Laughing Around Town is Back
If George W. Bush, elected or appointed as you may think, President of the
United States were in the audience of the three performance events Larry
Litt saw on October 6th and 7th, he would’ve seen himself portrayed
as everything from a pitiful nazi commander to a hot fudge sundae. At seven
pm on October 6th "Beating Around the Bush: An Evening of American
Satire" at the NY Society for Ethical Culture saw five famous literary
satirists, newspaper columnist Art Buchwald, Barry Crimmins (also of Air
America radio fame), The Realist’s publisher Paul Krassner, Harper’s
publisher Lewis Lapham and the great American novelist Kurt Vonnegut talking
about the President, his policies, the Iraq War, and his insidious cronies,
err staff. Oct. 7th at HERE Arts Center on Sixth Avenue and Spring Street,
he attended the first performance of the extended run of Burning Bush: A
Faith Based Musical. With a large space to play in, author/performers Noah
Diamond and Amanda Sisk created a theatrical romp with song parodies, dance
routines, much camping and vamping.
October's Desperate Daughters
Is it the new school semester that brings two stories of desperate daughters
(in compelling productions) to the off-Broadway stage? Or is it the success
of David Auburn's "Proof," which has not only moved with fanfare
from stage to film but also brought us a new, iconoclastic hero, the brilliant
but distraught young woman. Certainly the two feuding co-eds of the hit
musical "Wicked" have added their own spin to the prototype. This
season, Rolin Jones's Jennifer ("The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow")
is buzzing up the mix while Barbara Dunn's sisters in "War in Paramus"
are grim reminders of what life offered in the 1970s. By Glenda Frank.
Musicals for Crash Dummies, Disagreeable
Women and Monks in Heat
The full houses and round-the-block waiting lines at the exhilarating 2005
New York International Fringe Festival are clear evidence that theatre is
very much alive. Not all of the 180 offerings in the 19 different venues
could boast that they were genuine fringe -- experimental, fresh, honest,
absurd, silly, brilliant and just waiting to be discovered. But as a showcase
for new talent and unusual points of view, the 17 day festival remains an
annual treat. Despite the many musical theater offerings, we will have to
wait for next year to discover the next "Urinetown" meteor. By
Glenda Frank.
Jenny Chow, Mia Farrow,
Dr. Kinsey and more
In the Continuum: Black Women Alone with AIDS/Jenny Chow: Flying Robot/Mia
Farrow in Fran’s Bed/Pastoralia: Theme-Park Cave-People/No Nudes on Appian
Way or Broadway/Stockbroker Breadwinner Quits the Rat-Race/Lennon Sings
Again But Stops Short/Alfred Kinsey Sings & Dances in Dr. Sex/Musicals
in Trailer-Parks?/River Dolphins Become Human in Miracle Bros./Two Gents
in Central Park Should Be Back on Broadway/Words or Music: Capricious Capriccio
at City Opera/NYCO Tries Patience at Lincoln Center/Heartbreaking Butterfly
at NY State Theatre/Tall Horse: Puppet-Giraffe Strides Off To Paris!/Post-Modernist
Lessing-Lesson at BAM: Emilia Galotti/Fantastic Athleticism of Black Grace.
By Glenn Loney.
Dorothy Chansky reviews Steppenwolf
Frank Galati directed and wrote "after the quake,"
a spare tale of a disaffected young Japanese writer and the little girl
whose nightmares set him free. The play is based on Haruki Murakami’s collection
of short stories written in the aftermath of the 1995 earthquake in Kobe
and focuses on five people and a human-size frog. The animals in the shy
writer’s stories reveal hidden aspects of himself and finally allow him
to make the commitment he should have made a decade earlier. "Last
of the Boys," Steven Dietz’s slice of the lives of four present-day
Americans still struggling with the after effects of the Vietnam War, is
part boozy confessional, part macho posturing, and part ghost story. Rick
Snyder’s direction sends bottles and bodies careening through the
remnants of the trailer park where one shattered vet is nursing his wounds
and looking for peace.
Ms. Wasserstein's latest
play
There are very few scenes in "Third," Wendy Wasserstein's latest
play, where Dianne Wiest -- as Professor Laurie Jameson -- does not smile,
glance benevolently, look maternal And her course on new interpretations
of Shakespeare is lively and provocative. Even Woodson Bull, III, nicknamed
Third, a new student and a jock – he's on the wrestling team and plans to
become a real-life Jerry McGuire – is excited. But surprise of surprises,
Prof. Jameson is as close to a feminist villain as contemporary drama and
her creator, Wendy Wasserstein, permits. By Glenda Frank.
Cambodia Agonistes
“Cambodia Agonistes,” which Pan Asian Repertory Theater is currently
remounting at the West End Theatre, uses dance, music and speech to tell
the story of a traditional Cambodian dancer (Lydia Gaston) who suffers through
the atrocities of the Cambodian Dictator (Ron Nakahara) and is eventually
found wondering the streets of NYC, blinded by the memories of what she
has seen. By Paulanne Simmons.
One Bright Shining
Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern
If the seventies, Nixon, Vietnam, the Chicago Seven, Robert Kennedy, Martin
Luther King, Robert MacNamara, L.B.J, Bella Abzug and Spiro Agnew still
resonate for you with some meaning, "One Bright Shining Moment"
will help you relive your youth when politics were still tinged with hope,
and you still felt that you could make a change.
Candida
In Jean Cocteaua Rep's production of "Candida," directed by Michael
Halberstam, the central conflict of this play is not about how Candida puts
both her men in their places, but about which of the two she will chose.
That's where it goes wrong. By Paulanne Simmons.
Funny Brothers
In the spirit of Lewis and Martin, Abbot and Costello and especially The
Smothers Brothers, Josh and Danny Bacher have arrived at Theater for the
New City with "The Funniest Show in the World About the History of
Comedy Performed by Two Brothers in Less Than Two Hours for Under Twenty
Dollars." And Paulanne Simmons loved 'em.
Mrs. Warren's Profession
When George Bernard Shaw's "Mrs. Warren's Profession" was first
produced in New York, its unorthodox subject matter caused such a public
outcry it was soon closed. And, although the play was written in 1898, it
was not produced in England until 1925. Now revived at the Irish Repertory
Theatre, it's not likely the play will scandalize many, but it will certainly
entertain and provoke. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Seascape"
In Edward Albee's famous "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?" the
playwright presents two married couples--the embattled George and Martha
and the naïve Nick and Honey. In the lesser known "Seascape,"
now at the Booth Theatre, directed by Mark Lamos, Albee also presents two
couples--the loving Nancy and Charlie, and the equally loving Leslie and
Sarah. But in this case, the main difference between the two couples is
that Leslie and Sarah are lizards. By Paulanne Simmons.
A Touch of the Poet
These days so much theater is devoted to the inarticulate that when one
sees a play filled with eloquent, even poetic characters, it comes a something
of a surprise. O'Neill's "A Touch of the Poet" is now revived
at the Roundabout Theatre Company under the direction of Doug Hughes. As
the name implies, there is much poetry here--from the pen of both O'Neill
and the oft-quoted Lord Byron. No American playwright could better strip
his characters of their pretenses and defenses than O'Neill. This stellar
cast is obviously comfortable and capable in its handling of the playwright's
complex characters. The combination is luminous. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Souvenir"
is memorable
There's nothing new about comic teams made up of a ditsy woman and a long-suffering,
perplexed man. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and George Burns and Gracie
Allen immediately come to mind. But it's doubtful that any such couple has
ever been as touchingly and lovingly portrayed as in Stephen Temperley's
"Souvenir," first presented at the York Theater last December,
now at The Lyceum.
Victor Attar in "Einstein" and "Golgotha"
Israeli actor Victor Attar pulls off an acting tour de force in
two magnificent solo plays at La MaMa. “Golgothaâ€ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ
by Shmuel Refael, playing through Dec. 22, is a revelatory piece in which
Albert Salvado, a Greek, Ladino-speaking Jew and Holocaust survivor, bares
his soul. "Einstein" by Gabriel Emanuel,
which premiered in Canada over twenty years ago, goes a long way towards
bringing the man closer to those of us today who are badly in need of his
wisdom. By Paulanne Simmons.
Paulsen's Lonely Banquet
Seattle performance artist John Paulsen can be best described as a dark,
existentialist clown with the goofy physical gestures and lyrical storytelling
of the late Red Skelton.
It's not exactly Howdy
Doody
It's only been during the last twenty or so years that puppetry in the United
States has come into its own as an adult art form with a mature message.
But although "Avenue Q" managed to steal the Tony away from "Wicked"
in 2004, most people still see puppet theater as mostly suitable for light
themes and simple stories. The Second Annual Voice 4 Puppetry Festival at
Theater for the New City this December gives the lie to such beliefs. The
ten-day festival celebrates the work of innovative and experimental puppeteers
whose offerings may not be easily understood by children or adults
In My Life
Why does humanity suffer? Why do people hurt themselves? Why do they hurt
others? For the characters in Joseph Brooks' new musical "In My Life,"
the answer seems to be that God is a good-natured jingle writer and bungler
named Al (the talented Michael J. Farina), and he has left their fate in
the hands of a heavenly helper, Winston (the hammy but hilarious David Turner),
a self-involved wannabe impresario who is trying to create an operatic masterpiece
that derives its power and passion from human tragedy. By Paulanne Simmons.
Cambodia Agonistes
“Cambodia Agonistes,” which Pan Asian Repertory Theater is currently
remounting at the West End Theatre, uses dance, music and speech to tell
the story of a traditional Cambodian dancer (Lydia Gaston) who suffers through
the atrocities of the Cambodian Dictator (Ron Nakahara) and is eventually
found wondering the streets of NYC, blinded by the memories of what she
has seen. By Paulanne Simmons.
A Mystery with a Message
“A Soldier’s Play” is a brilliant and complex drama. It
is told through narration, flashbacks and flashbacks within flashbacks.
But unlike many plays of the 21st century, its characters are ambivalent
and complicated but never incomprehensible. Originally staged in 1981, Charles
Fuller’s play is every bit as riveting and relevant today in its Second
Stage revival directed by Jo Bonney as it was almost a quarter of a century
ago. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Five Course Love" is delicious
The remarkable thing about “Five Course Love,” Gregg Coffin’s
new musical comedy, which opened at the Minetta Lane Theatre on Oct. 16,
is that no one ever eats. Instead the three-member cast – Heather
Ayers as the femmes fatales, John Bolton as the male lovers and Jeff Gurner
as the waiters – sing, dance, and fall in and out of love. They do
all of the above in five different ways – according to the type of
restaurant in which they meet. By Paulanne Simmons.
The Force is with Charles Ross
For the two people in New York City who may not be acquainted with the original
films, Charles Ross’s “One-Man Star Wars Trilogy” at Lambs
Theatre until Dec. 31, is somewhat amusing. But for the vast numbers of
young and old who have seen the movies several times, the hour-long journey
through the galaxies is double-over-with-laughter funny. By Paulanne Simmons.
Almost, Maine
John Cariani's "Almost, Maine," probably won't win any major awards,
but it may prompt more than a few people to visit small towns in that New
England state. All of the play's action takes place at nine o'clock on a
Friday night in the middle of winter at various locales in a remote section
of Maine. All of them, in one way or the other, warm the heart. By Paulanne
Simmons.
The Bass Saxophone
Eamonn Walker: From Oz to
Duma, "Prisoner" Makes Good
The Brit, Eamonn Walker, moseys into the suite at the Parker
Meridian and sits himself down with a gracious smile and handshake. The
man who played the steely Kareem Said on HBO's cult convict drama Oz
and the maniacal African leader, Andre Baptiste Sr., in Lord of War--an
extremely gutsy yet underrated antiwar film--is anything but the characters
he is noted for. In fact, the gent's sort of a hunk, an impression you don't
actually get when his image is flattened out on TV or on the movie screen.
Innocent Voices--interview
with Luis Mandoki
Innocent Voices is the true
story of screenwriter Oscar Torres, who at age eleven lived in a small,
impoverished El Salvodorian village with his mother and two siblings. Their
home a makeshift, bullet-ridden shack. Yes, indigence aside, life was fun
except when the army and the guerilla bands were gunning up the neighborhood.
Additionally, there was the forced recruitment of boys into the militia
when they reached the age of twelve. By the way, this army was trained and
financed by the CIA. Luis Mandoki, best known for his direction of When
a Man Loves a Woman (1994), Gaby: A True Story (1987), and Angel
Eyes (2001) with Jennifer Lopez, has devised a startling entertainment
that both stirs and educates about such a childhood. The film ends potently
with a note stating that over 300,000 children around the world are currently
forced into being soldiers.
Via Appia--I remember
that from Latin class!
"A Naked Girl on the Appian Way" loses its way. Richard Greenberg
sought to write a farce about a multicultural Hamptons family, but instead
produced a sitcom that lacks wit and intellect. By Lucy Komisar.
How's about: Absurd
People Plural?
"Absurd Person Singular" is an unsatisfying dark farce. The best
part of it is British playwright Alan Aykbourn's dissection of relations
between the classes and the sexes, but the farce, a slapstick with splinters,
is rarely funny. By Lucy Komisar.
Who's Camus Anyway?
"Who's Camus Anyway?" is Japanese writer/director Shuji Kashiwabara's
paean to the obsessive compulsion of those involved in the industry. Setting
his comic venture in a film department at a university, his dozens of frantic
post-pubescent personalities scurry here and there, having only five days
before they start shooting their own film about a young man who kills an
old lady for sport.
"Ushpizin":
A Fabulous Fable Comes to Life
As the holiday Succoth nears, the impoverished Hassidim, Moshe Bellanga
(Shuli Rand) and his wife Mali (Michal Bat Sheva Rand), don't have much
to celebrate. The loving couple has no children. No food except cabbage
to nosh on. And, as noted, no Geld, not even enough Shekels to purchase
a lemon or the supplies to build a Succah. What the couple does have in
spades is faith, and in this delicious, lovingly comic look at ultra-Orthodox
Jews in Israel, that is more than enough. In Moshe and Mali's world, God
will reward those who are true to his teachings. (Out on DVD April 4.)
They went Down, Down,
Down in a Burnin' Ring of Fahr
"Ring of Fire," coming so swiftly after the film "I Walk
the Line," had to do something that was neither didactic nor emotional.
In this case, that meant a show that is just as much about Johnny Cash,
"The Man in Black" as it is about those who inhabit his songs--farmers,
lovers, losers, murderers, prisoners, wanderers, men who battle floods or
work on chain gangs, and most of all, men and women who, despite adversity,
can still sing and dance. The creators refer to their creation as "a
book musical without a book." With "Ring of Fire," they've
shown that a book musical without a book can also convey a message. By Paulanne
Simmons.
Dark Night, An Israeli
Student Film Par Excellence
A highlight of the 21st Israel Film Festival (Feb. 23- March 9; http://www.israelfilmfestival.com)
and an Oscar nominee for the 2005 Honorary Foreign Film Award in the Student
Academy Awards competition, Leon (Leonid) Prudovsky's "Dark Night"
is a potent, thoroughly professional take on the current Israeli/ Palestinian
quagmire.
Klezmer Conservatory
Band
It's been said that klezmer's audience is growing because of identity politics.
So what? The simpler explanation is, the music is just plain thrilling.
Our Larry Litt was lured to the City of Brotherly Love to appease his feelings
of displacement and "balance out the festivities of the holiday season."
He found himself dancing in the aisles of Philadelphia's remarkable new
Verizon Hall of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, along with about
2,400 others.
by Glenn Loney
Musicals Old & New, Other Musical Entertainments, Opera, Choral, Orchestral
CD Albums, The Hänssler Treasure Chest.
Old Jews Telling Jokes
Forget about Next Year in Jerusalem and get your butt – tokhes if you
are Jewish – over to the Westside Theatre to see "Old Jews Telling
Jokes." Whatever your persuasion, religious or otherwise, unless
you are made of stone – and in that case stay home – you will leave the
theatre laughing. By Ed Rubin.
"Annie" Teaches Us How
to Be Happy in Hard Times
America's favorite orphan is back. And so is her little dog Sandy. Many
theater critics often decry the lack of depth in what Broadway offers
audiences every season. This may be true. But there are times when a sweet
and sentimental fantasy that tells us "the sun will come out tomorrow"
is just what we need in difficult times. By Paulanne Simmons.
Two views of "All in the Timing"
at 59E59:
"All in the Timing"
Highlights David Ives' Very Witty Spoofs - By Lucy Komisar
David Ives is a master of subtle intellectual comedy. We
saw that most recently in "Venus in Fur," a feminist reimagining/twisting
of the Sacher-Masoch classic, and a few years back in "Is He Dead?,"
adapted from a Mark Twain story about an artist who fakes death to elevate
the price of his paintings. But earlier, he had written a series of one-acts
that were presented twenty years ago and that we are lucky to see again.
John Rando’s direction is spot-on, letting no grass grow between
the laughs. The actors are an ensemble and connect as if they were used
to finishing each other’s sentences. By Lucy Komisar.
