Review: "Make Believe at Hartford Stage"
air warning: this is a play that will be difficult for parents to watch. Knowing how our actions can affect our children permanently and profoundly is difficult for many to swallow. While the scenario presented here is extreme and (I presume) fictitious, it still demonstrates how what we do in front of our children will shape who they become. And often few people want to take on the burden of that kind of responsibility.
Off-Broadway Review: “A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur”
Tennessee Williams’ 1979 play “A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur” connects deeply with all (individuals, governments, nation-states) suffering the malaise of loss or lack of identity and the quest for independence that sometimes results in broken hearts. Perhaps there is a mercy-seat for all who languish with wounded hearts.
Review: South Coast Repertory Presents Charming Stage Adaptation of “SENSE AND SENSIBILITY”
To kick off its 55th Season, Orange County's Tony Award-winning regional theater South Coast Repertory is presenting a charming new stage adaptation of the Jane Austen literary classic “SENSE AND SENSIBILITY,” which continues performances in Costa Mesa through September 29.
Winningly likable with plenty of sharp wits and appealing characters, this admirable stage iteration—adapted by UK playwright Jessica Swale and directed here by Casey Stangl—reacquaints audiences with the seemingly erratic and emotionally taxing task of landing a suitable mate in late 18th Century/early 19th Century England.
Review: "Black" at the Zephyr Theatre
Sitting in the Zephyr Theatre to watch a touching one-man show by British playwright, actor and storyteller Michael Washington Brown, I felt as if I was attending a Black Studies class at a local college.
With a simple set, this multimedia experience is enhanced with images and music as Brown examines race from a global perspective. The curriculum includes a study of black history, music, sociology, and psychology.
Review: "THE AЯTS" at La MaMa
We could have had an exciting portrayal of these congressional hearings, as there is no doubt that these performers (Dracyn Blount, Alexander Chilton, Shayna Conde, Nick Daly, and Georgia Lee King) would have all excelled at telling that story; they were excellent. Instead, we get part history and mostly art, and frankly, this wasn’t advertised and not what I signed up for.
Off-Broadway Review: The Pond Theatre Company’s “The Naturalists” at Walkerspace
Currently playing at Walkerspace, The Pond Theatre Company’s “The Naturalists” is a compelling look at how one’s “secret” past can suddenly and unexpectedly encroach on the present and delay one’s progress into the future. Brothers Francis Sloane (a thoughtful and tender John Keating) and Billy Sloane (a defiant and burdened Tim Ruddy) enjoy an uneventful present in their mobile home in a rural hamlet of County Monaghan, Ireland in 2010. Their lives might not be described as idyllic; however, they get along most of the time, and the income from their cattle farm seems to provide a comfortable albeit spartan existence.
Review: "Magdalena" at TheatreLab NYC
Every now and then in one’s pursuit of theatre, one comes across something that surpasses a “good show” and becomes a theatrical experience. I had the pleasure of coming across such a gem earlier this weekend when I went to see TheatreLab’s production of Magdalena, written and performed by Gabri Christa.
Review: "I Call myself Princess" at Aki Studio
I Call myself Princess is a remarkable new play that deals with cultural appropriation in the best way possible — by taking back that which was stolen. Paper Canoe Projects and Cahoots Theatre, partnering with Native Earth Performing Arts, are presenting this world premiere of I Call myself Princess, written by Jani Lauzon.
Review: “In the Bleak Midwinter” at Theatre 54
For many adults, dealing with an aging parent and ensuring that they are cared for can be a challenging issue. More specifically, the dilemma of moving a parent out of the place they’ve called home for many years, and into a living home or community for the elderly, can be a hard one for both sides of that relationship. It’s a topic that is delved into on a very human and intimate level in In the Bleak Midwinter, the new play from Emmy award-winning actor/writer/director Dorothy Lyman, which has been receiving constant praise during its run at Theatre 54 at Shetler Studios.
Review: Candy Von Jameson Presents: “Bippity Boppity Boobs - A Burlesque Experience” at Art Centre Theatre
If full disclosure is the name of this game, then I need to come clean and tell you that I’ve never witnessed a burlesque show before this evening. However, before attending “Bippity Boppity Boobs - A Burlesque Experience,” I did what every self-respecting writer does when faced with the prospect of dissecting the unfamiliar, I Googled it. Google… What is burlesque? It spit out a wild collection of burlesque's historical influences, scholarly works by intellectuals with many leather-bound books, political manifestos from anarchists and other disconnected, tangential thought streams which left me no wiser, no better prepared, than before.
