
Charles Strouse isn’t a name that immediately rings a bell with most people the way, say, Andrew Lloyd Webber does. If you say “the great musical composer, Charles Strouse” people don’t go “Ahhhh, right, of course”. But mention some of his iconic songs and right away the “wow, I didn’t know he wrote that“s and ... Read The Full Article...

I have to admit, I didn’t get to see Coraline The Movie when it was playing, mainly because I cover so much theatre that I just don’t get a chance to get out to the movies as much as I used to. But apparently the movie’s director Henry Selick wants to change all that ... Read The Full Article...

In the early part of the century (yes, that would be the year 2000) I became fascinated with Lidia Bastianich and made a point of telling everyone that I wanted to go to her restaurant, Felidia (243 E. 58th New York, NY 10022). People tend to like me (what can I say?) so everyone made a ... Read The Full Article...

What do Bernie Madoff, Wasabi Peas, change of a $10, Kaiser Soze, the shell game, orange juice, a bar bet, a deck of cards and a floating cigarette all have in common? They’re all elements in Jeff Grow’s very entertaining part-magic-show-part-performance-art-piece “Creating Illusion” playing a limited engagement at the D-Lounge. With a winning smile, a ... Read The Full Article...

If you’re like me, you love cake. And the internet. And laughing at other people’s mistakes. So chances are you’ve come across Cake Wrecks already and I’m not about to tell you anything new. This tip is not for you. This tip is for those among us who have technology-averse loved ones who say things ... Read The Full Article...

Coming to the rescue in this time of turmoil, like cash for your clunkers or extra-pure heroin, the Unitards (Mike Albo, Nora Burns and David Ilku) will bail you out of your dreary little lives with an evening of humor, wit, song and sarcasm. Following their sold-out evening at Joes Pub, Unitard returns with a ... Read The Full Article...

Where were you during the New York blackout? People still ask, even though the most recent one happened six years ago. But live through just one in New York City and you’ll understand why it’s such a bookmark in the story of your life here; in a city that never sleeps, that is always alive ... Read The Full Article...

It’s always fun to try to envision the future; to take an every day pastime such as the internet or TV or twitter or whatever else is the current “thing” and spin it out to its fullest realized interpretation either as a fantasy or a cautionary tale. Even better is to look at futuristic tales ... Read The Full Article...

If Marrying Meg was a book, it would lay solidly in your lap, with a cover made of fine tooled leather, each page edged in gold leaf. Fairy dust would shimmer up out of it as you turned each page and sank deeper and deeper into this amazing world that Mark Robertson (book, lyrics and ... Read The Full Article...

You can tell it’s Fringe Season when theatres ’round the city are suddenly bustling with life at odd hours of the day and escorting people in and out quickly so they can strike a set and get ready for the next show which is happening in, oh, about a minute. Yes, it’s all about endings ... Read The Full Article...

Society doesn’t look kindly upon mothers who kill their children, intentionally or otherwise; right now the court of public opinion is busily vilifying Diane Schuler who was reportedly drunk and stoned when she piled a group of children (her own daughter included) into her car and then drove the wrong way on the Taconic State ... Read The Full Article...

Unless you’ve been living outside of New York City for the last decade or so, chances are you’ve either attended a Fringe show yourself, or you’ve at least heard about the festival. ”Fringe”, of course, means The New York International Fringe Festival and it is the largest multi-arts festival in North America, with more than ... Read The Full Article...