Madcap Love and Other Misadventures
- By Glenda Frank
I have been teaching David Ives’ short play “Sure Thing” for
over five years as a reward, a second wind for when my
students are bleary eyed with studying and the semester can’t
end soon enough. It’s a perennial favorite. I
have been disappointed before by lackluster stagings of plays that
seem so alive in the classroom. But the production of “All
in the Timing,” six one-act comedies that open with “Sure
Thing,” produced by Primary Stages at 59E59
Theatres, is the best ticket in town. By Glenda Frank
The
Nance
By the late 1930s, when Douglas Carter Beane’s “The Nance,”
takes place, vaudeville was pretty much dead, and its naughty cousin,
burlesque, was on life support. Yet vaudeville and burlesque were for
many years the principal forms of entertainment for many Americans. It
is a period of time that deserves to be remembered and celebrated. And
so it is in this entertaining and thought-provoking drama. By Paulanne
Simmons.
|
Tom Hanks
as Mike McAlary, Peter Gerety as John Cotter, Richard Masur as Jerry
Nachman and Dustin Gulledge as Dino Tortorici. Photo by Joan Marcus. |
The imaginery Cursing Woman in
Nora Ephron's "Lucky Guy"
"Lucky Guy," playing at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway,
comes back to Ephron's journalistic roots in a new play about the scandal-
and graffiti-ridden New York of the 1980s, as told through the story of
controversial tabloid columnist Mike McAlary. For Lucy Komisar, the play
is "realistic, sometimes hokey, occasionally inaccurate, often riveting
and always entertaining."
Another Show about
Those Russians!
“Nikolai and the Others,” a new play by Richard Nelson, has
over a dozen characters and clocks in at two and a half hours (with one
intermission). It often seems like a soap opera. One difference between
this play and what daytime television offers is that these characters
happen to be based on Russian émigrés well-known in the
arts: Igor Stravinsky, George Balanchine, and a host of lesser knowns.
The other is that it is directed by David Cromer (“Tribes,”
“Our Town”). By Paulanne Simmons.
|
THE CAUCASIAN
CHALK CIRCLE -- Alex Hurt as a soldier, Christopher Lloyd as Azdak,
Deb Radloff as a soldier. Photo by Joan Marcus. |
Three views of “The
Caucasian Chalk Circle”
Lucy Komisar writes, "Bertolt Brecht’s 1944 play with
music – almost a chamber opera – is a satiric parody about
selflessness and greed. Classic Stage director Brian Kulick helms a strong
production laced with Brecht’s irony, colored by caricatures and
driven by strong performances." Paulanne Simmons adds, "Bertolt
Brecht created some of the most moving drama in the Western canon. This
beautiful failure is spectacularly illustrated in Classic Stage Company’s
new production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle." Finally, Edward Rubin
comments, "Serving up a dish of rotten folk, with one or two good
ones thrown in for good measure, is the Classic Stage Theatre’s
production of Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle nicely directed
by CSC’s artistic director Brian Kulick."
"I'll Eat You
Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers," Bette Midler's Smart, bitter-sweet
take on Hollywood
Sue Mengers (Bette Midler) was the kind of person who sucked up to those
above her and had contempt for those below. A perfect fit for Hollywood,
where the title, "I'll Eat You Last" refers to an affectionate
comment by a cannibal, in, as she describes it, "a cannibal love
story." Think about it. By Lucy Komisar.
"The Little Mermaid"
swims into New Jersey
“The Little Mermaid” is a full-bodied musical fantasy with
a large cast. It’s filled with humor, pathos, dance and song-- in
short, it’s lots of fun for everyone. By Paulanne Simons.
"A Picture of
Autumn" is a very human tale of aging
“A Picture of Autumn” is a heart-warming story of very
real people faced with difficult choices, performed by a cast of seasoned
actors. And it is wonderful. By Paulanne Simmons.
Monica Bauer recounts
the year she was "Gifted"
“The Year I Was Gifted” is largely autobiographical and recounts
how Bauer, a girl from a working-class family in Nebraska, managed to
get herself accepted to a camp form artistically gifted children, even
though she had neither a special talent or the money for tuition. By Paulanne
Simmons.
"The Cradle Will
Rock" shakes the house
Despite the fact that this is a concert performance, The Cradle Will Rock
abounds with energy, irony and anger. It would be great to see it expanded
into a full-scale production. By Paulanne Simmons.
Two Views of "The
Explorers Club"
Paulanne Simmons states,"The Explorers Club" is a hilarious
send up of Victorian England, filled with sight gags, word play and outlandish
situations. From the first scene in the the first act to the last scene
in the final act, the laughter never ceases. Lucy Komisar adds, "I
haven’t seen such a clever, funny, outrageous satirical play in
years as this work by Nell Benjamin!"
Jim Brochu salutes
the "Character Man"
What makes “Character Man” truly wonderful is that it is not
merely the story of Brochu’s life and career, which begins when
he is a boy growing up in Brooklyn, deeply influenced by a bon vivant
father who he never realized was always drunk until he saw him sober.
It is also a tribute to those men who make us laugh and cry in a very
special way. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Gepetto"--
The Puppeteer vs. The Superhero
Inspired by both “Pinocchio” and “The Old Man and the
Sea,” "Gepetto" is an hour-long journey into loss, creativity,
and the lessons learned from the sagas of old. Masterly written and directed
by Renee Philippi, plus heart-rendingly performed by Carlo Adinolfi, who
also designed the production, we catch up with Geppetto as he’s
preparing for the next performance of his puppet show. By Brandon Judell.
"Lesbian Love Octagon"
delivers frank humor and fun music
For the most compelling bang for your buck, look no further than The Kraine
Theater where currently the all-dancin’, all-singin’, all-dykin’
musical bonanza, “Lesbian Love Octagon,” is playing to standing
ovations, immeasurable laughter, and the head-shaking contemplation of
“Why hasn’t this been done before?” By Brandon Judell.
The Case for Clarence Darrow
In Gary L. Anderson’s incarnation of famed attorney and activist
Clarence Darrow, entitled “Naked Darrow,” currently being
presented by River District Theatre and The Drilling Company, no aspect
of his complicated life is shied away from; both his most notable successes
and his more problematic life choices are brought to light. By Kelly Aliano.
"I Forgive You,
Ronald Reagan" reopens old wounds
On Aug. 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired 11,345 air traffic controllers
after a two-day strike. No doubt this hurt many people and perhaps ruined
the lives of a few. John S. Anastasi’s new play, “I forgive
you, Ronald Reagan,” focuses on two families and how Reagan’s
actions ruined their lives and their friendship. By Paulanne Simmons.
The Glory of Living
Rebecca Gilman’s “The Glory of Living” was a finalist
for the Pulitzer Prize in 2002. It’s a Southern love story. He rapes
them. She shoots them. His mother babysits their children. By Glenda Frank.
“Summer Shorts
2013, Series A” at 59E59 St.
The Three one-act plays premiers are auditions, some more bizarre than
others.The Pultizer Prize and Obie and Tony awards winner Tina Howe and
Neil Labute (playwright of “In the Company of Men”) are at
a summer off time.However, some of the performances and directions stand
out.
"Under the Greenwood
Tree"
“Under the Greenwood Tree” makes no pretense of being true
to Shakespeare’s original (“As You Like It”), as indicated
by the change of title. But Phillips has gotten the essential, and the
additions are appropriate enhancements. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Soul Doctor"
follows the beat of a liberation theology called rock
The story takes Carlebach from Nazi-occupied Vienna, from which
he escaped with his chief rabbi father, but not before the young Shlomo
saw people he knew murdered or sent to concentration camps. Although a
little corny, the play about rabbi-rock singer Shlomo Carlebach (Eric
Anders) and the jazz singer Nina Simone (Amber Iman) are rather charming.
By Lucy Kmisar.
Sacred Elephant
Heathcote Williams' poetic text, "Sacred Elephant," evokes the
wondrous lives of Indian and African elephants amid incredible struggles
and travails. As if poaching on preserves isn’t enough, capture
for enslavement in zoos and circuses is as degrading top these beasts
as it would be to humans. Why? We learn as Jeremy Crutchley explains the
similarities of feelings shared by humans and elephants. If you’re
interested in how theater can be a force for educating audiences about
wildlife protection then Heathcote Williams poetics are a must.By Larry
Litt.
“Harbor”
Moves Quickly
One thing that can be said about Chad Beguelin’s “Harbor”
is that it moves quickly. That's both a description and a verdict. By
Paulanne Simmons.
“Forever Tango”
turns a bordello dance into stylized Broadway
The defining moment of “Forever Tango” is the opening production
number that takes place in a bordello. The men wear pin stripes, black
cravats, Borsalino hats and menacing looks, and the women, in slinky gowns,
move among them, sometimes passing bills to the pimp.The language is tango,
as the men and women interact with the circles and twists and back kicks
that define this dance.By Lucy Komisar.
Summer Fun “Under
the Greenwood Tree”
“Under the Greenwood Tree” makes no pretense of being
true to Shakespeare’s original (“As You Like It”), as
indicated by the change of title. But Phillips has gotten the essential,
and the additions are appropriate enhancements. By Paulanne Simmons.
Tennessee Williams’
“The Two-Character Play” is a deliciously surreal Southern
Gothic drama
Delicious surreal theatrical games are featured in Tennessee
Williams’ Southern Gothic drama of brother and sister actors of
a failed theater company where the characters in a play-within-a-play
mirror the duo’s real-life desperation. New World Stages has the
piece through September 1. By Lucy Komisar.
Musical “Annie”
is Thomas Meehan’s assault on the cartoonist’s rightwing polemics.
“Annie,” is a political play based on the “Little Orphan
Annie” comic strip created by Harold Gray in 1924. Gray attacked
income taxes, labor unions and welfare programs by portraying Oliver Walbucks
as a hero in the 1930's when Franklin D.Roosevelt was president. By Lucy
Komisar.
“The Glass Menagerie”
John Tiffany’s production is as shattering as the miniature
glass unicorn we expect will break. Characters don’t just say their
lines, they express them physically.Cherry Jones dominates this play in
a portrayal of a character who she makes at once sympathetic, annoying
and absurd. By Lucy Komisar.
Two views of "Hamlet Hallucinations"
Italy's Dario D'Ambrosi, originator of the theatrical movement called
teatro patologico (pathological theater), has finally confronted
"Hamlet" in a new production at La MaMa. Larry Litt writes,
"If you love that whacko Danish bad boy Hamlet, you must be there
to believe it. This darkly macabre and comic graveyard is extended into
one of the most important acting circus rings in the long history of Shakespearean
adaptations. Why? Because the question 'To be or not to be?' is finally,
fatefully answered." Kelly Aliano writes that in this production,
"to be or not to be" is more a study in psychosis than a story.
“Lady Day”
with Dee Dee Bridgewater as Billie Holiday is terrific cabaret, but not
so memorable theater.
Dee Dee Bridgewater is an accomplished jazz singer who recreates
Billie Holiday so expertly you’d swear she had channeled her. Musically.
But the play written and directed by Stephen Stahl is so hokey and histrionic
that it gets in the way of the artistry. By Lucy Komisar.
“Arguendo,”
a riveting dramatization of a Supreme Court argument over nude dancing
This production at the Public Theater is not only a fascinating look into
how the Supremes (the justices) interrogate lawyers, but how brilliant
a director and actors can be in interpreting just about anything. By Lucy
Komisar.
There’s little
affection between “The Old Friends” in Horton Foote’s
biting family drama
Horton Foote’s “The Old Friends” reminds one of a Tennessee
Williams play or a Faulkner novel. Wilson directs Foote’s dysfunctional
Southern family yarn making it engrossing and keeping it from descending
into soap opera. By Lucy Komisar.
The Mint “Goes
Forth” with Phillip
At a time when "Glee", a musical comedy-drama television
series about a bunch of stagestruck highschoolers, is in its fifth season
and "A Chorus Line" has iconic status, it’s nice to see
a production that takes a less buoyant view of the future of would-be
thespians. By Paulanne Simmons.
“Breakfast with Mugabe”
This play written by a British writer Fraser Grace, who was inspired by
newspaper accounts that Mugabe, is a gripping, disturbing, unsettling
picture of Robert Mugabe, the despotic president of Zimbabwe, depicted
a psychopath who is haunted by the spirit of a man he killed, a fellow
fighter in the armed movement of the 1970s to oust the white minority
that ruled Rhodesia. By Lucy Komisar.
Two views of "You
Never Can Tell" at Pearl Theater .
Bernard Shaw is known for trenchant political criticism of the economic
and social systems of the London in his time. This is the final work in
director David Staller’s marathon staging of every Shaw play. Paulanne
Simmons writes, " His thorough understanding of GBS is evident throughout."
This comedy does not have the gravitas of many of Shaw's plays. However,
Lucy Komisar writes, "even lesser Shaw can be diverting if it is
given a good production, as it is here by the Pearl."
Don
Juan in Hell
Larry Litt attended Phoenix Theatre's exceptional
"Don Juan in Hell." The play is drawn from Shaw's "Man
and Superman" and is sometimes presented on its own, as a one-act
drama. This time, it was worth it. Litt writes, "This is intelligent
English theater. It's what a play for adults should be."
"Shakespeare
and Elizabeth I" by Phoebe Legere
Phoebe Legere is as strong a performer as her heroine, Queen Elizabeth
I, the grand dame of England’s 17th century era of superior theater,
science and writing. Phoebe’s new play “Shakespeare and Elizabeth
I” isn’t so much about proving that The Virgin Queen wrote
William Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets as it is proving that a
woman at the helm of an empire will always find ways to bring out the
best in her artistic creators. By Larry Litt.
Maria Schneider Orchestra
Jazz Standard, New York’s venerable night club, was turned into
a majestic forest of sound images when the Maria Schneider Orchestra created
whole realms of verdant myth and magic onstage. By Larry Litt.
Love, Linda: The Life
of Mrs. Cole Porter
Stevie Holland, a notable jazz and cabaret performer, has the looks and
stature to be a convincing Linda Porter, the sophisticated, rich divorcee
who captured Porter’s heart. She also has the right mood, style
and phrasing to sing Porter’s sultry melodies and ironic lyrics.By
Paulanne Simmons.
Juno
and the Paycock
When we think of the misfortunes that have befallen Ireland, what first
comes to mind is the centuries-long conflict with Great Britain. But in
Sean O’Casey’s “Juno and the Paycock,” the playwright
is more concerned with how the irish, like everyone else, undermine each
other. By Paulanne Simmons.
Nutcracker Rouge
Larry Litt says, "Go see "Nutcracker Rouge"
if you can. It’s the best entertainment in NYC right now. Just remember:
it’s adult entertainment. Go with someone you’re
going to love. Both body and soul."
"Fun Home"
at The Public
In recent years there have been many gay coming-of-age plays, but
"Fun Home," adapted by playwright and lyricist Lisa Kron and
composer Jeanine Tesori from Alison Bechel’s graphic memoir is different.
By Paulanne Simmons.
Beckett’s “All
That Fall” is tough poetic metaphor of passage to old age
Think of the fall as the prelude to the end of life, the difficult bumbling
interval preceding finality and death. It’s a time that presents
more misery than joy in Samuel Beckett’s “All That Fall,”
a 1957 BBC radio play being staged with exquisite tenderness by Trevor
Nunn at 59E59 Theaters. By Lucy Komisar.
Life on the Mississippi
is good!
Going down the Mississippi with young Sam "In Life on the Mississippi"
at teh WorkShop Theatre may be one of the nicest theatrical trips audiences
can take this season. By Paulanne Simmons.
The Winslow Boy
Terrence Rattigan’s "The Winslow Boy" is a British period
piece that is still eminently satisfying. Written in 1946 and set in 1912
to 14, it is based on a true story. This Old Vic production, directed
by Lindsay Posner at The Roundabout, is smart and gripping and not at
all creaky. By Lucy Komisar.
Julie
Taymor's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" throws fairy dust over
its audience's eyes.
In Theater for a New Audience's production of "Midsummer
Night's Dream," directed by Julie Taymor, Shakespeare's British classic
is transported to the U.S. and it's a transporting experience for audiences.
By Lucy Komisar.
Monstrous Dynasty
Aeschylus had the house of Atreus. Shakespeare had the house of Lancaster.
Playwright Joanna Chan's terrain is the house of Soong in her historical
drama, "The Soongs: By Dreams Betrayed." Hong Kong Rep presented
the piece in January, 2014. By Dorothy Chansky.
Handle With Care
Just on time for the holidays comes a charming romantic comedy by Jason
Odell Williams, “Handle With Care,” directed by Karen Carpenter.
By Paulanne Simmons.
Two Reviews of Golden Boy
It’s certainly gratifying, and no big surprise, that the major struggles
portrayed in “Golden Boy” have lost none of their interest
or intensity so many years later. This is amply proven by Lincoln Center
Theater’s current production, directed by Bartlett Sher. By
Paulanne Simmons.
Clifford Odets’ stylized naturalism combined with sometimes faux
poetics often edges close to melodrama in his 1937 play about the conflict
between art and money. The dialogue doesn’t wear well with time
and might seem almost ridiculous on stage today. But director Bartlett
Sher makes it all believable with a strong and respectful staging. This
Lincoln Center Theater production is still a powerful moment, and one
of the best plays by an historically significant American playwright.
And the politics of the play still matters. By
Lucy Komisar.
The Music of Love
“Do you believe in love?” These were the first words I heard
upon entering the First Floor Theater at LaMaMa. From just this short
query, two things immediately became clear: one, the audience would somehow
be an active part of the world of this play; and two, that matters of
the heart would likely be the central theme. On both of these counts,
the play did not disappoint. “Something’s Got Ahold of My
Heart,” Hand2Mouth’s current creation at LaMaMa, charmingly
engages its audience on the theme of love. By Kelly Aliano.
Resonance Ensemble Explores the Future
Both “R.U.R.” and “The Truth Quotient,” with their
dystopian views of the future, have many of the elements dear to the hearts
of sci-fi enthusiasts: artificial intelligence, teleology, the relationship
between man and machine. By Paulanne Simmons.
Picnic Offers a Peek into the Fifties
In lesser hands, a production of William Inge's “Picnic” could
easily become a parody, but director Sam Gold makes sure that doesn’t
happen. By Paulanne Simmons.
