put extreme physical demands on her dancers in some works, relied on their acting ability in others, most often combining these elements. She also"as the Pilobolus creators did"collab…
Question: Why are these five young choreographers so unhappy, so full of angst and disquietude? There's nothing wrong with exploring the darker side of life, but virtually all of the works…
Reggie Wilson has been combining dance and cultural anthropology for many years. His troupe, Fist & Heel Performance Group, is a living testament to his passion with "Moses(es), Moses(e…
"Maurice Hines: Tappin' Thru Life" is a pleasantly entertaining look at the personal and professional life of Maurice Hines. Of course, his life and career were closely intertwined with his…
In Rolin Jones' re-do of "Much Ado," the soldier buddies have become a Beatles-like rock band called The Quartos, the first of many Shakespearean references. Continuing the parallels: Leo…
Colby's fascinatingly entertaining autobiography, "The Algonquin Kid," was turned into a one-time theatrical event as part of the Urban Stages' Winter Rhythms series, hosted by Mr. Colby, pr…
Jackie Hoffman is famous for her combination of sarcasm and wit in a small, rubber-faced package and John "Lypsinka" Epperson, for his uncanny way of taking lip-synching to the heights of gr…
"The Hard Nut" is certainly beautiful to behold, its production design based on the work of Charles Burns whose graphic novels feature vividly surreal and haunting images. But, it's also fr…
The humorous banter among the four and their slide-splitting re-creation of the Ed Sullivan show, the main feature of the second act, are reason enough to see "Plaid Tidings." Add in their …
Malcolm Gets, Jerry Dixon, Mario Cantone and Matt McGrath in as scene from "Steve" (Photo credit: Monique Carboni) Joel Benjamin, Critic Although its emotional impact is universal, Mark Gerr…
It has taken years and many people, to restore the book and score of the 1923 "The Golden Bride" which was last performed in 1948. A concert performance by the National Yiddish Theatre Fo…
The Peccadillo Theater Company's "A Wilder Christmas" is a gentle and genteel evening of theater: Â two early Thornton Wilder one-act plays, directed with an attention to detail and a leis…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
Inspired by George Takei's experiences in a Japanese internment camp during World War II, "Allegiance" is a sometimes moving, sometimes stodgy musical about thi…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
The pleasure of" Night Is a Room" is watching these three expert actors speak Wallace's rich, insightful language which veers from wittily highfalutin to exciti…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
Arthur Miller is having a great posthumous 100th birthday! "A View from a Bridge" opened on Broadway to sensational reviews to be followed soon by "The Crucibl…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
"Shadowland" follows the young girl, played to perfection by Heather Jeane Favretto, on a surreal journey, exposing her fears and pleasures, leaving her forever…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
Twyla Tharp is a choreographer who can infuriate and charm audiences in equal measure. (Paul Taylor also comes to mind.) Her choreography is clearly the resul…
