All stories by Matt Hanson on BroadwayStars

Monday, January 18, 2021

On sound ecology: “Rainforest V (variation 3)” at Arter by Matt Hanson

Within the acoustics of Arter’s Karbon, a hall for sound installations and concerts is a curation by Melih Fereli, conceived by David Tudor and realized by Composers Inside Electronics Inc…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 07:18PM
Monday, July 27, 2020

To Screen or Not to Screen: A Digital Experience at Mixer by Matt Hanson

In these uncertain times, as distance has taken on special meaning, the screen has gained a renewed primacy. Through an online portal at Mixer, 12 artists enter the void where experience mee…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 10:45PM
Monday, March 2, 2020

Factory 20/20: Five Women, Five Mediums, One Tribute to BausHaus by Matt Hanson

At the inaugural show of Istanbul’s newest art space KoloniX, the all-women collective Factory 20/20 came together to mount, “The Shape of Things,” an exhibition by five artists of var…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 02:01AM
Monday, November 25, 2019

Film Review: “The Irishman” — A Blood-Soaked Cautionary Tale by Matt Hanson

For all its cinematic zest and superb acting, The Irishman offers a bleak demonstration of what happens when you sell your soul for too little. The post Film Review: “The Irishman” — A…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 11:06AM
Friday, November 1, 2019

Book Review: “My Mother’s Tears” — Mystery Matriarch by Matt Hanson

Michel Layaz’s narrator is juggling much more than nostalgia -- his traumas are overwhelmingly odd and disturbing, almost to the point of absurdity. The post Book Review: “My Mother’s …

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 12:36PM
Thursday, October 17, 2019

Literary Appreciation: The Late Harold Bloom — Pursuer of “Difficult Pleasures” by Matt Hanson

"What is the function of literary criticism in a Disinformation Age? Read, reread, describe, evaluate, appreciate: that is the art of literary criticism for the present time." -- Harold Bloo…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 01:24PM
Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Music Commentary: Songs Ken Burns Overlooked in “Country Music” by Matt Hanson

Country music is as rich and complex as any other genre, but given the inevitable marketing tie-ins, it might be a good time to offer the names of artists and songs that either weren’t inc…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 12:18PM
Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Television Review: “The Family” — Ruthlessness and Christian Piety by Matt Hanson

The documentary sees The Family as really just a huge, secretive, and well-funded lobbying firm: separating church and state is for losers. The post Television Review: “The Family” — R…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 10:36AM
Friday, August 30, 2019

Book Review: “The Nickel Boys” — Keeping the Faith by Matt Hanson

Colson Whitehead’s work is political in the sense that he has an incredibly keen eye for the insidious ways in which institutions and structures of power work. The post Book Review: “The…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 03:42PM
Monday, August 19, 2019

Book Commentary: “Portnoy’s Complaint” at 50 by Matt Hanson

Doctor, do you understand what I was up against? My wang was all I really had that I could call my own… The post Book Commentary: “Portnoy’s Complaint” at 50 appeared first on The Ar…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 12:18PM
Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Television Review: “Fire in the Maternity Ward ” — On the Knife-Edge Between Humor and Outrage by Matt Hanson

If, like me, you tend to see laughter as a form of catharsis then a serious question is raised: is laughing at nihilistic humor all that healthy? The post Television Review: “Fire in the …

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 01:42PM
Thursday, July 18, 2019

Television Review: “Right Now” — Comedy in Jeopardy by Matt Hanson

Aziz Ansari does get laughs throughout his set, but the tone of Right Now begins and ends on a note of sobriety. The post Television Review: “Right Now” — Comedy in Jeopardy appeared f…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 04:36PM
Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Film Review: Rolling Thunder Revue — A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese by Matt Hanson

It’s worth pointing out that Martin Scorsese’s documentaries, especially his music-based ones, can be as powerful as his fictional work. The post Film Review: Rolling Thunder Revue — A…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 09:48AM
Sunday, May 19, 2019

Television Review: “This is Not Happening” — Standup Comedy Gets Real by Matt Hanson

This Is Not Happening serves up welcome shots of honestly and reality that hit you in the most ticklish parts of your own amusingly flawed, hilariously stupid humanity. The post Television …

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 11:18AM
Monday, May 6, 2019