Brotherly Hate and Love
How is our lineage, our ancestral past, to blame for our current predicament
of pain and suffering? This question seems to be at the heart of “Kane
and Habil at the Pizza Parlor,” written and directed by Serge Ernandez
and currently playing at La MaMa. In this work, the original sibling rivalry
is put on stage. Cain and Abel, now known as Kane and Habil, are once
again at odds with one another, though this time with a few twists. The
concept behind this play—a modern take on the classic Bible tale—is
brilliant and relevant. By Kelly Aliano.
Wars and More Wars in "The Steadfast"
In Mat Smart’s new play “The Steadfast,” the author
gives himself the formidable goal of documenting most of the major wars
the United States has been involved in. This includes the war in Afghanistan,
the war in Vietnam, the war in Korea, the Spanish-American War, the Civil
War, and the Revolutionary War. By Paulanne Simmons.
Carole J. Bufford at the Metropolitan Room. Photo by Paulanne Simmons.
Carole J. Bufford Sings About "Body &
Soul"
In her new show at The Metropolitan Room, “”Body & Soul,”
Carole J. Bufford walks onto the stage in a slinky, sexy and sparkling
sheath. But that’s not all that sparkles. With her powerful and
at times deeply emotional delivery, Bufford is like fireworks on the fourth
of July. By Paulanne Simmons
Women's Theater Project's "Bethany"
Laura Marks’s new play, “Bethany,” takes place at the
intersections of these two forms of fear and desperation.Bethany, who
never appears in the play, is the five-year-old daughter whose mom, Crystal,
is the centerpiece of this play. Crystal, played by America Ferrera, is
fighting to regain custody of her child after the loss of their home.
By Dorothy Chansky.
Sentimental "Manilow on Broadway" Sets
Fans Screaming
Attending Barry Manilow’s new show is a nostalgic visit to the 1960s
and 70s. The overwhelming mood is sentimentality. But it’s hard
to criticize this when Manilow engages in such marvelous self-parody,
viz a video of foaming waves crashing on boulders. By Lucy Komisar.
"Happy Birthday" is Anita Loos' Fluffy
Ode to Love
A charmer and good fun, albeit dated, Anita Loos ‘ 1946 play tracks
the lives of the denizens of a bar in Newark, NJ. It centers around the
transformation of Addie Bemis (a very charming Mary Bacon), who starts
out as a rather tight prudish young woman, and ends up singing on the
bar. The magic ingredient, of course, is love. By Lucy Komisar.
"Honky" is a Black Comedy
Despite its provocative title, “Honky,” a new play by Greg
Kalleres has a very gentle bite. The play, well directed by Luke Harlan,
is a tale of advertising gone awry. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Shaheed – The Dream and Death of Benazir
Bhutto" is Penetrating Political Theater
I met Benazir Bhutto in 1987 when she was leading the Pakistan People’s
Party in a national parliamentary campaign. I traveled with her on a political
procession in Sailkot, in the Punjab, northern Pakistan, where she was
mobbed by supporters. From the top of the reporters’ minivan in
front of hers, I could see crowds along the way shouting, chanting, some
holding photos of her, young men dancing to loud piped music in front
of the crawling vehicles, flags waving. Women were watching from atop
one and two-story buildings along the route. It took hours instead of
20 minutes to get to a stadium where she addressed a mass rally. By Lucy
Komisar.
"Katie Roche" at the Mint Theatre
It’s rural Ireland in 1936. The house is comfortably lower middle
class, with a lace-covered table and a fireplace mantle topped with old
photos. It’s a picture of the times. And so are the personal relations.
This feminist work by Teresa Deevy, an Irish playwright who wrote in the
1930s, is about a spunky young woman whose only way out was to marry an
older man. Director Jonathan Bank stages it as if it were an old movie,
with no modern lens. By Lucy Komisar.
A New Look at an Ancient Tragedy with "Electra"
at the Wild Project
If this “Electra” seems to be too thought-out in some ways
and not enough in others, ii does have moving scenes between the various
characters that emphasize the horrible breakdown in family relations.
And that, after all, is at the heart of this tragedy. By Paulanne Simmons.
"The Flick" at Playwrights Horizons
When I read that "The Flick," Annie Baker's new play at Playwrights
Horizons is three hours long I reckoned anxiously I'd miss dinner. That
would put me in a pretty bad mood to see a play. I have to admit I was
wrong. Ms Baker kept me amused, entertained and attuned to her three central
characters much longer than I would have thought. She's done a masterful
job of creating conflicts between ordinary young people living banal lives
in a dead end fantasy world. By Larry Litt.
The Pearl's "Henry IV, Part 1" Recounts
History, But Doesn't Try to Make It
There are no new insights here, just a solid production. But by the end,
when the swords are flying and the bodies falling, most of the audience
is fully engaged in the action, pleased with the triumph of Henry and
his young son, as must have once been Shakespeare’s royal patrons.
By Paulanne Simmons.
"The Old Boy" at Theatre Row
A.R.Gurney wrote this play in 1991, when the issue of AIDS was a hot button.
The story takes off when Sam (Peter Rini), a State Department undersecretary
of state for political affairs, returns to his prep-school to give a commencement
address. Now in his early 40s, he had been the "old boy" of
a younger student named Perry, charged with showing the new boy the rounds.
By Lucy Komisar.
"The Wild Bride" at St Ann's Warehouse
This is a children’s story that cuts to the quick and speaks to
the heart, that fascinates and shocks with its creativity and is definitely
for adults. Besides that, it’s a musical, with country and blues
sounds and songs about woe, jazz and modern dancing, punning wit and horrific
metaphors. There’s even a classical painting that comes alive. By
Lucy Komisar..
"Belleville" Sometimes Seems Like Bellevue
For those who believe a play, any play, that deals with the antics and
agony of very disturbed people, “Belleville” is a must-see.
But for those who ask for real motivation and a plot that makes sense,
“Belleville” poses several problems. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" shines a beacon
on Southern misogyny half a century ago
Interesting how misogynistic this 1955 melodrama feels in 2013. In Tennessee
Williams’ view, the men are victims and the women are perpetrators.
That fits into Williams’ theme about Brick (Benjamin Walker), the
former school football star, being a victim of homophobia. By Lucy Komisar.
What's Love Got To Do With It
Clive is an old-school rock star -- as badass as they come. Women. Drugs.
Liquor. Artistic tantrums. His are legend. As portrayed by Ethan Hawke,
who also directs "Clive" at the Acorn Theater, even at his worst,
he’s charismatic. By Glenda Frank.
"The Mystery of Edwin Drood" is Best
Musical Revival of the Season
I loved this hokey, funny, vaudeville-style parody of a British mystery
melodrama. My mouth stretched into a wide grin at the lampooning of British
imperialism. My feet tapped at the high-stepping, high-kicking choreography.
A combination of operetta and English music hall, "Drood" gives
clichés a bad name and this production – book, music and
lyrics by Rupert Holmes – a very good one. Directed with great élan
by Scott Ellis, the musical is based on the unfinished Charles Dickens
novel, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." By Lucy Komisar.
"The Other Place," a Fascinating Medical
Mystery Features a Powerful Laurie Metcalf
Sharr White’s play is a wrenching psychological mystery where the
audience is kept in the dark until slowly clues emerge. Joe Mantello directs
coolly and subtly so you see everything through the eyes of the protagonist
until you don’t. By Lucy Komisar.
A Haunting on the Lower East Side
Walking out of “Big Flower Eater,” conceived and directed
by Victoria Linchong, and currently playing at Theater for the New City,
I could not help but wonder how I would feel if my grandmother decided
to haunt in me in my bathroom, of all places. This situation, the central
plotline of the play, questions how one might react if her familial, ancestral,
and religious past came back to contact her. Most significantly, this
play explores the idea of the “other”: the other world, the
Asian other in American, the other woman who never married or had children,
and so on. By Kelly Aliano.
"The Man Who Laughs" at Urban Stages
Theater
This may be the most original play of the season. It’s a Chaplinesque
melodrama in the style of a silent film, done in black and white, with
titles and live piano music. There’s even a sense of the flicker
of the old silents. By Lucy Komisar.
There's no play like "Home"
Even with the best of intentions, socially conscious theater is not always
good theater. Not so with Red Fern Theatre Company, whose current show,
“Home,” an evening of one-acts exploring how the place we
live affects our life, is riveting and poignant. By Paulanne Simmons.
Thoroughly Modern Millie at Paper Mill Playhouse
"Thoroughly Modern Millie," a musical based on the 1967 film
of the same name, with music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan
and a book by Richard Morris, opened on Broadway in April 2002. It won
six Tony awards, including Best Musical. After seeing the revival at Paper
Mill Playhouse, directed by Mark S. Hoebee, it's easy to see why. By Paulanne
Simmons.
iMusical
"American Star!!!," the musical, both mocks and revels in contemporary
popular culture. At its best moments, it is a cutting satire of our obsession
with celebrity culture. By Kelly Aliano.
"Jollification | Mortification" at La
MaMa
In "Jollification | Mortification," Ildiko Nemeth has invited
characters from previous New Stage productions to join in a playful night
that continues conversation that New Stage has established with its audience
over the past ten years. For Larry Litt, who hasn't missed any of Nemeth's
New York shows, it is the "perpetuation of a unique theatrical vision
that creates wonder for mature sophisticated audiences." But it also
is a must see for those who want to get to know Ildiko Nemeth's New Stage
Theatre Company.
"Donnybrook!" is Rowdy Irish Romance
If Ireland makes you think of romance, songs and carousing with friends
in a pub, you won't be disappointed with the Irish Rep's production of
"Donnybrook!" By Paulanne Simmons.
A Vision of Heaven as Hell
"Passing Through," currently playing at Theater for the New
City, raises philosophical questions and tackles the issue of human loneliness
in a play that could remind us of Beckett's Absurdist work. By Kelly Aliano.
“Bullet Catch” Presents Magic and
More
Glasgow-based playwright, and performer Bob Drummond’s “Bullet
Catch,” part of Scotland Week at 59E59 Theaters, combines physical
prowess and magical stunts with a dash of theatrical storytelling. By
Paulanne Simmons.
"Talley's Folly" is Charming, Subtly
Sentimental Tale of Love
Lanford Wilson’s play is a sharp, funny, charming look at romance,
with a bitter-sweet sauce. Its hero leaps over barriers of religion, age,
and economic and social status. Just what New York theater-goers want.
It’s one of the best revivals of the season, directed by Michael
Wilson with the right mix of humor and nostalgia. By Lucy Komisar.
Two Views of "The Revisionist"
By Edward Rubin: Vanessa Redgrave at the
Top of Her Game
The Revisionist which opened at the intimate Cherry Lane Theatre on February
28 for a limited run has been extended, with great good cause, a couple
of times. In this case, the great good cause is 76 year old Vanessa Redgrave
at her incandescent best, a plateau, she, or any great actor for the matter,
fails to reach on every outing. I am particularly thinking of her two
most recent Broadway appearances. By Edward Rubin.
By Lucy Komisar: In "The Revisionist,"
Masterful Vanessa Redgrave is Polish Holocaust Survivor Visited by Clueless
American
Jesse Eisenberg’s play about the importance of family to which a
holocaust survivor clings takes life through the fine, transformative
acting of Vanessa Redgrave. The story itself is a pas de deux, or better,
a psychological duel between Maria (Redgrave), who was 4 years old when
the holocaust in Poland took her parents and siblings, and David (Eisenberg),
a not terribly successful New York writer who comes to visit his second
cousin in a Polish town near the north coast. Director Kip Fagan makes
us believe that the most unlikely events we see really happened. By Lucy
Komisar.
All Lifetime in a Day
If a play about my life is ever commissioned--which will never happen,
of course--I want it to be written by Charles L. Mee, if for no other
reason than I believe his style of theatermaking would indulge this selfish
fantasy. This is not because he would create a realistic portrait of my
existence on this planet: quite the contrary. I would want him to write
of my life because he has the unique talent of creating art from the utterly
mundane and evoking laughter about even the most serious of topics. Such
is the case in Witness Relocation's brilliant "Eterniday," a
new Mee play currently being presented at La MaMa. The play is, at turns,
thought-provoking, laugh-out-loud funny, bizarre, and awe-inspiring. This
theatrical experience is one-of-a-kind and certainly not-to-be-missed.
By Kelly Aliano.
Kathryn Hunter Gives Memorable Performance as
"Kafka's Monkey"
To be brilliant at playing a human is one thing, but to pull off a tour
de force portraying a speaking animal is quite another feat. Kathryn Hunter
is an extraordinary actress, and her performance in Kafka’s Monkey
will be remembered as one of the best of this and many seasons. By Lucy
Komisar.
“Southern Discomfort” Explores the
Land that Gave Birth to the Blues
Gray, a southerner by birth, clearly knows the people she is portraying,
or at least people very much like them. Even better she takes them very
seriously. By Paulanne Simmons.
Life of a Puppet
"King Executioner," written and directed by Vit Horejš, asks
its audiences to take a journey through life that is riddled with death.
It does so by creating a world in which a character is both a live human
and an inanimate puppet. Like our protagonist, Piotr, we must face a cruel
world, filled with war and suicide and guilt. And yet, on the other side
of all of that suffering, there is also love and friendship and, ultimately,
life. . This tale, told by non-living puppets and live puppeteers simultaneously
at Theater fohe New City, reminds its audiences the simple beauty of being
alive. In so doing, it is a unique and rewarding theatergoing experience.By
Kelly Aliano.
"Blondie of Arabia"
This quirky comedy chronicles the true story of Monica Hunken's solo desert
odyssey when she flew into the heart of the Persian Gulf and ended up
biking across three countries in the Middle East, from Qatar to Egypt.
For Larry Litt, "Monica's enormous energy and storytelling stage
presence" makes this show worth seeing.
Top Drawer
“The Drawer Boy” is a treasure. It is one of the best plays
of the season, on Broadway or off. Those who miss it do so to their own
misfortune. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Richard III: Born with Teeth"
In "Richard III," William Shakespeare chronicles the evil deeds
of the murderous king on his way to the throne. The second longest of
Shakespeare's plays ("Hamlet" is the longest), "Richard
III" is rarely performed unedited. In "Richard III: Born with
Teeth," Epic Ensemble also considerably alters the play, but in a
way that renders it almost unrecognizable. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Julius Caesar" at BAM
It’s uncanny how Shakespeare could describe coup politics in modern-day
Africa. Of course, what director Gregory Doran shows in this brilliant
Royal Shakespeare Company production is that ambition, demagoguery, the
manipulation of masses and betrayal of ones comrades haven’t changed
much since the era of Julius Caesar 2000 years ago or the treachery of
kings and rivals closer to the Bard’s time. By Lucy Komisar.
"Finks" at the Ensemble Studio Theatre
It was the worst of times. Lillian Hellman aptly called it “Scoundrel
Time.” It was the early 1950s. Joe Gilford’s play dramatizes
the attack on free thought and free speech orchestrated by ruthless politicians
who built careers by destroying the lives of actors, writers, directors
and their families. It’s based on what happened to his parents,
Jack and Madeleine Lee Gilford, victimized by the House Un-American Affairs
Committee (HUAC). By Lucy Komisar.
“Old Hats” is a Charming Funny Take
On Life by Two Sophisticatet Clowns
Old time clowns are modern again. At least when they are as sophisticated
and clever as Bill Irwin and David Shiner. There’s a lot about “Old
Hats” that seems pretty new. The techno projections, for example.
Top-hatted Irwin and Shiner appear confused as they wander in a tunnel,
smoke swirling around them. We see it on video. It’s telling us
that technology will be a theme of their very witty performance–
sometimes technology gone wrong. Or misunderstood. By Lucy Komisar.
Nice Jazz Festival celebrates 65 years through
the generations
The Nice Jazz Festival in France celebrated its 65th anniversary this
year. It occurred over the course of one week, and featured authentic
jazz as well as rock, funk and more contemporary genres. Over 38,000 visitors
came for the five days of performances with the ages ranging from children
to their grandparents. By Lucy Komisar.
Love and Superheroes
Centuries ago, the eccentric Greek playwright Euripides wrote about a
wife, Alcestis, who makes the ultimate sacrifice for her sniveling, self-pitying
mate. Euripides was keen on flavoring his feminism with a touch of the
demonic (witness “Medea”) and his more sentimental side with
parody and sometimes even broad comedy. Seth Panitch has transformed this
less known classic into a powerful love story set to a rock-infused score.
By Glenda Frank.
"Mary T. and Lizzy K." exposes fragility
of relationships
Tazewell Thompson's new play continues the latest trend of all things
Lincoln, this time focusing on his wife Mary Todd (Naomi Jacobson) and
her seamstress and confidant Elizabeth Keckley (Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris).
The excellent play floats back and forth in time from the day of Abraham
Lincoln's assassination to Mary's subsequent mental breakdown. By Edward
Rubin.
"The Last Cyclist" presents absurdism, satire
“The Last Cyclist” is a true absurdist play presented by intimates
of Nazi concentration camp.
By Lucy Komisar.
Ghosts Take Over at the Irish Rep!
Like many plays by Irish writers, “The Weir” takes place in
a pub. The one Charlie Corcoran has created for The Irish Repertory Theatre’s
current production certainly does much to reinforce the feeling of ghostly
isolation the play evokes. By Paulanne Simmons.
A Closer Look at "Core Values"
In Steven Levenson’s new play, “Core Values,” Richard
(Reed Birney), who owns a small, struggling travel agency, attempts to
strengthen company moral through a weekend retreat held in the company’s
office. By Paulann Simmons.
"Chemistry of Love" at La MaMa E.T.C.
In "Chemistry of Love," on view at La MaMa E.T.C. through May
19, 2013, conceptual artist Lara is nominated for a half-million dollar
grant and she must present a brilliant new work to an anonymous committee
in order to collect. Her friends and colleagues are thrilled for her,
but resentment boils just under the surface, and when her best friend
Karen tries to co-opt her project, Lara discovers that making art among
friends has higher stakes then she could have imagined. A play that "feels
and sounds right," by Larry Litt.
