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Articles by Joel Benjamin

About Joel Benjamin (600 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.

Rolling Thunder: A Rock Journey

August 15, 2025

Do we need another jukebox musical? In the case of "Rolling Thunder: A Rock Journey," the answer is a wavering yes. Written with more insight than usual by Bryce Hallett, with musical direction by Sonny Paladino, "Rolling Thunder" manages to find a fresh way to bring that era to life, opening with a brash burst of music (“Magic Carpet Ride” by Steppenwolf) and a period newscast of Nixon explaining why the war was expanding—contrary to growing public anti-war sentiment.  The title refers to the sudden savage saturation bombing campaign against North Vietnam 60 years ago. [more]

Pilobolus: Other Worlds Collection

July 1, 2025

What has happened to Pilobolus? Two programs, A and B, under the umbrella title “Other Worlds Collection,” made up the repertory during this visit to NYC. If Program A at The Joyce Theater is any indication, the troupe has become—yipes!—a dance company:  no gimmicks, no mirrors; no feathers; no shadow play; no nudity; and, worst of all, no sense of humor. Program A was particularly lacking in the last-listed quality, four works that took gloom and mystery to new heights (depths?). [more]

Breakin’ NYC

June 24, 2025

Each dancer contributes a unique personality and approach to the parade of styles, but when they all perform together it is as if they had been together forever.  Each has a solo and a chance to speak about how they came to love hip-hop and how it changed their lives. Several impressed: Choung Woo Hyun has an elegance and lanky quality; Irina Brigita Laiciu’s bare midriff is as expressive as any ballerina’s toe-shoed feet; and Adrian T. Martin has a loose-limbed, easygoing quality.  The other principal dancers are  Jihad Ali, Messiah Brown, Kayla Muchotrigo, Rafaela Oliveira and Nicholas Porter, all displaying terrific individual qualities. [more]

Bowl EP

June 12, 2025

Hassan has managed to raise the strident, repetitive street rhythms and language of rap into an art form that gets to the heart of what ails these three colorful figures. To be frank, the language is often harsh, but just as often poetic. [more]

CARMEN.maquia (Ballet Hispánico)

June 1, 2025

The twisty, but clichéd, choreography was not without its clever and eye-catching moments, but try as he might Ramírez Sansano never fully defined the characters, hindered by the equally colorless setting and costumes.  The only variation on the relentless white of the ever-morphing pile of white bits and pieces that made up the set were several black-gray-white drops which divided the space and punctuated the action.  The painting had clear references to Picasso’s masterpiece, "Guérnica." [more]

Parsons Dance: Spring 2025 Season

May 23, 2025

Six quite diverse works made up the program, four by Parsons and two by guest artists (Robert Battle and Rita Butler) who pushed the dancers to their limits. The guest choreographers worked the company in ways that challenged them after being used to Parsons’ style, which is a witty combination of ballet and modern dance, most particularly the modern dance exemplified by the late Paul Taylor with whom Parsons notably danced for a number of years. [more]

Just in Time

May 9, 2025

Groff is simply sensational in both his roles, charming as himself and astonishing in his revelatory Darin.  He confesses to being “a wet man.”  He proves it with his near aerobically paced performance, which included much singing and dancing and even a touch of beefcake.  (Well, if you got it—and Groff got it—flaunt it!) [more]

Vanya

March 26, 2025

Andrew Scott in the one-man show “Vanya” after Anton Chekhov at the Lucille Lortel Theatre [more]

A Streetcar Named Desire (Almeida Theatre)

March 15, 2025

Even though the director, Rebecca Frecknall, honors most of the play’s dialogue, Blanche’s heartbreaking confession scene with Mitch (Dwane Walcott), her suitor, revealing the sad roots of her dysfunctional life, is truncated by several meaningful words; also, the play as written ends with the men arguing over a poker game as Stella quietly mourns in the arms of her landlady, Eunice (Janet Etuk, excellent).  Here it is Stella’s mournful cries that bring the curtain down, distorting Williams’ message. [more]

Talking with Angels: Budapest, 1943

March 11, 2025

So much of "Talking with Angels" is taken up by the rantings of these otherworldly emenations, which are filled increasingly by cryptic, impenetrable spoutings referencing religious imagery, that the play loses all momentum.  Even though these Angels are the eponymous subjects, the really dramatic stretch of the play begins with Gitta’s plan to save not only her Jewish intimates, but scores of Jewish women after these Friday kaffeeklatsch idylls are suddenly interrupted as the Nazis bomb and then enter Budapest with frightening speed. [more]

