605 stories by "Joel Benjamin"
This post is by Joel Benjamin
An astounding array of Broadway singers triumphantly performed without any electronic assistance at Scott Siegel's Broadway Unplugged 2015 at The Town Hall. Al…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
Roberto Villanueva describes BalaSole as "a diverse dance company," and it is just that. He provides opportunities for dance artists who would otherwise find i…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
The suite of discrete scenes, distinguished by quasi-poetic lines in the program notes and a series of obvious theatrical gimmicks"tall columns that become anci…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
"Awake and Sing!" seems at first an odd choice for NAATCO, the acting company dedicated to the advancement of Asian actors, but after an initial wary uneasiness…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
The production, directed with oddly erratic pacing by the experienced Jerry Zaks, stars the imperious Patti LuPone as the acidly ambitious Irene, the doyenne of…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
he Royal Ballet's second program of its ridiculously short season at the David H. Koch Theater was disappointing as much for what was on it as for what wasn't. …
This post is by Joel Benjamin
Certainly, the ceaseless energetic intertwinements of the Escher section could allude to his eye-popping, busy canvases and the large rectangles of white light …
This post is by Joel Benjamin
Joshua Harmon, the author of the bitingly engaging "Bad Jews," is back on the boards with "Significant Other," another modern morality tale. Again he displa…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
The Joyce Theater Foundation is presenting a short season of the Royal Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center, the Royal's first visit to New Yor…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
Judging from this program only, the PNB is firmly in the mainstream of the world's modern ballet troupes, almost indistinguishable one from the other (viz. Neth…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
Swedish modern dance choreographer, Pontus Lidberg is a master of the quietly eerie. His works invade your brain slowly with their deliberate pacing and strang…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
The Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet has had the good fortune to have had financial security during its twelve-year existence; that is, until this year when its p…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
The annual School of American Ballet Workshop performances are more than occasions for fundraising. They are a chance to see the next generation of classical b…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
Deborah Zall has been a presence in the modern dance scene, specifically in the Martha Graham orbit, for decades. Recently, after years of relative obscurity, …
This post is by Joel Benjamin
George S. Kaufman's only solo effort, the 1925 satire, "The Butter and Egg Man" is a colorfully exaggerated snapshot of the nitty-gritty, seat-of-your-pants the…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
Mr. Rioult, a French native, has Piaf's music in his bloodstream. His "Street Singer" also using RIOULT Dance NY started and ended with the song most identifie…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
The Steps Repertory Ensemble is full of beautiful dancers, refreshingly, of all physical types. Yet, they move like a company all on the same beam, which is to…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
Four intensively self-involved, but personable, performers meandered on and off the stage which was glaringly lit by the geometrically arranged fluorescent bulb…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
"Something Rotten!" isn't just for insiders, though. Its pleasures are multiple: a divinely hyper cast led by Mr. d'Arcy James, John Cariani (sweet and lovabl…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
"It Shoulda Been You" is the new musical by Brian Hargrove (book and lyrics) and Barbara Anselmi (music) and marks the Broadway directing debut of Broadway vete…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
Where is John Doyle when we really need him to whip new life into a musical? [Answer: he's directing another Broadway musical, "The Visit."] There's a moving …
This post is by Joel Benjamin
The Ballet Hispanico has long been revered as a beacon of dance art in the Latino community. Its school and repertory have helped illuminate the Latino experie…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
The director/choreographer Christopher Wheeldon has re-envisioned this icon with a panache that borders on the genius, fulfilling the promise he showed with his…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
There is audience participation; a huge orchestra"conducted by Patrick Vaccariello"that keeps rising from the depths, acrobatic choreography, and, most of all t…
This post is by Joel Benjamin
What became clear over the course of the four performances under review attended were the subtle changes in Mr. Taylor's work over the years, how his works have…