Two Views of "Quidam"
Though Glenda Frank contends that Cirque du Soleil's "Quidam"
is "breathtaking and surreal," Edward Rubin disagrees, feeling
that "the evening, with many empty seats, too few oohs and aahs,
and numerous late arrivers’ trekking down the aisles, was riddled
with disappointment."
"A Time To Kill"
Those who are addicted to reality and unable to suspend disbelief, and
those who have already read Grisham’s novel may find Rupert Homes’
stage adaptation of "A Time to Kill" somewhat lacking. But for
people like me who have a special love for courtroom dramas and have never
read the novel, this fast-paced, well-acted drama, equally well directed
by Ethan McSweeny, will do just fine. By Paulanne Simmons.
Ramón Valle at Berlin’s A-Trane:
“The Other Face of Cuban Jazz”
Jazz Pianist Ramón Valle and his trio performed "The Other
Face of Cuban Jazz" at the A-Trane in Berlin. He and the members
of his trio are Cubans, but they don’t play with the Latin rhythm
we might expect. This “Cuban jazz” is modern jazz played by
Cubans. By Lucy Komisar.
Botanical Night is Berlin’s best music party of the year
On a Saturday night in mid-July, Berlin’s Botanical Gardens hosts
the Botanische Nacht (Botanical Night), the city’s biggest party
of the year. With pianos in the bushes, baritones in row boats and patrons
enjoying the music by the water's edge or at picnic tables, the event
was truly delightful. By Lucy Komisar.
Avignon Festival's avant garde and traditional
dance-theater pieces tell haunting stories of life and politics
Avignon Theatre Festival is 65 years old. This time it brought up a series
of plays in which the political mood was echoed. The three-week Festival,
supported by the national culture ministry and other French government
agencies, gets as many as 40,000 paying customers and thousands more to
free events.
"Children of Paradise" Takes Us Back
in Time through Mime
" Children of Paradise" is truly exceptional. With a cast of
14 mimes, actors and gymnasts, and the musical direction of Harrison Wade,
Richmond Shepard takes the audience into the seedy world of French popular
theater. By Paulanne Simmons.
Remembering Jerzy Grotowski
by Margaret Croyden
On January 14, 1999 one of the most important and influential theater persons,
Jerzy Grotowski died. On March 21, 1999, friends and admirers of this master
of the theater gathered together at the St. Marks Church in the East Village
to memorialize him. Our own Margaret Croyden, who covered the career of
the master director and theoretician in the New York Times, serves up her
own remembrances taken from the event, plus those of Harvey Lichtenstein,
Judith Malina, Bill Reichblum and Andre Gregory.
Promising Theater in the Promised Land
by Margaret Croyden
A trip to Israel brings Margaret home curiously refreshed,
with a notebook full of observations on how the theaters there have an admirable
sense of direction compared to their American counterparts.
Shakespeare á la mode
Is there a dumbing down of Shakespeare
in order to make it contemporary?
The practice of modernizing Shakespeare has been sacrosanct
for a long time. But what does it say about us? by Margaret Croyden.
Love and Courage at
Theater for the New City
The scruffy but indomitable Theater for the New City, which helped launch
such notables as Tim Robbins, Moises Kaufman, Sam Shepard and Charles Busch,
got all decked out in pre-Valentine's Day hearts and flowers for its aptly
named benefit "Love 'N Courage" on Feb. 13.By Paulanne Simmons.
Who Won What Last Spring?
Our "Top 10"
Critics' Poll
By Philippa Wehle
The New York Theatre Wire has once more asked its reviewers to choose their
top ten shows seen between May 1, 2004 and May 1, 2005, on, Off and Off-off
Broadway and to list them in order of importance. Their choices are based
on artistic merit alone. This year's"Top Ten" represents a fascinating
spread of shows, from new plays to revivals, from musicals to serious drama.
Of interest, however, is the fact that two of the shows in the top ten are
"downtown" shows, one of which is by an important, emerging theater
group, the International WOW Company, which is located in Williamsburg,
Brooklyn.
The Tony Awards
2005 Tony Award® winners list
Here is the complete list of the winners for the American
Theatre Wing's 59th Annual Tony Awards.
The Drama Desk Awards
by Glenda Frank
Review the acceptance speeches at an awards ceremony? Why not? Since many
of them never see the light of day, except to those present, they really
ought to be reported. Write Glenda Frank, our newest columnist, "I
have a fondness for the Drama Desk Awards Ceremony that's over and above
my delight in being one of the voters. The acceptance speeches seem more
off-the-cuff, more revealing and personal than for that other prize. Although
the 2005 ceremony has come and gone, the words of the female winners deserve
a second hearing."
The Obies
Off-Broadway's 50th annual
awards
Meeting at Webster Hall in the Village on May 16, the Village Voice and
scores of past recipients, Off-Broadway performers and producers met for
another year to acnowledge deserving artists in yearly tradition begin in
1956 at the instigation of Jerry Tallmer, who was then on the founding staff
of the Voice. Click for the results
TRANSAMERICA: What's
Your Daddy's Bra Size?
The Tribeca Film Festival has a small gem on its hands.Yes, you can argue
Duncan Tucker's feature debut's plotline certainly has been done. A parent
is thrown together with the child he or she has never seen before, and after
an hour or so of angst, followed by recriminations, the two realize they
love each other and form a new sort of family.The twist here is that daddy
is an uptight pre-op transsexual and sonny is a street hustler.
Mysterious Skin
According to The Hours's Michael Cunningham, Scott Heim "is a serious
writer who's unafraid to swim in the darkest waters." The same could
be argued for director Gregg Araki. From The Living End (1992) to Totally
F****ed Up (1993) to The Doom Generation (1995), Araki has always embraced
subject matter that was outré.
Our "Top 10"
Critics' Poll
By Philippa Wehle
The New York Theatre Wire has once more asked its reviewers to choose their
top ten shows seen between May 1, 2005 and May 1, 2006, on, Off and Off-off
Broadway and to list them in order of importance. Their choices are based
on artistic merit alone. This "Top Ten" is the original vote of
its type on the Internet, since The New York Theatre Wire, founded in 1996,
was the first place for drama criticism on the World Wide Web. Unusual for
this contest, a British import tops the list this year.
2006 Tony Award Winners
This year's Tony Award winners were lead by a group of talented "boys,"
young and old. "History Boys" swept the Tonys, earning six awards
including Best Play. Surprise hit "Jersey Boys" took home the
much coveted award for Best Musical as well as awards for Best Featured
Actor and Best Leading Actor in a Musical. "The Drowsy Chaperone"
fared well, winning five awards during the night. For a full list of winners,
see article.
51st Annual Village
Voice Obie Awards
The 51st Annual Village Voice Obie Awards were presented on May
15, 2005 at the NYU Skirball Center in Manhattan.
Croyden's Corner
Three Days of Rain--and
a slippery experience for Julia Roberts
Our Margaret Croyden feels sorry for this vibrant Hollywood beauty, whose
Broadway debut was a play made up almost entirely of exposition.
Two cents on the Threepenny
Opera
Memories of the original "Threepenny Opera" make Margaret Croyden
bristle at the current overproduction, which is directed by Scott Elliott
and translated by Wallach Shawn.
What Pryce for Lithgow?
A tantalyzing cast replacement in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" causes
Margaret Croyden to assess the effect of changing a leading actor in a running
show, and begs comparison of the Broadway version with the sophisticated,
elegant, fun film that starred Michael Caine and Steve Martin.
Trip to Bountiful: a
small play
For years, the Signature Theater has been devoted to their playwrights-in
residence project which produces the works of contemporary American playwrights.
Now they have inaugurated a two year anniversary celebration of their playwrights
in residence program, and they have chosen Horton Foote's acclaimed play
"The Trip to Bountiful" to launch it.
Chita Rivera, The Dancer's
Life
There is a built-in problem in retrospective shows for mature stars that
galls some crtics. But it never seems to affect our New York audiences,
which never disappoint. At the end, they always stand up. By Margaret Croyden.
Lloyd Weber's "Perils
of Pauline," Dressed in White
The story of "The Woman in White" is about two sisters, one beautiful;
the other, homely; one innocent, the other jealous; one abused; the other;
a fixer. And their "perils" -- mistaken identity, family secrets,
abused women, illegitimate children, and a dastardly, violent villain, who
marries the innocent beauty only to abuse and rob her. With that kind of
a dramatic situation, what could make our Margaret Croyden sigh throughout
this "so-called musical"?
Ellen Stewart, La Mama,
The Mother to Us All
On December 5, 2005, at the meeting of The League of Professional Theater
Women gave its Lifetime Achievement Award to Ellen Stewart, LaMaMa herself.
Margaret Croyden introduced Ms. Stewart and recounts her address here.
On Second Avenue--
A Heavy Dose of Nostalgia.
If you love the past and you're Jewish you will love this show. On the other
hand, you don't have to be Jewish to appreciate this cleverly put together
remembrance of a great time in the theater. "On Second Avenue"
is full of history, romance, and love. The "old" second avenue,
the Broadway of the Yiddish theater, began at 14th Street and stretched
the entire length of the avenue, to produce a renaissance of Yiddish theater:
comedies, vaudeville, cabaret, melodramas, and serious dramas--even Shakespeare.
By Margaret Croyden.
"Third"--
A Playwright's Mistake
Wendy Wasserstein, one of the premiere playwrights who broke the ice with
her feminist play "The Heidi Chronicles" (1989), has been celebrated
as a liberal feminist with a comic talent for projecting social and political
issues in her work. She has won numerous awards, sponsored monitoring programs,
sits on important boards, and is known as a do-gooder. Absent from the scene
for a while, she has now come up with a new play "Third" a confused
mish-mash that seems to satirize, and/or attack liberals and political correctness.
By Margaret Croyden.
Thoughts in the Night
What's keeping our Margaret Croyden up at night? If there is any single
throughline in the current Broadway season, it is the abundance of talented
actors in parts which are beneath them, to wit: "A Naked Girl On the
Appian Way" with Jill Clayburgh, "A Mother, A Daughter And a Gun"
with Olympia Dukakis and "The Odd Couople" with Nathan Lane and
Matthew Broderick. Is it all just a case of good ol' American "take
the money and run?"
Topics
in the Spotlight
Mrs. O'Neill's Illness
A prominent biographer of Eugene O'Neill reconsiders the legacy of the playwright's
mother after reading the script of an upcoming New York play: "Miles
to Babylon" by Ann Harson, to be presented October 12 to 29 at American
Theater of Actors. The play dramatizes the fight to overcome morphine addiction
that was waged by Ella O'Neill, the model for Mary Tyrone in "Long
Day's Journey into Night." This article is contributed by Stephen A.
Black, author of "Eugene O'Neill: Beyond Mourning and Tragedy,"
published by Yale University Press.
The White Plains Performing
Arts Center announces Jack W. Batman as Executive Producer
Jack W. Batman returned to the professional theatre in 2003 after
a brief hiatus as one of a small team that founded and developed New York
City's sports and entertainment playground, Chelsea Piers, and now comes
to White Plains to reinvigorate this City's premier theatrical venue. His
Broadway producing debut came with the romantic comedy Enchanted April,
starring Elizabeth Ashley and Molly Ringwald, which received twoTony Nominations
including Best Play and was the recipient of two Outer Critics Circle Awards.
For Off-Broadway, he then produced the widely acclaimed Brian Dykstra: Cornered
& Alone and the highly regarded environmental comedy Clean Alternatives,
which also played the Edinburgh Festival (Scotland) this past summer and
won the top prize, the Fringe First Award. By the New York Theatre Wire
staff.
Edinburgh
Festival 2006
The
Bayreuth Festival 2006
Mozart
Jahr 2006 is All
Around Vienna
''The
Rules of Charity'' at The Lion Theater on Theater Row
''The
Prodigal Son'' at Mint Theatre Company
Photography
Exhibit on Filipino American History Debuts Off-Broadway in SoHo
''Broadway
Bares XVII-Myth Behavior.''
Updating
Classics: When? Why? by Jack Anderson after a visit to Denmark
Josephine
Baker: Image and Icon at National Portrait Gallery Washington, D.C.
"The
People vs. Mona"
"The
Street" at Workshop Theatre "Mainstage"
"Surface
to Air" at Symphony Space's Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
"The
Quick-Change Room" at The York Shakespeare Company
"Whoop
Up" at the Duplex
"The
Brig" at the Living Theatre
"Frost-Nixon"
At last we have the best play of the season, the best performances, the
best director, and best of all--Frank Langella in the role of Nixon. And
what a performance. Actually I hesitated going to see this play. I lived
through the Nixon period and was not anxious to have it in front of me again.
Furthermore I thought it would be a straight docu-drama with question and
answers and that's all. But much to my surprise it turned out to be a most
fascinating psychological examination of one of our worst presidents. By
Margaret Croyden.
''The Pirate Queen''
''The Pirate Queen,'' the long-awaited musical commissioned by
''Riverdream'' producers Moya Doherty and John MColgan and created by Alain
Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, the duo behind ''Les Miserables'' and
''Miss Saigon,'' has arrived. By Paulanne Simmons.
''Talk Radio'' starring
Liev Schreiber
Everyone knows that Liev Schreiber is a good actor. He appeared in numerous
movies, won Tonys and other acting awards, and is much in demand. Everyone
in theater knows that Eric Bogosian's "Talk Radio" was produced
by the Public Theater in 1987 when the great Joe Papp was running the place.
Margareth Croyden ascertains how the two forces match in teh current revival
at the Longacre Theater.
The Vertical Hour
David Hare is one of England's most produced playwrights. Not only has his
plays appeared regularly in London, but ten of them have been performed
on Broadway, including his solo performance about his experience in Israel.
Besides "The Vertical Hour" at the Music Box, his play "Stuff
Happens" premiered earlier at the Public Theater. Later this season
he is to direct Joan Didion's "The Year of Magical Thinking" starring
Vanessa Redgrave. With a resume like this, his plays cannot be missed. By
Margaret Croyden.
I'll Be Seeing You…Love
Songs of World War II
"I’ll Be Seeing You…Love Songs of World War II." by
Andrea Marcovicci will include the songs of Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer
and Jule Styne, the songs "people are yearning for." By Paulanne
Simmons.
Translations
The Manhattan Theater Club's revival of Brian Friel's 1980 play ''Translations''
is a stunning and moody production that examines the use of language to
bond and to divide in both a personal and a political sense. It also becomes
a symbol of patriotism and conscience as it plays into the conflicts and
connections among the occupied and the occupiers in Ireland in 1833. The
play is beautifully staged by Irish director Garry Hynes with a sympathy
that extends to people on all sides in that quarrel. By Lucy Komisar and
Margareth Croyden.
Hattie McDaniel Tells
Her Story
"(mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story," part
of Emerging Artists Theatre’s second annual Triple Threat, is a one-woman
show written by Joan Ross Sorkin and performed by Broadway star Capathia
Jenkins. By Paulanne Simmons.
''Adrift in Macao''
Theatergoers used to Christopher Durang's dark comedies will see another
side of the playwright in his new venture, a collaboration with composer
Peter Melnick in a highly enjoyable parody of film noir, ''Adrift in Macao.''
By Paulanne Simmons.
"The Wedding Singer"
strikes the right note.
Based on the 1998 film set in Ridgefield, NJ, "The Wedding Singer"
is a delicious romp through those times that brought us CD players, mobile
phones, the end of disco and the beginning of rap, and Ronald Reagan. By
Paulanne Simmons.
Shining City
"Shining City" stars Brian O'Byrne as Ian, a therapist whose relationship
with Neasa (Martha Plimpton) is falling apart as a result of her infidelity
and his conflicted sexuality; and Oliver Platt as his patient, Jon, who
seeks help after seeing the ghost of his recently deceased wife. Reviewed
by Paulanne Simmons.
"The History Boys"
Teaches Broadway a Lesson
From "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" to "Dead Poets Society," there's
no shortage of dramatizations about teachers and their students. But few
are as ironic and blasphemous as Alan Bennett's "The History Boys,"
which opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 23 with its original London
cast. By Paulanne Simmons.
Three Days of Rain--and
a slippery experience for Julia Roberts
Our Margaret Croyden feels sorry for this vibrant Hollywood beauty, whose
Broadway debut was a play made up almost entirely of exposition.
Two cents on the Threepenny
Opera
Memories of the original "Threepenny Opera" make Margaret Croyden
bristle at the current overproduction, which is directed by Scott Elliott
and translated by Wallace Shawn.
What Pryce for Lithgow?
A tantalyzing cast replacement in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" causes
Margaret Croyden to assess the effect of changing a leading actor in a running
show, and begs comparison of the Broadway version with the sophisticated,
elegant, fun film that starred Michael Caine and Steve Martin.
"The Light in the Piazza"
"The Light in the Piazza" is charming operatic
fable about romance. A fanciful Florence and thrilling voices provide
the magical setting. The fifties of the novel onwhich this musical play
is based was the era of "Three Coins in The Fountain" and "The
Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone," a time when Americans mused about finding
sensitive lovers and romance in Italy. Playwright Craig Lucas has kept
that sense of fifties fantasy which fits perfectly with Adam Guettel's
operatic score and lyrics. By Lucy Komisar.
"Treason"
Mixes Treachery with Infidelity
Sallie Bingham, in her new play "Treason," The Perry
Street Theatre Company's final show at 31 Perry Street, tries to find some
answers to the questions that surrounded poet Ezra Pound throughout much
of his life. By Paulanne Simmons.