Tango After Dark

March 6, 2025

"Tango After Dark" came across as more of a slick cabaret act, albeit one that was performed and staged with professional polish.  The dramatically focused lighting by original designer Charlie Morgan Jones (Clancy Flynn, assistant lighting designer and USA tour) gave theatrical flair to the choreography which, though a limited vision of this dance form, was entertaining and, at times, quite exciting. There’s nothing wrong with entertainment or excitement even if it isn’t high art.  This ensemble provided two hours of fantasy even if it was a glib take on the Tango.  It was a good show and a good time. [more]

Curse of the Starving Class

March 3, 2025

Elliott has directed too realistically, turning "Curse" into a sad melodrama, minus the magic.  Maybe Shepard’s odd take on rural goings-on had more of a shocking appeal to sophisticated urban audiences back in the seventies before TV series about Yellowstone and Fargo, filled with their own weirdness, effaced the darkness of Shepard’s characters and plots. [more]

Anima Animal (Grupo Cadabra)

February 22, 2025

Featuring ballet great and former American Ballet Theatre star, Herman Cornejo in the leading role, "Anima Animal" was choreographed by Anabella Tuliano on Cornejo’s ballet concert group from Argentina, Grupo Cadabra. A creation-themed work, the long program notes detailed the complex folk vision of the world, a story that once fascinated the legendary ballet titan, Vaslav Nijinsky when the Diaghilev Ballets Russes toured South America during the First World War. [more]

Dances by Charles Weidman

February 19, 2025

“Lynchtown” (1936), probably Weidman’s best known work, is an indictment of lawlessness and group anarchy. It is one section of a three-part work called “Atavisms.” Members of the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble (Samantha Géracht, Eleanor Bunker and Lauren Naslund artistic directors) honored Sokolow’s commitment to chilling psychology interpreting Weidman’s choreography. (Sokolow was a Graham acolyte who went off on her own artistic path.) The earth-colored paneled costumes (courtesy of Kanopy Dance) were a kind of camouflage for the large group of dancers led by the Inciter (Margaret Mighty Oak Brackey). They slinked in, stalking their poor Victim, Sam K who was distinguishingly dressed in blue. Their initial stilted, flex-footed walk slowly deteriorated into skitters, off-balance tilts and turns and stomps which turned into a pileup with the Inciter on top, scouting for their quarry. Lehman Engel’s strongly percussive music supported the choreography perfectly as the Victim is trapped like an animal and dragged to his fate. In its time, “Lynchtown” was a strong work and still retains much of its power. [more]

B*tchcraft

February 13, 2025

Bitch turns herself inside out in ways sometimes difficult to bear, particularly with her frank, anatomical language, but she communicates her joy and anguish so honestly and unflinchingly that it is all somehow totally fine. "B*tchcraft" is a collaboration between Bitch and her director Margie Zohn.  Between them they have crafted a powerful show that is both personal and universal in its emotional heft.  The language and imagery are strong, maybe not for everyone, but they resonate with Bitch’s totality. [more]

Urinetown (NY City Center Encores!)

February 8, 2025

“What an awful name for a musical,” spouts Little Sally (a brilliantly talented Pearl Scarlett Gold) as one of the narrators of the New York City Center Encores’ witty production of the 2001 surprise hit "Urinetown."  Yes, it is, but it’s also an entertaining show that actually has inadvertent relevance to today’s audience with its artful jabbing at big business. [more]

Malpaso Dance Company: Winter 2025 Season

January 28, 2025

This may not have been a typical program for the Malpaso Dance Company, but the troupe seems to lean towards the darker parts of life.  As moving as each of the works are, they all painted a gloomy view.  The movement style was an amalgam of ballet and the plasticity of good old-fashioned modern dance: lots of extensions, falls, turned-in legs and twisty partnering. [more]

Ronald K. Brown/Evidence: A Dance Company – 2025 Winter Season

January 19, 2025

The best constructed work was the finale, “Grace” (1999), in which Brown created a Goddess figure come down from Heaven “to spread grace among humans.”  In addition to a score by Duke Ellington, Roy Davis, Jr. and Fela Anikulapo Kuti which went from darkly dreamlike to upbeat, guest vocalist Gordon Chambers sang an uplifting soulful, spiritual number as the angel-like lead ushered the cast through a portal to their ultimate fate: heaven. Was it my imagination or did the dancers costumed in red change into the white of the rest of the cast as they exited?  Was this, perhaps, a symbol of the acceptance of …grace?  Costumes were by Omotaya Wunmi Olaiya. [more]

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]
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Copyright Jack Quinn, 2001-2023