Why do we love scary movies and terrifying amusement park rides? The scarier it is, the more we scream first, then giggle. Why are these experiences so entertaining? Maybe because they are controlled and often shared. We are not alone. It is our choi …Read more

Jean-Michel Basquiat was an extraordinary young artist whose life was tragically cut short. In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the one-man show at the New York Theatre Workshop, is about the artist and his life but primarily about his relationship wit …Read more

Playwright-actress Marin Ireland channeled her own experiences with domestic abuse to create the 75 minute play Pre-Existing Condition. The title refers to how certain US states, as late as 2010, classified domestic violence as a way for insurance co …Read more

It had been raining off and on for several days. The air was thick and the sky slightly grey. Yet in the distance, there was a patch of blue. Fingers crossed, we set out for the second Free Shakespeare in the Park play of the summer season. Rarely ha …Read more

I’ve long been an admirer of playwright Wendy Wasserstein but had never seen her 1997 play An American Daughter. So I looked forward to the recent revival by LaFemme Theatre Productions. Although the play is somewhat dated, some basic themes remain c …Read more

For 25 years, Birthright Israel has sent young Jewish adults to Israel to experience the culture and values of the country from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv and places in between. For ten days at no cost, the participants, ages 18-26, tour Israel. It is 200 …Read more

In 1984, years before she became a one-name star, Whoopi Goldberg wrote and starred in a one-woman show called The Whoopi Monologues. The show and her unique name garnered lots of attention and praise. She went on to star in movies and television and …Read more

photo by joan Marcus While the war in Vietnam raged on, the summer of ‘69 distracted Americans with the Apollo 11 moon landing and walk by Neil Armstrong and later, the joyous gathering of an estimated 500,000 peace – loving music- loving young peopl …Read more

No place lends itself better to see Shakespeare’s story of star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet than Central Park on a starry night. When Juliet stands on her balcony and the two young lovers profess their love, the moonlit sky behind her creates an …Read more

At the final curtain of the revival of Arthur Miller’s classic play Death of a Salesman, Nathan Lane comes out to take a bow. He looks exhausted after giving the 3 hour award-winning performance of his life and the tumultuous applause from the audien …Read more