Dolly Is Back, and She's
Tovah Feldshuh
This June, Tovah Feldshuh takes the role of Dolly Gallagher
Levi in Paper Mill Playhouse's revival of "Hello, Dolly!" directed
by Mark S. Hoebee. Unlike other interpreters, Feldshuh doesnot play Dolly
as a Jewish widow, but rather emphasizes Dolly's Irish Catholic roots. If
the interpretation is surprising, it is certainly inspired. By Paulanne
Simmons.
Field of Broken Dreams
Back in the 1960s and throughout much of Irish history human
beings starved when they had no land. This accounts for how fiercely many
people fought to acquire and retain whatever holdings they needed to survive.
But there's much more than mere acquisitiveness, or even greed, behind John
B. Keane's "The Field," now in revival at The Irish Repertory
Theatre. By Paulanne Simmons.
Barb Jungr Performs
a Tender Tribute to the King
In "Love Me Tender," chanteuse Barb Jungr gives her own brilliant
interpretations, not only to Elvis favorites like "In the Ghetto"
and "Love Me Tender," but also lesser known songs like "Tomorrow
Is a Long Time," written for him by Bob Dylan. By Paulanne Simmons.
2006 Festival-Time North
& West: Shakespeare & Shaw!
Shakespeare Festivals North by Northwest: Stratford-Canada & Ashland-Oregon,
Bernard Shaw Celebrated in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Toronto Lord of the Rings
Sings!, Arms & the Man: Chocolate-Time!, Colm Feore's Curious Coriolanus,
Nightmare-Gothic Duchess of Malfi, Bryan Bedford's Foppish London Assurance,
Colm Feore's Creepy Fagin in Oliver!, Much Ado Benedick Old Enough To Be
Beatrice's Dad, Marvelous Marco as Oregon Cyrano, OSF's Bus Stop: Greyhound
Doesn't Stop in Ashland Anymore, Merry Wives Reduced To Broad Buffoonery,
Betrayals in Milan: Two-Timer in Two Gentlemen of Verona, Arthur Miller's
Crucible Witch-hunts Still Resonate, High Society: Cole Porter & Philip
Barry No Blend, Magic Fire in Peronista Argentina, Ashland Earnest Better
than BAM Redgrave Import, Anne Frank in Ashland, Portland: New Theatre,
New Season, Back in NYC: LaBute's Some Girl(s) at the Lortel Is Some Play,
Kotis' Pig Farm More Bloody Fun than Inishmore!, Greenberg's House in Town
Set on Millionaire's Row, Frank Wedekind Sings at the Atlantic, Central
Park Woods Come To Dunsinane in Delacorte Macbeth. By Glenn Loney.
"Pig Farm"
Goes Hog Wild on Some Sacred Sows
Greg Kotis
and John Rando, the creative team behind "Urinetown," have switched
from one kind of bathroom activity to another with "Pig Farm,"
an uproarious farce about the perils of fecal sludge. By Paulanne Simmons.
There's a Lot Going
on in "Nothing"
Set in the years following World War II when wealthy Brits had lost much
of their money but none of their manners, "Nothing" stars Sophie
Ward as the pampered and acidic Jane Wetherby and Simon Dutton as her ex-lover,
John Pomeret. By Paulanne Simmons.
Susan Gets Religion
and the Mint Gets It Right
Although "Susan and God" is almost seventy years
old, the Mint Theater's revival under the lively direction of the company's
artistic director, Jonathan Bank, is as fresh and pertinent as if it had
been written yesterday. By Paulanne Simmons.
Zoe's Dream: Cirque
du Soleil
Like other Cirque du Soleil productions, "Quidam" [pronounced
Key Dam] -- which is playing through Aug. 13 in downtown Philadelphia, an
easy daytrip from New York -- is a gravity-defying treat. It overflows with
acrobatic wonders and surrealistic images that feel more like a journey
through a dream than a visit to the circus. By Glenda Frank.
"Manhattan
Madcaps of 1924" Is a Delicious Bite of The Big Apple
Summer Stock on Broadway begins its first season at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia
at Symphony Space with the least known work of one of America's best known
musical teams: Rodgers and Hart's "Manhattan Madcaps of 1924."
By Paulanne Simmons.
Fields of Dreams
God has been a hot topic on Broadway, and now in this slow July, off-Broadway
brings us two remarkable plays about religion, love and survival. At Playwrights
Horizons, Keith Bunin in "The Busy World is Hushed" goes where
few playwrights dare to tread, and at the Irish Repertory Theatre, "The
Field," by John B. Keane, whose first hit dates back to 1959, is enjoying
posthumous success. You don't have to have faith to find these dramas good
theatre. In fact, these productions may work even better if you don't.
Talking and Singing
About Tina
Tina Turner's life has been filled with music and dance, and Gabrielle Lansner's
tribute to the R&B icon, "River Deep," is gloriously filled
with both. By Paulanne Simmons.
It's a Grimy Business
If writing good and somewhat clever lines were all it took to create a biting
and entertaining satire, Roger Kirby's "Burleigh Grime$" would
be right up there. But good satires also require intelligent thinking, a
plot that makes some sense and characters who elicit at least a modicum
of interest. "Burleigh Grime$,"unfortunately, is lacking in these
essentials. By Paulanne Simmons.
The Charge of the Guilt
Brigade
"The Unmentionables," Bruce Norris's new play now in its world
premiere at Steppenwolf, stages a confrontation between well-meaning, educated
American citizens and a fictional African government fueled by torture,
nepotism, and the systematic maintenance of a permanent underclass. By Dorothy
Chansky.
Norway Meets New York
"deathvariatons" and "Rosmersholm," the two plays that
comprise the "Norway Meets New York" double bill now at 59E59
Theaters, have several things in common. They are both translations of work
written by Norwegian playwrights (Henrik Ibsen, who is considered Norway's
greatest playwright and the father of modern drama, wrote "Rosmersholm,"
and Jon Fosse, Norway's pre-eminent contemporary playwright, wrote "deathvariations").
They are both presented by Oslo Elsewhere in new translations ("deathvariations"is
translated by Sarah Cameron Sunde and "Rosmersholm" is translated
by Anna Guttormsgaard). They both ask the question, is fate inescapable,
or do we create our own? But the similarity ends here. By Paulanne Simmons.
One Life with too Much
Talk
In "Anais Nin-One of her Lives," Henry is married to June but
is in love with Anais. Anais is married to Hugo but is in love with Henry,
as well as his wife, June. June is, well, she's bad news for everyone. By
Paulanne Simmons.
There's a Lot to Like
in "As You Like It"
ThedrillingCompaNY's latest Shakespeare in the Parking Lot presentation,
"As You Like It," may not have the costumes, lighting and setting
seen in Central Park and the Brooklyn Academy of Music not too long ago,
but it may be one of the most original and at the same time faithful interpretations
of the Bard you'll ever see.By Paulanne Simmons.
"Everything Turning
Into Beautiful Goes Nowhere"
"Everythings Turning Into Beautiful" is about two lonely songwriting
partners, Brenda (Daphne Rubin-Vega) and Sam (Malik Yoba). They both have
had limited success in their careers and almost no success in their love
life. By Paulanne Simmons.
"A Stove Carver"
Has Good Material but Doesn't Cut Deep Enough
Although Mastrosimone could easily have turned "A Stone Carver"
into a political statement, he is far more interested in the relationship,
past and present, of father and son than in the plight of individuals who
get in the way of the government. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Four Plays"
Gender Identity Issues of the 21st Century
Diversity can mean many things. For Diverse City Theatre Company's Equality
Playwright's Festival, it means "gender identity issues of the 21st
century." The festival at Theatre Row presents four commissioned one-act
plays about sexual orientations that conflict with the dominant culture.
By Paulanne Simmons.
"Marco Millions
(based on lies)"
It's hard to associate the brilliant but dour Eugene O'Neill with the high
jinks and soft-shoe routines in "Marco Millions (based on lies),"
now at the Lion Theatre, but the clever, laugh-out-loud production by the
new Waterwell theatre company is surprisingly true to the text of one of
the playwright's rarely staged satires. By Glenda Frank.
"Barbara's Blue
Kitchen"Is Bitter-Sweet and Delicious
Ever wonder what's behind those long-suffering lyrics in country songs?
The answer to that question and much more is revealed in Lori Fischer's
"Barbara's Blue Kitchen," at the Lamb's until Sept. 30. By Paulanne
Simmons.
Topless Dancer seeking
Love and Fame
Carmen Barika's "XXXOTIKA"at the Daryl Roth Theatre is a mix of
her current New Orleans refugee autobiography and the world of cabaret artists
seeking fame and fortune on the silver screen.. Her new offering for this
year's NY Fringe Fest is unique, exotic and tantilizingly sexy. By Larry
Litt.
There's New Blood in
a Tender Theme
"Indian Blood" by A.R. Gurney at 59E59 Theaters is
a quiet play, written with overwhelming tenderness. It is superbly acted
and masterfully directed. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Just a sing sing
Song" August/September musicals, part 2: "Shout!"
For those who want to take a short walk down memory lane to revisit
the music and the changing lives of women in the 1960s, the unpretentious
"Shout!" is a pleasure. By Glenda Frank.
"Just a singsing
Song" August musicals, part 1: "[title of show]"
"[title of show]" falls into the genre of backstage musical, and
is most similar to "A Chorus Line." Two very appealing guys with
different approaches to work are ambling toward a collaborative musical
-- until word of a fringe festival comes along. By Glenda Frank.
America /Seen Through
Irish Eyes
Like so many plays by and about the Irish, "Mr. Dooley's America,"
in revival at The Irish Repertory Theatre, is set in a bar. Only this time
the bar and the bartender were not created by playwrights Philip Dunne and
Martin Blaine. They were the brainchild of the Chicago newspaperman Finely
Peter Dunne. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Gutenberg! The
Musical!" Is a New Take on an Old Type
How wonderful! As the summer theater festivals wind down and Broadway gets
into gear, along comes a musical that makes a perfectly marvelous bridge
between seasons. "Gutenberg! The Musical!" By Paulanne Simmons.
Matthew Burnett Channels
Thornton Wilder in "Theophilus North"
Thornton Wilder was one of the few writers equally at home in drama and
narrative fiction. His final, semi-autobiographical novel, "Theophilus
North" is currently bridging both genres in Matthew Burnett's similarly
titled stage adaptation presented by Keen Company and directed by the estimable
Carl Forsman. By Paulanne Simmons.
A Tale of Two Sisters
In two brilliant monologues, Anna Manahan lays out the case for each of
the sisters, Martha and Mary, who like their biblical counterparts, represent
bitter resentment and uncomplaining generosity of spirit. By Paulanne Simmons.
"John Ferguson"
Is Not Worth the Mint
John Ferguson (Robertson Carricart) is a poor farmer whose ill health has
forced him to entrust the running of the farm to his young son, Andrew (Justin
Schultz). Despite his bad luck, however, his faith in God remains unshaken.
He is convinced "Joy cometh in the morning." By Paulanne Simmons.
"The Persians"
A Nation In Defeat
The National Theatre of Greece has brought American audiences a rare treat:
six performances of the neglected "The Persians" by Aeschylus
in (modern) Greek. The production is stunning, but, like opera, it makes
demands on the viewer. Watching it, it is difficult not to hear criticism
of the American presence in the Middle East. Iran, not Iraq of course, is
the contemporary name for Persia, but there is a decided spill-over effect.
By Glenda Frank.
Camping Out With Camille
Camille O'Sullivan performs with remarkable gusto, throwing herself into
each song emotionally and physically. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Miles to Babylon"
Is a Moving, Sometimes Amusing, Journey
"Miles to Babylon" is Ann Harson's imagined account of what happened
to Ella O'Neill, mother of playwright Eugene O'Neill, at the convent where,
in fact, she did rid herself of her habit. By Paulanne Simmons.
"The Wild Duck"
Lands in Brooklyn
In the United States, Henrik Ibsen is best known for "A Doll's House,"
"An Enemy of the People" and "Hedda Gabler." But in
his own country, Norway, "The Wild Duck" is one of the playwright's
most cherished plays. In fact, it was the challenge of rediscovering the
play and upsetting many people's preconceived ideas about it that led Eirik
Stubø, artistic director of the National Theatre of Norway, to stage
his own production of the play. This production will be coming to BAM's
Harvey Theater October 25. By Paulanne Simmons.
Bush Bashing at It Best
Nancy Holson and Jay Falzone's "Bush Wars: Musical Revenge," is
clever, engaging and often to the point. By Paulanne Simmons.
Jay Johnson's Puppets
Will Make You Laugh and Touch Your Heart
"Jay Johnson: The Two and Only!" is much more than a razzle-dazzle
display of virtuoso voice throwing and puppet manipulation. Johnson's puppets
are so human they put Pinocchio to shame. By Paulanne Simmons.
They'll be Coming to
the Cabaret… Again
Last year Town Hall produced its first Broadway Cabaret Festival, written
and hosted by Scott Siegel, the creator of Town Hall's long-running series,
Broadway by the Year. This year they're doing it again. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Bush Is Bad"-Impeachment
Edition
We went to the opening of "Bush Is Bad"—Impeachment Edition
on Oct 28th. Seeing this updated version of Joshua Rosenblum's political
cabaret at the Triad Theater on West 72nd Street convinces me that not every
political idealist should or could be a progressive blogger. By
Larry Litt.
"Post Mortem"
Dies in Second Act
A. R. Gurney wrote "Post Mortem," the fourth world premiere of
a Gurney play at The Flea, with the premise that neither the political right
nor left has the answer to the problems that plague America today. By Paulanne
Simmons.
"Woyzeck"
-- Two Views
Paulanne Simmons and Philippa Wehle agree that "Woyzeck," from
London's Gate Theatre, combines irony and sincerity, comedy and tragedy,
ambiguity and clarity. Adapted and directed by 29 year-old American Daniel
Kramer and brilliantly performed by an outstanding cast, it is not to be
missed, our mavens say.
The Doctors Are In,
The Patients Are Way Out: Two Plays, One Ailment
French medical practices and patients expose themselves on New York stages
in Novemeber and December with Resonance Ensemble's all-female revival of
Moliere's "The Imaginary Invalid" and a new multi-media examination
of Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot's treatment of women's hysteria, "Some Historic/Some
Hysteric," from the New Stage Theatre Company. If you think American
health care is in a major crisis just wait till you see these plays. By
Larry Litt.
Girl Gone Mild
After a tempest in a teapot over whether this play could or would open in
the United States in light of its pro-Palestinian sympathies, "My Name
is Rachel Corrie" emerges as an engaging one-woman show most remarkable
for the brave idealist whose life it presents. By Dorothy
Chansky.
"Miss Brodie"
Is Still in Its Prime
The influence of good teachers has been celebrated in books and movies many
times. The darker side of pedagogy is less frequently explored. But when
it is, the result can be powerful. Witness "The Prime of Miss Jean
Brodie." By Paulanne Simmons.
"Twelfth Night"…
the Russian Way
Declan Donnellan's "Twelfth Night" is performed in Russian and
bursts with Russian emotion and exuberance. Yet, this "Twelfth Night"
seems to get at the heart of Shakespeare infinitely better than many more
traditional productions. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Mimi le Duck"
Needs Less Splashing Around
"Mimi le Duck" is a transatlantic fantasy starring the Broadway
veteran and veteran seductress Eartha Kitt. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Confessions of
an Irish Rebel" Is Not for the Irish Only
"Confessions of a Rebel" shows playwright, songwriter, novelist
and IRA terrorist Brendan Behan working as a pimp in Harry's Bar in Paris
while he writes pornography, holding forth in pubs, enduring life in prison
and defying the British police. By Paulanne Simmons.
Recapturing the Past
in a Family Portrait
"Portrait of a Stolen Spring" follows Chaja Zimmerman and Moses
Kalter's lifetime journey, a journey filled with disappointment, tragedy,
faith and love. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Yohen" Finds
Beauty in Imperfection
In Japanese, the word "yohen" is a pottery term for an accident
in the kiln producing a flaw in the coloration that may be ugly or beautiful,
depending on how the viewer looks at it. In Philip Kan Gotanda's "Yohen,"
making its East Coast premiere at Pan Asian Repertory, the damaged object
seems to the marriage of James (David Fonteno), an African American ex-GI
and his Japanese wife, Sumi (Dian Kobayashi). By Paulanne Simmons.
Mrs. Gold's Daughter
Tells All
Although "25 Questions for a Jewish Mother" is based on interviews
with over fifty Jewish women of different ages, religious affiliations and
occupations, the show seems mostly autobiographical. By Paulanne Simmons.
Irish Rep Revives an
O'Neill Classic
The Irish Repertory Theatre's fresh and compelling revival of Eugene O'Neill's
"The Hairy Ape" is directed by Ciaran O'Reilly (Irish Rep's "The
Field") and stars Greg Derelian as the ill-fated coal stoker, Yank,
whose search for a place where he can belong leads to his destruction. Two
views by Paulanne Simmons and Glenda Frank.
"Post Mortem"
Dies in Second Act
A. R. Gurney wrote "Post Mortem," the fourth world premiere of
a Gurney play at The Flea, with the premise that neither the political right
nor left has the answer to the problems that plague America today. By Paulanne
Simmons.
"Woyzeck"
-- Two Views
Paulanne Simmons and Philippa Wehle agree that "Woyzeck," from
London's Gate Theatre, combines irony and sincerity, comedy and tragedy,
ambiguity and clarity. Adapted and directed by 29 year-old American Daniel
Kramer and brilliantly performed by an outstanding cast, it is not to be
missed, our mavens say.
The Doctors Are In,
The Patients Are Way Out: Two Plays, One Ailment
French medical practices and patients expose themselves on New York stages
in Novemeber and December with Resonance Ensemble's all-female revival of
Moliere's "The Imaginary Invalid" and a new multi-media examination
of Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot's treatment of women's hysteria, "Some Historic/Some
Hysteric," from the New Stage Theatre Company. If you think American
health care is in a major crisis just wait till you see these plays. By
Larry Litt.