TV Review: “Barry” Season Two — All Bets Are Off by Matt Hanson

HBO'S Barry has finally started to hit its stride as a mirthfully dark comedy/drama. The post TV Review: “Barry” Season Two — All Bets Are Off appeared first on The Arts Fuse.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 07:54PM
Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Music Interview/Review: Nervous Eaters – Back for Another Helping by Matt Hanson

Luckily for us, after playing the occasional electrifying concert date over the years, Nervous Eaters is reuniting once again. The post Music Interview/Review: Nervous Eaters – Back for An…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 07:58AM
Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Television Review: “Crashing” — The Power of Being Earnest by Matt Hanson

Crashing shows us how Holmes’s innate sweetness and affability carries him through the awkwardness and indignities of being a working comedian. The post Television Review: “Crashing” �…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 08:50AM
Saturday, March 30, 2019

Television Review: “Shrill” — Fat and Proud by Matt Hanson

Shrill picks up narrative strength once see Annie slowly come to terms with the yawning gap between who she is and who she has been told to be by her family, her friends, and society at larg…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 08:27AM
Friday, March 15, 2019

Film Review: “To Sleep With Anger” — The Devil’s Temptations by Matt Hanson

To Sleep with Anger is a masterpiece, a powerful reminder that, however seductive the devil might be, he can be overcome. The post Film Review: “To Sleep With Anger” — The Devil’s Te…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 12:54PM
Friday, March 1, 2019

Author Interview: Writer Clive James — Writing Against the Dying of the Light by Matt Hanson

Imagine a combination of Stephen Colbert (the real one, that is) and John Updike. The post Author Interview: Writer Clive James — Writing Against the Dying of the Light appeared first on …

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 04:35PM
Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Television Commentary: “The Sopranos” 20 Years Later — American Viciousness, Legitimized by Matt Hanson

I find it a little disturbing how The Soprano's themes seem to have culminated in the election of our current President. The post Television Commentary: “The Sopranos” 20 Years L…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 11:18AM
Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Book Review: “American Audacity” — Literature is the One Religion Worth Having by Matt Hanson

Demanding that people pay attention to quality is about as audacious a demand you can take in our giddy culture.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 12:36PM
Sunday, January 6, 2019

Blues Review: Ryan Lee Crosby’s “River Music” — A Potent Musical Stew by Matt Hanson

River Music will satisfy the slightly adventurous listener as few other records I heard last year.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 11:04AM
Sunday, December 30, 2018

Film Feature: Best of the 2018 Criterion Collection Crop by Matt Hanson

The Criterion Collection will start its own streaming service early next year, and signups for charter membership have commenced.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 04:36PM
Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Arts Remembrance: Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks — A Matter of the Heart by Matt Hanson

Pete Shelley's elegies for the wilted flowers of romance were shouted over songs that were alternately tuneful and fierce.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 09:24AM
Monday, December 10, 2018

Theater Review: “Man in the Ring” — A Precipitous Fall by Matt Hanson

Acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Michael Cristofer’s script is very open about portraying Emile Griffith’s sexuality.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 10:18AM
Thursday, November 15, 2018

Television Review: “Jane Fonda: A Life in Five Acts” by Matt Hanson

The more we hear about Jane Fonda's homilies about needing to be “whole” and “self-actualize” the more her personal journey sounds more like a succession of carefully calculated bran…

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 10:06AM
Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Book Review/Interview: Talking “Upstate” With Critic James Wood by Matt Hanson

"I like implication very much; there’s a fiction of implication that I think I’ve championed over the fiction of explication."

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 01:36PM
Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Film Commentary: FilmStruck Untimely Struck Down by Matt Hanson

Why is the curtain suddenly dropping now on FilmStruck, a vast, diverse, and tastefully curated archive of films spanning the past century and the entire globe.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 12:24AM
Monday, October 22, 2018

Rock CD Review: “Joe Strummer 001” — He Never Rested on His Laurels by Matt Hanson

What the box set makes adamantly, abundantly clear is how egalitarian Joe Strummer’s musical vision truly was. If you don’t already know his solo work, you should.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 10:48AM
Friday, October 5, 2018

Television Review: “Barry” — The Trials and Tribulations of a Low-Rent Hitman by Matt Hanson

One of Barry’s strongest attributes is its brand of dark, surreal, and unexpectedly witty satire.

SOURCE: The Arts Fuse at 04:06PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards