Articles by Joel Benjamin

About Joel Benjamin (580 Articles)

JOEL BENJAMIN was a child performer on Broadway and danced with leading modern dance and ballet companies. Joel has been attending theater, ballet and opera performances ever since childhood, becoming quite opinionated over the years. He was the founder and artistic director of the American Chamber Ballet and subsequently was massage therapist to the stars before becoming a reviewer and memoirist. He is a member of the Outer Critics Circle.

Ragamala Dance Company: “Children of Dharma”

January 12, 2025

The troupe, led by a mother and two daughters—Aparna Ramaswamy, Ranee Ramaswamy (mother) and Ashwini Ramaswamy—presented “Children of Dharma,” based on elements of the famous Hindu epic "The Mahabharata." A totally original interpretation of this age-old story, it is a complicated tale about Krishna, “the embodiment of nature,” (a bare-chested Garrett Sour wearing just a plain dhoti), somewhat explicated by a voiceover narration recited by Leon Conrad. Two other characters dominate: Draupati whose epic dice game incites an epic war and Gandari, who tragically loses and mourns her many children. [more]

Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library

December 23, 2024

Jenny Lyn Bader’s "Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library" has moved from a successful run at the 59E59 Theater to the intimate WP Theater on the Upper West Side. This is fortunate for those who missed it. Mrs. Stern shines a light on a dark moment in the life of a major cultural figure of the twentieth century whose career was nearly short circuited. [more]

The Hard Nut

December 19, 2024

The main difference is the delightfully over-the-top, campy production that takes the audience into the fertile mind of Mark Morris and his artistic colleagues. The mostly black and white scenic design by Adrianne Lobel features circular prosceniums within circular prosceniums, exaggerated furniture and, wittily, a gigantic world map with lights indicating where the different ethnic dances—Chinese, Spanish, Russian---are from, as if Martin Pakledinaz’s hilarious costumes didn’t already tell the story. [more]

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Winter 2024 Season

December 15, 2024

The second premiere was a battle of the sexes duet, “Me, Myself and You,” choreographed by Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish to a Duke Ellington song, “In a Sentimental Mood” sung lustrously by Brandie Sutton. Caroline T. Dartey, in a long, silvery robe (costumes by Danté Baylor) rose from the floor and wandered beautifully towards a standing screen on the other side of the stage. Once unfolded, the screen was revealed to be a three-part mirror which seemed to fascinate Dartey as she almost made love to her own image. [more]

Death Becomes Her

November 27, 2024

“Glitter and Be Gay” is not just a Leonard Bernstein aria from Candide, but the perfect description of the campily funny new musical "Death Becomes Her" which just hit the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre like a friendly tornado. Double entendres explode in all directions. Take the song titled “For the Gaze,” as a tongue-in-cheek example. Based on the 1992 film of the same name, the creators of the musical—Marco Pennette (book), Julia Mattison and Noel Carey (music and lyrics)—have taken the smarmy, star-studded film and turned it into an entertaining, equally star-studded musical. [more]

Oud Player on the Tel

November 18, 2024

Can the tale of two families living in Palestine just before the partition that created the State of Israel shine a light on the current status of affairs? Playwright Tom Block’s "Oud Player on the Tel" does just that with a combination of wit and empathy. The play, currently at HERE Arts Center in SoHo, is part of HERE’s SubletSeries. [more]

Ragtime

November 9, 2024

"Ragtime," thought of as an unwieldy musical with too many characters and too many themes, hit Broadway in 1998. Based on the 1975 E.L. Doctorow novel of the same name, the many storylines were artfully tamed by the team of Terrence McNally (book), Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics). New York City Center has chosen "Ragtime" as its 2004 Annual Gala presentation in a brilliantly streamlined production directed with an eye to its still-important message by Lear DeBessonet with a large and exceptional cast and an excellent orchestra under the baton of James Moore playing William David Brohn’s original rich orchestrations. [more]

Sunset Blvd.