Girl Gone Mild
After a tempest in a teapot over whether this play could or would open in
the United States in light of its pro-Palestinian sympathies, "My Name
is Rachel Corrie" emerges as an engaging one-woman show most remarkable
for the brave idealist whose life it presents. By Dorothy
Chansky.
"Miss Brodie"
Is Still in Its Prime
The influence of good teachers has been celebrated in books and movies many
times. The darker side of pedagogy is less frequently explored. But when
it is, the result can be powerful. Witness "The Prime of Miss Jean
Brodie." By Paulanne Simmons.
|
"Twelfth
Night." Photo by Richard Termine. |
"Twelfth Night"…
the Russian Way
Declan Donnellan's "Twelfth Night" is performed in Russian and
bursts with Russian emotion and exuberance. Yet, this "Twelfth Night"
seems to get at the heart of Shakespeare infinitely better than many more
traditional productions. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Mimi le Duck"
Needs Less Splashing Around
"Mimi le Duck" is a transatlantic fantasy starring the Broadway
veteran and veteran seductress Eartha Kitt. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Confessions of
an Irish Rebel" Is Not for the Irish Only
"Confessions of a Rebel" shows playwright, songwriter, novelist
and IRA terrorist Brendan Behan working as a pimp in Harry's Bar in Paris
while he writes pornography, holding forth in pubs, enduring life in prison
and defying the British police. By Paulanne Simmons.
Recapturing the Past
in a Family Portrait
"Portrait of a Stolen Spring" follows Chaja Zimmerman and Moses
Kalter's lifetime journey, a journey filled with disappointment, tragedy,
faith and love. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Yohen" Finds
Beauty in Imperfection
In Japanese, the word "yohen" is a pottery term for an accident
in the kiln producing a flaw in the coloration that may be ugly or beautiful,
depending on how the viewer looks at it. In Philip Kan Gotanda's "Yohen,"
making its East Coast premiere at Pan Asian Repertory, the damaged object
seems to the marriage of James (David Fonteno), an African American ex-GI
and his Japanese wife, Sumi (Dian Kobayashi). By Paulanne Simmons.
Mrs. Gold's Daughter
Tells All
Although "25 Questions for a Jewish Mother" is based on interviews
with over fifty Jewish women of different ages, religious affiliations and
occupations, the show seems mostly autobiographical. By Paulanne Simmons.
Irish Rep Revives an
O'Neill Classic
The Irish Repertory Theatre's fresh and compelling revival of Eugene O'Neill's
"The Hairy Ape" is directed by Ciaran O'Reilly (Irish Rep's "The
Field") and stars Greg Derelian as the ill-fated coal stoker, Yank,
whose search for a place where he can belong leads to his destruction. Two
views by Paulanne Simmons and Glenda Frank.
Sweet Music
"Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky" is about a has-been
alcoholic country and western singer who is living in his dilapidated car
when he meets a talented and eager young lady who wants to make it big.
By Paulanne Simmons.
Barb Jungr Come Back
to 59E59 Theaters
British songstress Barb Jungr, last seen at 59E59 Theaters this past summer
in the Brits Off-Broadway festival, will kick off the theaters' jazz cabaret
series on Dec. 5 with a selection of songs she calls "inspired"
from all five of her Linn CDs. By Paulanne Simmons.
It Takes One to Know
One: Attorney Henry Miller on Clarence Darrow
We've all heard about actors who moonlight as bartenders and waiters. Henry
Miller is an actor who moonlights as a lawyer, or perhaps a lawyer who moonlights
as an actor. Previous work includes "James Joyce Comes Home" and
"Alger: a Story." But it is in his current one-man show, "All
Too Human: An Evening with Clarence Darrow," that Miller makes use
of both his acting and trial skills. By Paulanne Simmons.
"School for Wives"
Gets and A
Moliere's "School for Wives" was written only a few months after
the playwright married Armande Bejart, a young actress who was nearly twenty-five
years his junior. By all accounts, the marriage was not a happy one. Many
believe it was the hard-earned lessons Moliere learned living with Bejart
which formed the basis of the 1662 comedy. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Regrets Only"
Even before the play begins, the seven entrances in the elegant penthouse
set by Michael Yeargan at Manhattan Theatre Club announce that "Regrets
Only," the latest comedy by Paul Rudnick ("Jeffrey"), is
likely to be a farce. And sure enough, as the doorbell rings, Myra Kesselman
(Jackie Hoffman) enters, a proper enough maid in a black and white uniform.
She greets Hank Hadley (George Grizzard) , THE famous designer and old friend
of the McCullough family, with a monologue in brogue, packed with a dozen
Irish clichés. By Glenda Frank.
Evil Laughter
I have to admit, I would most likely never have seen "Evil Dead the
Musical" if my husband and son had not insisted on it. I thought that,
like the movie, the musical based on it would probably be gross, infantile
and crude. In fact it was. But "Evil Dead the Musical" was also
clever, quick and often extremely entertaining. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Death in Vacant
Lot!"
"Death in Vacant Lot!," an intriguing new performance piece combining
choreography, tanka poetry, live and pre-recorded electric and acoustic
music and performance, was presented recently at the Lower Manhattan Cultural
Council's Space by The South Wing, an international theater company, founded
by Kameron Steele and Ivana Catanese in 2003. Co-produced with the Lower
Manhattan Cultural Council, the work was a musical stage translation and
adaptation of Terayama Shugi's landmark 1974 film, Death in the Field. This
young, very promising theater company showed excellent ensemble work and
the fine direction, writes Philippa Wehle.
Sweet Music
"Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky" is about a has-been
alcoholic country and western singer who is living in his dilapidated car
when he meets a talented and eager young lady who wants to make it big.
By Paulanne Simmons.
Barb Jungr Come Back
to 59E59 Theaters
British songstress Barb Jungr, last seen at 59E59 Theaters this past summer
in the Brits Off-Broadway festival, will kick off the theaters' jazz cabaret
series on Dec. 5 with a selection of songs she calls "inspired"
from all five of her Linn CDs. By Paulanne Simmons.
It Takes One to Know
One: Attorney Henry Miller on Clarence Darrow
We've all heard about actors who moonlight as bartenders and waiters. Henry
Miller is an actor who moonlights as a lawyer, or perhaps a lawyer who moonlights
as an actor. Previous work includes "James Joyce Comes Home" and
"Alger: a Story." But it is in his current one-man show, "All
Too Human: An Evening with Clarence Darrow," that Miller makes use
of both his acting and trial skills. By Paulanne Simmons.
"School for Wives"
Gets and A
Moliere's "School for Wives" was written only a few months after
the playwright married Armande Bejart, a young actress who was nearly twenty-five
years his junior. By all accounts, the marriage was not a happy one. Many
believe it was the hard-earned lessons Moliere learned living with Bejart
which formed the basis of the 1662 comedy. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Regrets Only"
Even before the play begins, the seven entrances in the elegant penthouse
set by Michael Yeargan at Manhattan Theatre Club announce that "Regrets
Only," the latest comedy by Paul Rudnick ("Jeffrey"), is
likely to be a farce. And sure enough, as the doorbell rings, Myra Kesselman
(Jackie Hoffman) enters, a proper enough maid in a black and white uniform.
She greets Hank Hadley (George Grizzard) , THE famous designer and old friend
of the McCullough family, with a monologue in brogue, packed with a dozen
Irish clichés. By Glenda Frank.
Evil Laughter
I have to admit, I would most likely never have seen "Evil Dead the
Musical" if my husband and son had not insisted on it. I thought that,
like the movie, the musical based on it would probably be gross, infantile
and crude. In fact it was. But "Evil Dead the Musical" was also
clever, quick and often extremely entertaining. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Death in Vacant
Lot!"
"Death in Vacant Lot!," an intriguing new performance piece combining
choreography, tanka poetry, live and pre-recorded electric and acoustic
music and performance, was presented recently at the Lower Manhattan Cultural
Council's Space by The South Wing, an international theater company, founded
by Kameron Steele and Ivana Catanese in 2003. Co-produced with the Lower
Manhattan Cultural Council, the work was a musical stage translation and
adaptation of Terayama Shugi's landmark 1974 film, Death in the Field. This
young, very promising theater company showed excellent ensemble work and
the fine direction, writes Philippa Wehle.
My Children! My Africa!
Athol Fugard's cri de coeur from the midst of the 1980s South African student
protests against apartheid rings loud and clear in Blanka Zizka's spare,
intense production of "My Children! My Africa!". Much of the text
is undisguised didacticism, but Glynn Turman's performance as the joyous
and upright schoolmaster who fights sexism and racism with a love of youth,
books, and words, is as good as acting gets. By Dorothy Chansky.
"Becoming Adele"
Comes Close But No Cigar
"Becoming Adele," takes place on the rooftop of Adele Scabaglio's
Manhattan apartment. The roof is her refuge and her stage. It is here that
she comes to share her anxieties and dreams with the audience. By Paulanne
Simmons.
"Meet Me in St.
Louis"
"Meet Me in St. Louis," directed by The Irish Rep's artistic director,
Charlotte Moore, is a love story times four. By Paulanne Simmons.
Five Playwrights take
on a Famous Poem
In celebration of the Christmas Season, The Flea Theater commissioned five
playwrights, Christopher Durang, Roger Rosenblatt, Mac Wellman, Len Jenkin
and Elizabeth Swados, to create short works based on Clement Clark Moore's
famous poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." By Paulanne Simmons.
This "Oak Tree"
Is Hollow
As a reviewer I see many shows, Broadway, off-Broadway and off off-Broadway.
But I have seldom had as unpleasant an evening as I did on December 16 when
I saw "An Oak Tree" at the Barrow Street Theatre. By Paulanne
Simmons.
"Home"
In, "Home," a gem of a play about class in England, the story
is played out by inhabitants of a mental asylum. Two different views by
Lucy Komisar and Paulanne Simmons.
"Argonautika: The
Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts"
Greek myths always offer food for thought. In auteur Mary Zimmerman's hands
they are also feasts for the eye and monuments to the imagination. Lookingglass
Theatre's "Argonautika" stages Jason's quest for the golden fleece
complete with hiphop, puppets, acrobatic skills, a mylar lake, flying and
floating goddesses, and irresistible group storytelling. It begins with
whimsy, ends with heartache, and frankly makes one wonder why all theatre
can't be this inventive. Part of Zimmerman's genius is to make it look easy.
By Dorothy Chansky.
Kids Show Their Strength
in "Power of Ten: Plays that Count"
Now in its 25th year, the 52nd Street Project brings together kids from
Hell's Kitchen with theater professionals to create original work. Youngsters
write plays by themselves and with their mentors in after-school programs
and during the summer. The fruits of this labor can be seen at The Public
Theater, where the fall 2006 show, "Power of Ten: Plays that Count"
will be presented Dec. 8, 9 and 10. By Paulanne Simmons.
"High Fidelity"
Scores High
In a Broadway season that's offering more than the usual number of revivals
of varying quality, "High Fidelity" may be the big winner and
the musical to see this year. The reasons are many: the music, the lyrics,
the direction, the acting. By Paulanne Simmons.
My Children! My Africa!
Athol Fugard's cri de coeur from the midst of the 1980s South African student
protests against apartheid rings loud and clear in Blanka Zizka's spare,
intense production of "My Children! My Africa!". Much of the text
is undisguised didacticism, but Glynn Turman's performance as the joyous
and upright schoolmaster who fights sexism and racism with a love of youth,
books, and words, is as good as acting gets. By Dorothy Chansky.
"Becoming Adele"
Comes Close But No Cigar
"Becoming Adele," takes place on the rooftop of Adele Scabaglio's
Manhattan apartment. The roof is her refuge and her stage. It is here that
she comes to share her anxieties and dreams with the audience. By Paulanne
Simmons.
"Meet Me in St.
Louis"
"Meet Me in St. Louis," directed by The Irish Rep's artistic director,
Charlotte Moore, is a love story times four. By Paulanne Simmons.
Five Playwrights take
on a Famous Poem
In celebration of the Christmas Season, The Flea Theater commissioned five
playwrights, Christopher Durang, Roger Rosenblatt, Mac Wellman, Len Jenkin
and Elizabeth Swados, to create short works based on Clement Clark Moore's
famous poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." By Paulanne Simmons.
This "Oak Tree"
Is Hollow
As a reviewer I see many shows, Broadway, off-Broadway and off off-Broadway.
But I have seldom had as unpleasant an evening as I did on December 16 when
I saw "An Oak Tree" at the Barrow Street Theatre. By Paulanne
Simmons.
"Home"
In, "Home," a gem of a play about class in England, the story
is played out by inhabitants of a mental asylum. Two different views by
Lucy Komisar and Paulanne Simmons.
"Argonautika: The
Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts"
Greek myths always offer food for thought. In auteur Mary Zimmerman's hands
they are also feasts for the eye and monuments to the imagination. Lookingglass
Theatre's "Argonautika" stages Jason's quest for the golden fleece
complete with hiphop, puppets, acrobatic skills, a mylar lake, flying and
floating goddesses, and irresistible group storytelling. It begins with
whimsy, ends with heartache, and frankly makes one wonder why all theatre
can't be this inventive. Part of Zimmerman's genius is to make it look easy.
By Dorothy Chansky.
Kids Show Their Strength
in "Power of Ten: Plays that Count"
Now in its 25th year, the 52nd Street Project brings together kids from
Hell's Kitchen with theater professionals to create original work. Youngsters
write plays by themselves and with their mentors in after-school programs
and during the summer. The fruits of this labor can be seen at The Public
Theater, where the fall 2006 show, "Power of Ten: Plays that Count"
will be presented Dec. 8, 9 and 10. By Paulanne Simmons.
"High Fidelity"
Scores High
In a Broadway season that's offering more than the usual number of revivals
of varying quality, "High Fidelity" may be the big winner and
the musical to see this year. The reasons are many: the music, the lyrics,
the direction, the acting. By Paulanne Simmons. My
Children! My Africa!
Athol Fugard's cri de coeur from the midst of the 1980s South African student
protests against apartheid rings loud and clear in Blanka Zizka's spare,
intense production of "My Children! My Africa!". Much of the text
is undisguised didacticism, but Glynn Turman's performance as the joyous
and upright schoolmaster who fights sexism and racism with a love of youth,
books, and words, is as good as acting gets. By Dorothy Chansky.
"Becoming Adele"
Comes Close But No Cigar
"Becoming Adele," takes place on the rooftop of Adele Scabaglio's
Manhattan apartment. The roof is her refuge and her stage. It is here that
she comes to share her anxieties and dreams with the audience. By Paulanne
Simmons.
"Meet Me in St.
Louis"
"Meet Me in St. Louis," directed by The Irish Rep's artistic director,
Charlotte Moore, is a love story times four. By Paulanne Simmons.
Five Playwrights take
on a Famous Poem
In celebration of the Christmas Season, The Flea Theater commissioned five
playwrights, Christopher Durang, Roger Rosenblatt, Mac Wellman, Len Jenkin
and Elizabeth Swados, to create short works based on Clement Clark Moore's
famous poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." By Paulanne Simmons.
This "Oak Tree"
Is Hollow
As a reviewer I see many shows, Broadway, off-Broadway and off off-Broadway.
But I have seldom had as unpleasant an evening as I did on December 16 when
I saw "An Oak Tree" at the Barrow Street Theatre. By Paulanne
Simmons.
"Home"
In, "Home," a gem of a play about class in England, the story
is played out by inhabitants of a mental asylum. Two different views by
Lucy Komisar and Paulanne Simmons.
"Argonautika: The
Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts"
Greek myths always offer food for thought. In auteur Mary Zimmerman's hands
they are also feasts for the eye and monuments to the imagination. Lookingglass
Theatre's "Argonautika" stages Jason's quest for the golden fleece
complete with hiphop, puppets, acrobatic skills, a mylar lake, flying and
floating goddesses, and irresistible group storytelling. It begins with
whimsy, ends with heartache, and frankly makes one wonder why all theatre
can't be this inventive. Part of Zimmerman's genius is to make it look easy.
By Dorothy Chansky.
Kids Show Their Strength
in "Power of Ten: Plays that Count"
Now in its 25th year, the 52nd Street Project brings together kids from
Hell's Kitchen with theater professionals to create original work. Youngsters
write plays by themselves and with their mentors in after-school programs
and during the summer. The fruits of this labor can be seen at The Public
Theater, where the fall 2006 show, "Power of Ten: Plays that Count"
will be presented Dec. 8, 9 and 10. By Paulanne Simmons.
"High Fidelity"
Scores High
In a Broadway season that's offering more than the usual number of revivals
of varying quality, "High Fidelity" may be the big winner and
the musical to see this year. The reasons are many: the music, the lyrics,
the direction, the acting. By Paulanne Simmons.
The Burial at Thebes
The La MaMa production of "Burial at Thebes" by Seamus Heaney,
directed by Alexander Harrington, attracted both Ellen W. Lytle and Paulanne
Simmons to review. Lytle praised the production, writing "Alexander
Harrington and poet/playwright Seamus Heaney make a marvelous match."
Simmons called Heaney's version of Sophocles' message "every bit as
up-to-date and pertinent as if it had been written yesterday." By Paulanne
Simmons & Ellen W. Lytle.
A Spanish Play
For a decade, teams of exceptional American actors have been
assembled to bring French-writer Yasmina Reza's New York audiences. "Art"
(1998), starring Alan Alda, Victor Garber and Alfred Molina, received Tony
and Drama Desk awards for best play and ran for almost two years. John Turturro,
Linda Emond, Helen Hunt and Brent Spiner starred in "Life (x) 3."