Review: "The Untranslatable Secrets of Nikki Corona" at the Geffen Playhouse
Screenwriter and playwright José Rivera (over 26 plays and an Academy Award nominated Motorcycle Diaries) wrote “The Untranslatable Secrets of Nikki Corona” with an interesting story line about death and communicating with loved ones in the afterlife. In the Playbill, Rivera was interviewed by Rachel Wiegardt-Egel about his inspiration for the play. About ten years ago, while looking through Harper’s Magazine, he noticed a company whose service was to connect people who are dying, with people who want to send a message to the other side. This fascinated him, and soon he began writing a creative play about exploring the afterlife where untranslatable secrets are told.
Review: “Caligula” at Medicine Show Theatre
During the time of ancient Rome, there was a cruel and mentally unstable ruler who dominated the land known as Caligula. In recent years, writers and commentators at various publications – such as the New York Times and the Guardian – have revisited the history surrounding Caligula’s erratic behavior and actions as leader of Rome, for the sake of providing a historical parallel to the chaotic behavior of President Donald Trump and his administration. So perhaps it shouldn’t be too shocking that, in 2018, Medicine Show Theatre would choose to present the story of this ancient historical figure, as its latest production this September.
A U.K. Review in [exactly] 250 Words: "Square Rounds"
Currently playing at London’s Finborough Theatre, Square Rounds is a clever, quirky play which is for the most part very enjoyable. The first act is a lot stronger than the second, changing with more ease between the comedic and the sinister elements of the show. The second act, conversely, seems bogged down with the historic details of this story’s more tragic elements, and some of the show’s character is lost towards the end.
Review: "Sweat" at the Mark Taper Forum
It was a homecoming for director Lisa Peterson of The Pulitzer Prize-winning play SWEAT as she watched her nine actors perform on opening night at the Mark Taper Forum. She was once the Resident Director at the Taper for ten years from 1995-2005. A lot has changed in the nation since she was last directing in Los Angeles, making this American drama so compelling and enlightening for the audience.
Review: “Hello, Dolly!” at Casa Manana
Casa Manana kicked off their 60th season of bringing Broadway and children’s theatre to Fort Worth with a captivating, high-energy performance of the 14-time Tony Award-winning classic, Hello, Dolly!, based on Thorton Wilder’s 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers.
Review: “Girl Inside the Mirror” at Theater for the New City
Last summer, I had the chance to see many of the shows that were participating in the 10th annual Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. There were many intriguing selections, not all of which I had the chance to see, unfortunately. Among such shows which I had been hoping to see, at the time, was Girl Inside the Mirror, a new theatre-dance piece from writer/director Nicoletta Mandriotti. Thankfully, however, I recently had the chance to see it during its second run at Theater for the New City – as part of their annual Dream Up festival – upon being invited to review the show.
Review: “Wave” at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre
There’s a lot of impressive history behind the Duplex Cabaret Theatre. I remember when I first went there to see a friend perform in her own show this past summer, and seeing and hearing about all the past legends – from Joan Rivers to Woody Allen – spent their early careers in this legendary venue. Of course, like any venue that has so many guest performers, it’s fair to assume that for all the good performers, there are also the bad ones. Every so often, however, there are also the performers who aren’t bad, but aren’t phenomenal, either, which is what I was treated to this past weekend.
U.K. Review: "Road" at Leeds Playhouse
Jim Cartwright’s acclaimed play Road has long been considered one of the greatest representations of a struggling 1980s Britain, where communities banded together to fight against the drudgery and monotony of the often bleak daily grind via the channel of whiling away the midnight hours with drinking, partying and sex. In short, Road marks a turning point in British history, where new cultural resilience gave rise to something greater, more developed and poised to tackle new challenges. The same can be said of the newly renamed Leeds Playhouse, which has now entered its brand new season, and while the old building is currently being refurbished, they’ve taken over one of the old scenery workshops and transformed it into a pop-up theatre space. Minting this new space is the aforementioned Road, directed by Amy Leach.