November 7, 2024

Now, director Jamie Lloyd has taken the clunky—but entertaining—Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Sunset Blvd." (1993) and stripped it of all realistic scenery—and a few songs—hoping to get to the nitty-gritty of its Hollywood characters and period with enormous projections which suggest an expressionistic silent film. The results are decidedly mixed mostly due to a failure to settle on a tone plus some head-scratching additions that have nothing to do with the story. Lloyd, most recently represented by his dreary, stripped-down A Doll’s House and an equally spare production of Pinter’s Betrayal, has shepherded this production with a combination of brilliance and self-indulgence. [more]

The Christine Jorgensen Show

October 25, 2024

Donald Steven Olson’s "The Christine Jorgensen Show," a two-hander, focuses on the creation of her nightclub act. Jorgensen (portrayed by Jesse James Keitel known for "Younger," "Queer as Folk" and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds") approaches showbiz veteran Myles Bell. Mark Nadler, virtuoso pianist, cabaret superstar, and co-composer for this show, takes on the role of this quirky, energetic performer and songwriter. [more]

Yellow Face

October 21, 2024

Clearly, Hwang’s playwright-within-the-play has been on a colorful journey, full of characters that amuse, anger and move him. Hwang’s genius here is his ability to spin his real life into a fascinatingly entertaining work using all these events and characters. He is artful in balancing the lighthearted with the sardonic and the dramatic, the result being a colorful portrait. The flier for "Yellow Face" shows its handsome star Daniel Dae Kim holding a mask of his smiling face away from his own scowling visage, a witty take on the Greek Comedy/Drama masks, a shorthand for "Yellow Face"’s richness. Of course, having Daniel Dae Kim in the central role embodies his character with depth and subtlety. [more]

Distant Thunder

October 8, 2024

We’ve come a long way from "Annie Get Your Gun" to the new musical "Distant Thunder" produced by Amas Musical Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres. The Irvin Berlin song “I’m an Indian, Too” from "Annie" is filled with silly clichés about our indigenous people that "Distant Thunder" puts to rest. "Distant Thunder," written by Lynne Taylor-Corbett and Shaun Taylor-Corbett (book) and Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Chris Wiseman (music and lyrics), (with additional music and lyrics by Robert Lindsey-Nassif and Michael Moricz,) deals sensitively with issues facing Native Americans today. All of the actors are members or descendants of Native Americans and all give body and soul to their characters. [more]

BalletX: Fall: 2024 Season

October 1, 2024

The final work of the evening was Takehiro Ueyama’s “Heroes,” dedicated to the brave, hard-working citizens of Japan who helped pull themselves out of the devastation of World War Two. Set to darkly emotional music by Kato Hideki and Ana Milosavljevic (played live) and a recording of John Adams’ moody, but energetic “The Chairman Dances – Foxtrot for Orchestra,” “Heroes” was filled with a wide range of emotions beginning with a long duet, a portrait of a deeply emotionally involved couple who, heartbreakingly, wind up parting, Ueyama’s choreography skillfully, but subtly illuminating a wealth of emotions. [more]

The Goldberg-Variations

September 27, 2024

"The Goldberg-Variations" by George Tabori (written in 1991, now having its belated new York premiere) is a confused and confusing conflation of Bible stories and backstage bickering amongst a playwright, his director, designer and actors. Now at the Theater for the New City, the overlong production, directed by Manfred Bormann keeps the audience scratching their heads as each part of the Good Book is explored. [more]

London City Ballet: Fall 2024 Season

September 21, 2024

“Larina Waltz,” choreographed by Ashley Page to the lilting melodies of Tchaikovsky, opened the program. It was a dynamic expression of the classical ballet bona fides of this youthful company. Arrayed in a line of five couples, the men in black tunics and the ladies in white tutus, they performed unison partnering showing off the easygoing style that became more evident as the program progressed. Couples peeled off until only one remained, soon replaced by a succession of couples, all of whom performed charming, if not dazzling, turns, lifts and complicated steps, the men leaping and the women showing off balance and grace. This was a charming lagniappe, a gift to warm up the audience’s expectations. [more]

Airport and the Strange Package

August 12, 2024

"Airport and the Strange Package" effectively combines good old-fashioned paranoia with witty references to Kafka’s classic. King and his collaborators have fashioned a frightening but entertaining portrait of airport security gone crazy. After all, what modern traveler hasn’t feared the awesome, if arbitrary, power of the Transportation Security Administration? [more]

Pilobolus: Summer 2024 Season

August 7, 2024

"Memory" brought back “Untitled,” a masterpiece from 1978. This work had everything that made Pilobolus the world class dance troupe it became. Choreographed by Pilobolus founders Robby Barnett, Alison Chase, Martha Clarke, Moses Pendleton, Michael Tracy and Jonathan Wolken, and using disarmingly and misleadingly pleasant music by Robert Dennis, “Untitled” began with two women (Feliz and Klinkman) wearing ornate 19th century dresses as they lay on the ground having a pleasant picnic. (Costumes by Kitty Daly and Malcolm McCormick.) As they rose they slowly grew into giants, their legs clearly those of men. These now eight-foot tall women moved gracefully about soon joined by two fully dressed men (Loman and Langford) who flirt with them. As the two ladies were lowered onto their own legs, their supporters proved to be two naked men (Chaparro and Ellis), a bit of a shock to the audience, softened by the beauty of the two. The two women wafted about blissfully unaware of the four men until the naked men resumed their positions under the women’s skirts as they floated off. This combination of period nicety, nudity and psychology and superb movement made for a hauntingly memorable work. [more]

Ain’t Done Bad

July 17, 2024

Jakob Karr conceived, choreographed and directed his full-length dance/drama, "Ain’t Done Bad" currently heating up the Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center just west of Times Square. It is a courageous, if generic look at the trials and tribulations of a young gay man confronting his inner demons and his hard-as-stone father. [more]

Introdans: Energy (triple bill)

June 18, 2024

The Netherlands-based dance troupe Introdans (Roel Voorinthoff, artistic director) exploded onto The Joyce Theater stage in an aptly titled program, "Energy," making a very welcome return to this esteemed home for dance. Although worlds apart stylistically, the first two works, “Kaash” and “Concerto,” were choreographically similar, their form based on repetition of simple themes that gathered strength as each work progressed. [more]

Titanic

June 18, 2024

The tapestry Stone weaves with his multitude of characters—too many to mention here—is always fascinating in its subtle details. Each person stands on his or her own helped by superb performances by the entire cast under the skilled direction of Anne Kauffman ("Mary Jane" and "The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window"). Under her care they all sing magnificently helped by guest music director Rob Berman’s sensitive handling of the Yeston score, directing the large Encores! Orchestra to bring out all the facets of the almost operatic music. [more]

Party Clown of the Rich and Famous & The Hungry Mind Buffet

June 7, 2024

There’s so much fascinating material in "Party Clown of the Rich and Famous" and its companion compendium of four short works, "The Hungry Mind Buffet" that it pains me that the works aren’t presented with classier production values, unfortunately a reality in cash-strapped Off-Broadway presentations. Even so, the evening offers much to savor. [more]

Christopher Caswell: Listen to My Heart

May 21, 2024

Christopher Caswell: "Listen to My Heart" took the audience into his confidence as he opened up about his personal life: friends, loves, children and, of course, show business. His show had the intimacy of being in Caswell’s living room in the guise of the Laurie Beechman Theatre, just off the theater district. Lean, youthful and handsome, Caswell—who admits to being sixty-plus—opened with a stroll through the audience singing the title song, which, after many personal revelations, also ended the show, taking on a different meaning. [more]

Bettye and the Jockettes Spinning Records at the Holiday Inn

May 15, 2024

Christie Perfetti Williams’ genial new play "Bettye and the Jockettes Spinning Records at the Holiday Inn" transports the audience back to the moment Elvis Presley became an international star via his appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in July 1956. Working at the tiny all-female Memphis radio station, WHER, tucked off the lobby of a Holiday Inn, Bettye (Heather E. Cunningham) is devoted to spinning jazz records and does the occasional interview. She is not a fan of Presley’s music but is given the assignment of interviewing him, a task made all the more important for the station now that Presley’s career is about to zoom into the stratosphere. [more]

The Heart of Rock and Roll

May 13, 2024

"The Heart of Rock and Roll" at the James Earl Jones Theatre is one of the more pleasant entries in the jukebox musical derby. Using the musical catalog of Huey Lewis and the News, Tyler Mitchell and Jonathan A. Abrams, (book by Abrams), have fashioned an amusing story of a working class Joe who is torn between his love of rock music and his need to make a living in business. Heart began its Broadway-bound journey in 2018 at the Old Globe in San Diego, but is set firmly in the 1980’s. [more]

Mother Play, A Play in Five Evictions

May 9, 2024

"Mother Play," though based on Vogel’s own life, is her most schematic, more an outline barely fleshed out with lots of details rather than the intense emotional revelations of her earlier works such as "How I Learned to Drive" and "Indecent." The chronological span of the play precludes anything but a quick portrayal of a procession of life-changing events in the Herman family and the rest of the world. Only Martha comes close to revealing her inner tumult at being torn between her mother and her brother. AIDS and other markers of the fast-moving decades are served up too quickly and with foregone conclusions in weak attempts to pluck the audience’s heart strings. [more]

Mary Jane

May 5, 2024

The play is an expression of the quiet whirlwind within Mary Jane’s soul, exquisitely expressed by the warm McAdams, surrounded by the boundless support of the others. Director Anne Kauffman masterfully allows the play to express vast emotions in the most subtle ways. What might have been a tearjerker is so much more, a chance to completely belong in this character’s mind and heart. [more]