"A Spanish Play," now at CSC, is another role call of talent.
Under the adept direction of John Turturro, Zoe Caldwell (four-time Tony
winner). Katherine Borowitz ("Illuminata"), Linda Emond ("Homebody/Kabul"),
Denis O'Hare ("Take Me Out"), and Larry Pine ("Stuff Happens")
realize some of their finest performances. By Glenda Frank.
Reconsidering Shortnin'
Bread
Michelle Matlock deconstructs Aunt Jemima in this smart, surprising, funny,
and informative look at the stereotype that won't die. Aided by film clips,
songs, knickknacks, and a commanding voice, Matlock is an assured but humble
guide. And if you knew that the prototype for Aunt Jemima was a white man
in drag (blacked up as part of a minstrel show circa 1890), go to the head
of the class. By Dorothy Chansky.
"Must Don't Whip
'Um" Is an Edgy Triumph
"Must Don't Whip 'Um," now at St. Ann's Warehouse, is part documentary,
part concert, part memoir. In the show, Mary Fern, the narrator, revisits
the last concert her mother, singer Cameron Seymour, gave before she disappeared.
By Paulanne Simmons.
Alfred Jarry Meets William
Shakespeare in "The Polish Play"
With the help of puppets ranging from miniature marionettes to grotesque
Grand Guignol, and the clever and comic sound effects Bart Fasbender creates
onstage, "The Polish Play" tells the story of the idiot tyrant
Pere Ubu. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Toys in the Attic"
Is Masterful But Mild
" Toys in the Attic" presents 24 hours in the life of a New Orleans
family, the proud and poor Berniers. Anna (Robin Leslie Brown) is the older,
wiser and more cynical sister. Carrie (Rachel Botchan) is younger and seemingly
more innocent, until it becomes apparent that she harbors a not very sisterly
longing for her brother Julian (Sean McNall). By Paulanne Simmons.
The Magic Flute
Julie Taymor's staging and direction of "The Magic Flute" ("Die
Zauberflote") is exquisitely beautiful -- as if she had discovered
how to translate Mozart's phrases into movement, shape and lighting. Following
the lead of innovators like Peter Sellars in his contemporary staging of
Mozart's Da Ponte trio, Taymor insists that opera too is theatre. In her
hands, the collaborative arts – costumes, set, choreography, acting
– interpret and enhance the power of score and libretto. By Glenda
Frank.
The Country Wife
The deviousness of Harry Horner, a womanizing seducer extraordinaire, is
the basis for all romantic sex comedies since The Country Wife's fIrst performance
in 1675. Watching and laughing at HonKBarK!'s brilliantly energetic full
dress production, I was reminded of why romantic comedies from Hollywood
almost never make me laugh. Sighs of recognition and frustration yes. Side
splitting guffaws, no. By Larry Litt.
Todd Conner Channels
Ovid
Todd Conner's "Metamorphoses" starts with the creation, goes on
to the deluge and the recreation of the world, and concludes with the myths
of Phoebus and Daphne, Actaeon, Ceres and Persephone, and Orpheus and Eurydice.
By Paulanne Simmons.
Puppets with a Purpose
"The Rapture Project" is an ironic look at fundamentalism as it
is practiced by Muslims, Christians and Jews in the United States today.
The show takes audiences from a Creationist tour of the Grand Canyon to
the Hassidim in Brooklyn, and from Muslim squatter punks in Buffalo to an
oil rig in Houston. By Paulanne Simmons.
I'll Be Seeing You…Love
Songs of World War II
''I'll Be Seeing You…Love Songs of World War II.'' by Andrea
Marcovicci will include the songs of Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer and
Jule Styne, the songs ''people are yearning for.'' By Paulanne Simmons.
Translations
The Manhattan Theater Club's revival of Brian Friel's 1980 play ''Translations''
is a stunning and moody production that examines the use of language to
bond and to divide in both a personal and a political sense. It also becomes
a symbol of patriotism and conscience as it plays into the conflicts and
connections among the occupied and the occupiers in Ireland in 1833. The
play is beautifully staged by Irish director Garry Hynes with a sympathy
that extends to people on all sides in that quarrel. By Lucy Komisar and
Margareth Croyden.
Hattie McDaniel Tells
Her Story
''(mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story,'' part of Emerging
Artists Theatre's second annual Triple Threat, is a one-woman show written
by Joan Ross Sorkin and performed by Broadway star Capathia Jenkins. By
Paulanne Simmons.
''Adrift in Macao''
Theatergoers used to Christopher Durang's dark comedies will see another
side of the playwright in his new venture, a collaboration with composer
Peter Melnick in a highly enjoyable parody of film noir, ''Adrift in Macao.''
By Paulanne Simmons.
''The Frugal Repast''
Ron Hirsen's ''The Frugal Repast'' is a debate about art and society,
and as such it is a play of ideas. But seldom is such a play as light, lively
and interesting as Hirsen's. By Paulanne Simmons.
''The Vagina Monologues''
Growing up I never liked the word 'vagina' , none of us did! In
fact it wasn't until I saw the original Vagina Monologues (with Audra McDonald)
that I was even slightly comfortable with the term. That was about eight
years ago. Still, not particularly liking the play, but afterwards hurrying
down 42nd street towards a subway on a frigid evening in 1999, I suddenly
recognized what a ground breaking piece of work Eve Ensler had created.
The Vagina Monologues eight years later, directed by Larry Waxman and produced
by Nicole Cicerani and Ushma Pandya. A review by Ellen W. Lytle.
''The Cave Dwellers''
''The Cave Dwellers'' features Carol Schultz as ''The Queen,''
a washed-up actress who sleeps away what's left of her life; Robert Hock
as ''The King,'' a former clown in a sad state; and Marcus Naylor as ''The
Duke,'' a prizefighter who was defeated in the ring because he was afraid
of hurting his opponent. The dilapidated theater they live in (set design
is by Harry Feiner) evokes the worn-out, hopeless state of the people who
have made it their home. By Paulanne Simmons.
When Bill Met Bob
A play about the two hopeless drunks who founded Alcoholics Anonymous is
an intriguing idea and it could have been quirky, moving or hilarious. ''Bill
W. and Dr. Bob,'' is having its off-Broadway premiere at New World Stages.
Paulanne Simmons assesses the realisation by Rick Lombardo.
''Journey's End''
R.C. Sherriff claimed ''Journey's End'' was inspired by the men who had
served with him in the 9th East Surrey Regiment on the Western Front during
World War I. He insisted it was not an anti-war play. London audiences who
saw ''Journey's End'' first at the Apollo Theatre in Nov. 1928 and a few
weeks later at the Savoy Theatre, thought differently, and so it will be
with this latest production, which comes to New York City from London, just
when we need it most. By Paulanne Simmons
Sealed for Freshnes
Doug Stone's ''Sealed for Freshness'' is dedicated to all those
desperate housewives of the sixties whose emotional and sexual energy was
funneled into that gala social event of the season, the Tupperware party.
Stone, who also directs, presents five women in his over-the-top comedy
of female frustration. By Paulanne Simmons.
La Vie Noir
This is a play about adults, for adults, and surprisingly in
this age of youth worship by an adult mind. It's wit and word play, lack
of youthful angst and multilayered characterizations create an evening of
mature delight. Neu subtly asks existential questions such as: are there
lessons we can actually use from our love affair with Hollywood? Are some
of us physically and psychically trapped in dialogues with characters from
our favorites movies. By Larry Litt. ''The
Vagina Monologues''
Growing up I never liked the word 'vagina' , none of us did! In
fact it wasn't until I saw the original Vagina Monologues (with Audra McDonald)
that I was even slightly comfortable with the term. That was about eight
years ago. Still, not particularly liking the play, but afterwards hurrying
down 42nd street towards a subway on a frigid evening in 1999, I suddenly
recognized what a ground breaking piece of work Eve Ensler had created.
The Vagina Monologues eight years later, directed by Larry Waxman and produced
by Nicole Cicerani and Ushma Pandya. A review by Ellen W. Lytle.
''The Cave Dwellers''
''The Cave Dwellers'' features Carol Schultz as ''The Queen,''
a washed-up actress who sleeps away what's left of her life; Robert Hock
as ''The King,'' a former clown in a sad state; and Marcus Naylor as ''The
Duke,'' a prizefighter who was defeated in the ring because he was afraid
of hurting his opponent. The dilapidated theater they live in (set design
is by Harry Feiner) evokes the worn-out, hopeless state of the people who
have made it their home. By Paulanne Simmons.
When Bill Met Bob
A play about the two hopeless drunks who founded Alcoholics Anonymous is
an intriguing idea and it could have been quirky, moving or hilarious. ''Bill
W. and Dr. Bob,'' is having its off-Broadway premiere at New World Stages.
Paulanne Simmons assesses the realisation by Rick Lombardo.
''Journey's End''
R.C. Sherriff claimed ''Journey's End'' was inspired by the men who had
served with him in the 9th East Surrey Regiment on the Western Front during
World War I. He insisted it was not an anti-war play. London audiences who
saw ''Journey's End'' first at the Apollo Theatre in Nov. 1928 and a few
weeks later at the Savoy Theatre, thought differently, and so it will be
with this latest production, which comes to New York City from London, just
when we need it most. By Paulanne Simmons
Sealed for Freshnes
Doug Stone's ''Sealed for Freshness'' is dedicated to all those
desperate housewives of the sixties whose emotional and sexual energy was
funneled into that gala social event of the season, the Tupperware party.
Stone, who also directs, presents five women in his over-the-top comedy
of female frustration. By Paulanne Simmons.
La Vie Noir
This is a play about adults, for adults, and surprisingly in
this age of youth worship by an adult mind. It's wit and word play, lack
of youthful angst and multilayered characterizations create an evening of
mature delight. Neu subtly asks existential questions such as: are there
lessons we can actually use from our love affair with Hollywood? Are some
of us physically and psychically trapped in dialogues with characters from
our favorites movies. By Larry Litt.
''Bouffon Glass Menajoree''
When commedia dell' arte walks arm-in-arm to mate with grand guignol
then comes calling on that pathetic warhorse of a southern American white
trash tragedy, "The Glass Menagerie," I need to see this perfect
theatrical storm. In this version of The Glass Menagerie the cast of three
actors have chosen to mega-supersize their characters' personnas. They succeed.
By Larry Litt.
''Tea and Sympathy''
When Robert Anderson's ''Tea and Sympathy'' was first performed at the Ethel
Barrymore Theatre in 1953, its explosive subject matter catapulted the playwright
onto immediate fame. At that time, no one could have imagined how dated
his play about coming of age and adolescent sexuality would become little
over half a century later. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Ruff Love or What
You Will"
Kings County Shakespeare Company's ''Taming of The Shrew,'' retitled ''Ruff
Love,'' dilutes the anti-feminist message by turning Baptista, the girls'
father, into the girls mother (ably played by Mary Lou Kylis), but otherwise
leaving Shakespeare's comedy for the most part intact. There are no bells
and whistles here, but with little else besides a wood-paneled stage and
elegant Elizabethan attire, director Deborah Wright Houston creates the
intimate atmosphere of a luxurious residence in Padua. At the end of this
season, Houston will be retiring as artistic director of Kings County Shakespeare.
She is certainly leaving in a theatrical blaze of glory. By Paulanne Simmons.
''Taming of the Shrew''
Modern directors can either present Shakespear's ''the Taming of the Shrew''
at face value and risk the wrath of modern audiences or employ a variety
of techniques to mitigate the message. Edward Hall, whose all-male company,
Propeller, has brought its version to BAM's Harvey Theater, turns the comedy
into a fantastical burlesque that stresses the comedy but takes the punch
out of the more problematic elements. By Paulanne Simmons.
''Five By Tenn''
The Tennessee Williams in ''Five By Tenn'' is not the same playwright
made famous by Marlon Brando yelling ''Stella'' or the tender and tragic
gentleman caller scene. It is a Williams he never seems to have wanted on
stage. Perhaps it was a Williams he himself wanted to forget. By Paulanne
Simmons.
''Defender of the Faith''
Ciaran O'Reilly directs this ''Defender of the Fait'' with passion
and compassion. The play begins with the two brothers, Danny (Matt Ball)
and Thomas (Luke Kirby) playing an innocent game of make believe. Then their
father (Anto Nolan) walks into the house, and with him comes the tension
that builds and never lets up until the explosive ending. By Paulanne Simmons
''The Further Adventures
of Uncle Wiggily: Windblown Visitors''
Crystal Field directs with her usually combination of puppets, masks and
a multigenerational, multiracial cast as 35 men, women and children take
the audience from hurricane devastated New Orleans to New York City and
back again. Theater for the New City's street theater goes indoors for the
winter with its staging of ''The Further Adventures of Uncle Wiggily: Windblown
Visitors.'' Reviewed by Paulanne Simmons.
''Katrina:
Voices of the Lost''
A few days ago composer Michael Sahl and librettist/ poet Margaret Yard
enjoyed a one- night- stand of their joint effort, ''Katrina: Voices of
the Lost'' at The Flea Theater, 41 White Street, in Tribeca. The musical
composition played by a ten piece orchestra with strains of discordant,
a few disconnected, and many long threads of excitingly melodic brass and
strings along with a very cool percussionist, was gorgeously conducted by
the delicate force of Mary Rowell. By Ellen W. Lytle.
''The Pirate Queen''
''The Pirate Queen,'' the long-awaited musical commissioned by
''Riverdream'' producers Moya Doherty and John MColgan and created by Alain
Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, the duo behind ''Les Miserables'' and
''Miss Saigon,'' has arrived. By Paulanne Simmons.
''Persephone''
Noah Haidle's ''Persephone'' considers what it is to be a timeless
beauty as well as a reluctant witness. Mythical Demeter is a classically
elegant statue who can talk. She travels from the sixteenth century studio
where she was created to present-day New York. Divas and dealers meet vino
and vermin as the words and moods ricochet and reverberate. Is there a dues
ex machina in the house? By Dorothy Chansky.
''Blood and Rum''
The Nazis are back. And this time they're filled with rum and blood. Ian
L. Gordon's new play, named for those same two evocative liquids, has a
bit of ''Key Largo,'' some of ''African Quee'' and lots of ''Casablanca.''
By Paulanne Simmons.
''Rearviewmirror''
The theme of ''Rearviewmirror'' is the search for spiritual fulfillment.
Penn is a wannabe screenwriter and film fanatic. He has a thing for orthodox
Jewish girls. By Paulanne Simmons.
''1918: A House Divided''
''1918: A House Divided,'' with book and lyrics and direction by Barbara
Kahn and score by Allison Tartalia, has treasures to be discovered: beautiful
music, an excellent cast and a story that we can all understand and identify
with in some way. By Paulanne Simmons.
''Talk Radio'' starring Liev Schreiber
Everyone knows that Liev Schreiber is a good actor. He appeared in numerous
movies, won Tonys and other acting awards, and is much in demand. Everyone
in theater knows that Eric Bogosian's "Talk Radio" was produced
by the Public Theater in 1987 when the great Joe Papp was running the place.
Margareth Croyden ascertains how the two forces match in the current revival
at the Longacre Theater.
''Face the Music''
In 1933, Irving Berlin and Moss Hart's ''Face the Music'' closed and was
lost to the American public for 75 years. This season it has been revised
in a ''concert version'' for NY City Center's Encore! series under the light-stepping
direction of John Rando. It is a stunning theatrical experience that gives
a glimpse of the glory that was once Broadway. By Paulanne Simmons. ''Katrina:
Voices of the Lost''
A few days ago composer Michael Sahl and librettist/ poet Margaret Yard
enjoyed a one- night- stand of their joint effort, ''Katrina: Voices of
the Lost'' at The Flea Theater, 41 White Street, in Tribeca. The musical
composition played by a ten piece orchestra with strains of discordant,
a few disconnected, and many long threads of excitingly melodic brass and
strings along with a very cool percussionist, was gorgeously conducted by
the delicate force of Mary Rowell. By Ellen W. Lytle.
''The Pirate Queen''
''The Pirate Queen,'' the long-awaited musical commissioned by
''Riverdream'' producers Moya Doherty and John MColgan and created by Alain
Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, the duo behind ''Les Miserables'' and
''Miss Saigon,'' has arrived. By Paulanne Simmons.
''Persephone''
Noah Haidle's ''Persephone'' considers what it is to be a timeless
beauty as well as a reluctant witness. Mythical Demeter is a classically
elegant statue who can talk. She travels from the sixteenth century studio
where she was created to present-day New York. Divas and dealers meet vino
and vermin as the words and moods ricochet and reverberate. Is there a dues
ex machina in the house? By Dorothy Chansky.
''Blood and Rum''
The Nazis are back. And this time they're filled with rum and blood. Ian
L. Gordon's new play, named for those same two evocative liquids, has a
bit of ''Key Largo,'' some of ''African Quee'' and lots of ''Casablanca.''
By Paulanne Simmons.
''Rearviewmirror''
The theme of ''Rearviewmirror'' is the search for spiritual fulfillment.
Penn is a wannabe screenwriter and film fanatic. He has a thing for orthodox
Jewish girls. By Paulanne Simmons.
''1918: A House Divided''
''1918: A House Divided,'' with book and lyrics and direction by Barbara
Kahn and score by Allison Tartalia, has treasures to be discovered: beautiful
music, an excellent cast and a story that we can all understand and identify
with in some way. By Paulanne Simmons.
''Talk Radio'' starring Liev Schreiber
Everyone knows that Liev Schreiber is a good actor. He appeared in numerous
movies, won Tonys and other acting awards, and is much in demand. Everyone
in theater knows that Eric Bogosian's "Talk Radio" was produced
by the Public Theater in 1987 when the great Joe Papp was running the place.