Suffs

May 3, 2024

The transfer to Broadway has brilliantly expanded the show. The new production designed by Riccardo Hernández (scenery), Paul Tazewell (costumes), Lap Chi Chu (lighting) and Charles G. LaPointe (wigs & hair) brings Taub’s script to vivid life, much better than the more didactic and spare Public Theater rendering. These artists put Taub’s script into historical context making the battle all the more vibrant. The new version also has rethought the casting, reshuffled and improved the songs and, more importantly, is more focused and effective in telling about the conflicts—internal and external—that plagued the suffrage movement. These included dissonance between Catt and Paul; the thorn-in-the-movement’s side of the Black contingent led by the brilliant Ida B. Wells (a charismatic Nikki M. James); and the far left, Socialist ideals of the hothead Ruza Wenclawska (Kim Blanck, brilliantly avoiding caricature). [more]

Stereophonic

April 27, 2024

David Adjmi’s "Stereophonic" at the Golden Theatre, a transfer under the auspices of Playwrights Horizons, is a minutely detailed, almost minute-by-minute recreation of a recording session by a rock band, purportedly based on Fleetwood Mac’s creation of its epic album "Rumours" in 1976. (Adjmi has denied that this was his inspiration, claiming that the show has an amalgam of sources.) [more]

Dali’s Dream

April 13, 2024

The four patients’ stories occupy the bulk of "Dali’s Dream" in an uneven stream of oddball activities which divert the plot from the more important consideration of the Freud/Dali interaction. Their behavior is whimsical at best, arbitrary at worst. The play becomes an awkward phantasmagoria of the four patients’ crippling neuroses, hiding the fact that the reason for the play, its important focus, the meeting of two major minds of the twentieth century, becomes secondary, not to mention swelling the play’s running time. Their discussions are never fully realized, but get as far as Dali’s admission that he could remember being in his mother’s womb, more a boast than a revelation. [more]

Oh, Mary!

April 9, 2024

No one should be sacrosanct or above satirical treatment, not even our heroes. Everyone has feet of clay. Cole Escola in their huge hit "Oh, Mary!" at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in Greenwich Village certainly believes this. Their over-the-top, irreverent take on Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth is so scurrilously sexual that it is difficult to avoid guffawing at their magnificent awfulness helped by Escola’s constant silly shtick and blatant playing to the audience, all of whom seemed to be having fun. [more]

Travels

April 5, 2024

"Travels" at Ars Nova isn’t just a story of the many places James Harrison Monaco has been. That’s part of it, the most superficial part. "Travels" is far more: a deep look at the people in his life, two in particular, whose fascinating and moving stories emerge from a torrent of music, videos, lights and words. In eight songs/scenes a very personal saga unravels until a chilling coda. On the tiny Ars Nova stage, a console contains the control center of the production. Constantly moving images give the illusion of flying into a vortex, soon replaced by more informative images that illustrate the stories told by Monaco and his very talented compatriots: El Beh, Ashley De La Rosa, Mehry Eslaminia and John Murchison. [more]

Stalker

April 2, 2024

Peter Brynolf and Jonas Ljung, two coolly elegant Swedes—who wrote the show with Edward Af Sillén (also the show’s director)—perform one mind-boggling feat after another, fed by information culled from the audience. The two performers also speak of their own lives, although why they have to describe themselves as “two heterosexuals” is questionable. [more]

Orson’s Shadow

March 29, 2024

For those interested in both theatrical history and the lives of our former artistic heroes, Pendleton doesn’t disappoint, even if he exaggerates and manipulates the facts a bit. He does better with Welles and Olivier, both played smartly and quirkily, than he does with Taff’s almost invisible Plowright and Menna’s ghostly, but glamorous Leigh. Hamilton’s Tynan is more didactic than dramatic, but he looks terrific and keeps the show rolling along. Listening to these giants kvetch and spew is fascinating and strangely satisfying. [more]

The Look of Love (Mark Morris Dance Group)

March 27, 2024

"The Look of Love" was filled with Morris’ least complex choreography, relying on repetition, walking, running and soft leg extensions along with simple arm gestures. Considering the sophistication and elegance of Iverson’s arrangements for the MMDG Music Ensemble, Morris, whose musicianship is his best feature, clearly decided to go for the obvious and easily digestible. Nothing wrong with this approach, but it made "The Look of Love" appear less substantial than it really was. [more]

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