Margareth Croyden ascertains how the two forces match in the current revival
at the Longacre Theater.
''Face the Music''
In 1933, Irving Berlin and Moss Hart's ''Face the Music'' closed and was
lost to the American public for 75 years. This season it has been revised
in a ''concert version'' for NY City Center's Encore! series under the light-stepping
direction of John Rando. It is a stunning theatrical experience that gives
a glimpse of the glory that was once Broadway. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Radio"
"Radio" is the story of a young man, Charlie Fairbanks, who was
born on June 30, 1950, in the exact middle of the century, in the "forgotten
little town of Lebanon, Kansas," the geographic center of the United
States. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Elvis
People"
Behind every legend there is the person, but there is also all those people
who made that person into the legend. Doug Grissom's new play, "Elvis
People," explores the motives and emotions of the many people whose
lives were in some way touched by "The King." By Paulanne Simmons.
''Penetrator"
With "Penetrator" at The American Place Theatre, Working Man's
Clothes Productions presents an engulfing, discomforting, and delicious
encounter that touches upon not only war and its effect on soldiers, but
other pertinent themes of our lives today. Is "Penetrator" really
about war at all? Could it be about homophobia? Or sexual betrayal? Or bullyism?
How about everyday male rivalry? Or modern man's emotional numbness? By
Brandon Judell.
"Pirates"
With Benjamin's additional book and lyrics, McDaniel's arrangements and
orchestration, and Greenberg's direction, "Pirates!" takes Gilbert
and Sullivan's operetta from a rocky seashore on the coast of Cornwall to
the Caribbean, where the fastidious English pirates become rowdy and raucous
churls. By Paulanne Simmons.
''The Rules of Charity''
''The Rules of Charity'' is filled with parallel couples who have
love/hate relationships. L. H. loves Monty but has no intention of living
the life of a ''faggot.'' Loretta is devoted to Monty. She refuses to put
him in a nursing home, but is overwhelmed by his needs and angry at the
limitations they put on her life. Horace loves Loretta, but he is not capable
of getting his life together to give their relationship a future. By Paulanne
Simmons.
''The Prodigal Son''
''The Prodigal Son,'' the ne'er-do-well younger son, Eustace (think useless)
Jackson (Roderick Hill, in a role he effortlessly slinks into) appears,
ragged and apparently unconscious, on the doorstep of his parents' home
just when ''the governor,'' Samuel Jackson (Richard Kline), is standing
for parliament and Eustace's older brother, Henry (Bradford Cover), is about
to ask for the hand of Stella Faringford (Margot White), the daughter of
the aristocratic but impoverished Sir John and Lady Faringford (Lee Moore
and the imperial and impressive Kate Levy). By Paulanne Simmons.
''Beyond Therapy''
''Beyond Therapy,'' Christopher Durang's satire on blind dating and way-out
psychotherapy, has a right to feel a little creaky in the joints. It premiered
in 1980 to resounding applause and two years later moved to Broadway for
a disappointing 21 performances. It's hard to know what went wrong. Durang
revivals have been surfacing here and there this season – ''The Vietnamization
of New Jersey,'' ''Adrift in Macao,'' ''Laughing Wild'' – but few
have emerged with their dark humor fully burnished and ready to take on
all comers. The production by the New York Deaf Theatre is the exception
- an over-the-top delight, and some of that has to do with the signing.
By Glenda Frank.
Giving Up the Ghost
with Nazis
Turtle Shell Production's new musical,''Fritz and Froyim,'' opens with a
ventriloquist (Fritz) trying to deal with his renegade, loud-mouth dummy
(Froyim). It soon turns out, however, that Froyim is not a wise guy dummy
but a wise guy ghost who was once a comedian that Fritz, a Nazi officer
in charge of a concentration camp, had killed during the Holocaust. By Paulane
Simmons.
''The Scarlet Letter''
The myriad students who have ploughed through The Scarlet Letter might be
surprised to learn that the high school perennial has dramatic possibilities.
But Stuart Vaughan has created a dramatic version of Hawthorne's novel that
can hold its own not only with the venerable classic, but also with the
finest of theatrical pieces. By Paulanne Simmons.
''Gaslight''
The formidable Charlotte Moore is at her best in ''Gaslight.'' She directs
with a firm and steady hand, never losing track or letting up on the mood
of genteel terror that pervades this script. By Paulanne Simmons.
''God's
Ear''
Banality is risky business in the theatre. Brand names, bickering,
and brattiness rarely add up to the memorable. But in the right playwright's
hands, the everyday can take on depth and luster. Jenny Schwartz is the
right playwright. Her new play, ''God's Ear,'' finds poetry in the trite
tried and true by which we shield ourselves from pain and sometimes recognize
others in theirs. The New Georges production finds a compelling visual analogue
for the playwright's zingy language. By Dorothy Chansky.
"10 Million Miles"
"10 Million Miles," a new musical premiering at Atlantic Theater
Company, features a pair of losers at loose ends who pack up their few belongings
and leave their hometown in a red pickup truck. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Old Acquaintance"
Like any good writer of drawing room comedy, John Druten supplies the plot
of "Old Acquaintance" with a good deal of unexpected twists, many
precipitated by the romantic exploits of Mildred's ex-husband, Preston (Stephen
Bogardus). But for the most part what makes this comedy work is the excellent
repartee between the two (mostly feuding) friends, Kit (Margaret Colin)
and Mildred (Harriet Harris). By Paulanne Simmons.
"Evolution of Me"
Van Slyke has broadened his repertoire to include light as well as more
soulful music. He sings a medley of sentimental, serious and funny songs
that show off his considerable versatility. By Paulanne Simmons.
"The Brig"
What's first impressive about the current revival of Kenneth H. Brown's
antiwar play -- in the new (heralded or notorious, depending on your perspective)
Living Theatre -- is how fresh it feels. Much of that has to do with the
precision and delicate touch of Judith Malina, who directed it at its premiere
in 1963 as protest against the Viet Nam war. This production is a must-see
not only for its frighteningly timeless political statement but also for
its perverse beauty and clarity -- a high aesthetic that transcends and
enhances the political. By Glenda Frank.
"Surface to Air"
"Surface to Air"' is the poignant story of a Long Island family
finally coming to terms with the death of their brother and son. By Paulanne
Simmons.
"The Quick-Change
Room"
Subtitled "Scenes from a Revolution," Nagle Jackson's "The
Quick-Change Room" is the fictional account of what happens to one
St. Petersburg theater, the Kuzlov, during the Gorbachev era. By Paulanne
Simmons.
"Whoop-Up"
"Whoop Up" is about Glenda, a tough and savvy woman who runs a
saloon half-on and half-off the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation, and how she
gets her man, the sexy, over-confident Joe Champlain, son of the French
Canadian half-breed, Louis Champlain and Mama Champlain. By Paulanne Simmons.
"The People vs.
Mona"
Every once in a while a musical comes along that has everything –
a score that mines all the most successful musical genres, lyrics that are
funny and appropriate, quick and clever dialogue, and a director and cast
that know how to make the most of the marvelous material with which they
have been entrusted. By Paulanne Simmons.
"The Street"
Powerful women in business have been the subject of many books, plays
and films. Most of theses creative efforts end with the same message: even
the most ambitious and successful women are best off with a good man. "The
Street," a new musical at Workshop Theatre "Mainstage," is
no different. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Following the
Yellow Brick Road…Down the Rabbit Hole"
"Following the Yellow Brick Road…Down the Rabbit Hole"
may mix its metaphors, but there is no confusion in its message. It captures
most of the pain and uncertainty of growing up, the deliberate, disingenuous
and sometimes unintended cruelty of adults, and the hope that springs eternal
in young breasts. By Paulanne Simmons.
The Lincoln Center Festival
Attending the Lincoln Center Festival each year is always a
pleasure. The productions presented are unavailable on Broadway or any other
venue and always begin when the Broadway season closes, so we can enjoy
another month of theater going. This year the Festival director, Nigel Redden,
concentrated mostly on international productions--a welcome gift. Not many
people travel to Japan, China, or Russia to catch the theater, which are
countries well represented in this festival. By Margaret Croyden.
Luca
Veggetti and the Cincinnati Ballet at Works & Process, the Guggenheim
Museum.
''The
Black Dahlia'' -- The Bloom is Off
Glenn
Loney at the 2007 Humana Festival
''Broadway Bares XVII-Myth
Behavior.''
Imagine Bacchus with a bunch of juicy grapes lowly hanging in front of the
navel. Or a horned Neptune with two percent body fat. Or a leggy dancer
dressed up as a fiery Medusa sporting shiny tassles. The naked gods of Broadway
are poised to descend Mount Olympus for this year's Greek-themed edition
of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS' annual event Broadway Bares. Staged
for the second year in a row by choreographer Denis Jones, the popular benefit-strip
event, in which dancers strip for two performances June 17, assumes a new
kitschy theme, ''Broadway Bares XVII-Myth Behavior.'' By Randy Gener.
Photography Exhibit
on Filipino American History Debuts Off-Broadway in SoHo
A new exhibit,''Positively No Filipinos Allowe'': The Lives and
Loves of Filipino Migrant Workers in the U.S., offers visitors and playgoers
an informed and aesthetic look at life in the Pinoy (Filipino American)
community in California in the 1920s and 1930s. The display is curated by
Randy Gener, senior editor of American Theatre magazine in New York City,
and designed by Eric Ting, artistic associate of Long Wharf Theatre in New
Haven, Connecticut.
Other
Awards This Season (2006-7)
"Whoop
Up" at the Duplex
"Surface
to Air" at Symphony Space's Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
"The
Quick-Change Room" at The York Shakespeare Company
"Deuce," "Crazy
Mary" and more
Over the Net with Lansbury & Seldes, Prodigal Returns
to Mint on West 43rd, Reinhold Niebuhr & Rinde Eckert on the Horizon,
Playwrights Horizon Frees Crazy Mary, An Inspector Calls: Brian Murray in
Angel Street, Memory at 59E59: Do Arabs vs Israelis Compute with the Holocaust?
Rosebud: Orson Welles Lives Again!/Neil LaBute’s Psychotics In a Dark
Dark House, Country & Western at the Atlantic: 10 Million Miles.
The Annual Village Halloween
Costume Ball
There is no better place to spend Halloween than at The Annual Village Halloween
Costume Ball at Theater for the New City. Professional sculptors, painters
and scenic designers transform the whole building into a series of Halloween
environments while performances of every theatrical kind are held throughout
the night. By Yvonne Hespos.
John Zorn and favorites
jam their hearts out at 'The Stone'
I never know what to expect when my husband Mike Lytle has a
gig. But playing with his long time colleagues John Zorn and Eugene Chadbourne
and four others, had him pulling me along in case it turned out great- And,
It did. It seemed the standing-room only audience thought so too. By Ellen
Lytle.
"Snapshots"
The women in Diverse City Theater Company's evening of one-acts,
"Snapshots," are in their 50s, 60s and 70s. In other words they're
of an age when our society is not much interested in them. By Paulanne Simmons.
"La Vie"
There is a new breed of circuses in town, designed to appeal to the
imagination and for adults (only). Not that it doesn’t have its share
of aerial daring, breath-taking gymnastics, clowning around, and center-ring
bravado, but it assumes most of us, although we are bored with the kid stuff,
still harbor an appetite for the big top. A little X-rating and banter go
a long way. This year a new “Absinthe” (covered in another review)
has been joined by “La Vie,” The Seven Fingers premiere, at
the Spiegeltent on Pier 17 at South Street Seaport. By Glenda Frank.
|
Douglas
Rees, Richard Topol, David Beach, and Michael Laurence in "Opus"
by at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters. The cast also features Mahira
Kakkar. Photo by James Leynse. |
"Opus"
Michael Hollinger, who majored in viola at Oberlin Conservatory,
has drawn extensively on his musical knowledge, but he is also a sensitive
playwright who knows that drama is all about relationships. And under Terrence
J. Nolen’s capable direction "Opus" becomes an exploration
of how people work, live and love together. By Paulanne Simmons.
Awards of the Season
Now that the 2006-7 season is ending, the New York Theatre Wire is
carrying an awards page with listings of many of the honors that were bestowed,
including our own "Top Ten."
"Accomplice: The
Village"
"Accomplice: The Village" begins like any other tour of Greenwich
Village…well, sort of. Yes, the tour guide is a bit unusual and she
does make some atypical requests. But, even so, when the tour takes a strange
twist, the participants are taken by surprise. By Paulanne Simmons.
''A Midsummer Night's
Dream: A Comic Jewish Satire''
For most of us, upon hearing ''A Midsummer Night's Dream,'' our next thought
isn't, ''Oh, a comic Jewish satire.'' According to a new theory of the provenance
of the Shakespeare plays offered by British polymath John Hudson, however,
that association should be automatic and, trumping the strategies of most
who advance arguments in what Bardolators know as the ''Authorship Controversy,''
they're putting on a show to prove it. By George Stevenson.
Simon Lovell Has the
Magic Touch
"Simon Lovell's Strange & Unusual Hobbies" at the Soho Playhouse
combines a steady flow of ribald banter, card tricks, audience interaction
and feats of daring. By Paulanne Simmons.
|
Jacques
Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Photo by Carol Rosegg. |
Jacques Brel Is [Still]
Alive and Well and Living in Paris
When "Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris" was
first performed at The Village Gate in the late 60s, M. Brel was still alive
and well, although not necessarily living in Paris, as he was often on tour.
Now, as the show opens at The Zipper Theatre, the Grand Jacques has been
dead for 27 years, but he left behind a rich musical oeuvre consisting of
ballads, tangos, waltzes and many songs that defy definition. By Paulanne
Simmons.
Rebooting
& Getting-Started for the NYC Season 2007-2008
Red-Necks & Trailer-Trash on Parade/Sibling-Squabbles in Horton Foote’s
Dividing the Estate/Three Dramas of Desperate Irish Lives/Cherry-trees
in Russia, Coffee-trees in Guatemala/Sir Ian McKellen’s Mad Lear at BAM/Cell-Phones
& Plasma TV-Panels for Molière’s Misanthrope!/Roller-skates on Broadway:
Xanadu!/Sam Walton’s Severed-Head: No Wal-Mart Endorsement for Walmartopia!/Toni
Morrison’s Beloved Becomes an Opera/Remembering Beverly Sills/LaMaMa Celebrates
46 Off-Broadway Seasons/90th Anniversary for Manhattan School of Music.
Cyrano
with Kevin Kline
Pygmaleon
in the Roundabout
John
Jesurun's Philoktetes
Night
Over Taos
"Electra"
from National Theatre of Greece at City Center
"All
The Help You Need"
"Sive"at
Irish Rep
Wheeldon's
Morphoses
Pamina
Devi: A Cambodian Magic Flute and Zélindor, Roi des Sylphes
Josephine
Baker: Black Diva in a White M's World -- Dance on Camera Festival, Walter
Reade Theatre
Gorgeous
(Comme T'y Es Belle!)
Dominique
Swain: Lolita Has a Tattoo
"Fielday,"
choreographed by Naomi Goldberg Haas
Three
European Contemporaries
"The
Round of Pleasure" by Werner Schwab
her
at the Vineyard The
Piano Teacher at the Vineyard
The
Constant Couple at the Pearl
Richard
III at CSC
''A
Voice Without a Face'' by Assaf Basson at NY Sephardic Film Festival
Spoleto/Charleston:
Performing-Arts from Both Home & Abroad!
"Opus"
at 59E59 Theater
"Accomplice:
The Village"
"The
Street" at Workshop Theatre "Mainstage"
''Eiko
and Koma: Cambodian Stories Revisited" at the Danspace Project
''Portuguese
Thunderstorms'' at Joyce Theater
"Is
He Dead" by Michael
Blakemore
Nice
Jewish Girls Gone Bad
"Rock
'N' Roll" by Tom Stoppard
''Rome
Rather Than You'' :
A Film to Recommend Highly to Your Enemies
"The
Seafarer" by Conor McPherson
"The
Tempest" at Wings Theater
"The
Devil's Disciple" at Irish Rep
Pele
Bauch's "-ism"
Michael
Helland Dresses Up for the Theater
Through
Modern American Ballet History with American Ballet Theatre
''The
Bubble,"
directed by Eytan Fox
''Waitress''
written and directed by Adrienne Shelly
Hot
Fuzz: The Good, The Bad, and the Inane
John
Neumeier's Hamburg Ballet Festival!
Sin
City Revealed
A
Tale of Two Shakespeare Cities
Four
Days of "Applause"
"Glimpses
of the Moon" Is Jazzy and Juicy
"Apartment
3A" opens doors of hope
"Maudie
and Jane" at the Living Theatre
"The
Maddening Truth" makes words count
Godlight
illuminates "Slaughterhouse-Five"
Alfred
Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps," adapted by Patrick Barlow
"Happy
Days" at BAM
Barb
Jungr is Smokin' at The Metropolitan Room
"Spoken
Word Extravaganza" at Bowery Poetry Club
"Grace"
at the Lortel
Four
Days of "Applause"
"Glimpses
of the Moon" Is Jazzy and Juicy
"Apartment
3A" opens doors of hope
"Maudie
and Jane" at the Living Theatre
"The
Maddening Truth" makes words count
Godlight
illuminates "Slaughterhouse-Five"
Alfred
Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps," adapted by Patrick Barlow
"Happy
Days" at BAM
Barb
Jungr is Smokin' at The Metropolitan Room
"Spoken
Word Extravaganza" at Bowery Poetry Club
Melissa
Fenley: " Strength and Sensibility"
Hiroshi
Koike: "Ship in a View"
Tero
Saarinen's Communal Austerity
The
New York Butoh Festival Rides Again
Summers,
Solomons, Soto, and Chuma Show Their "60s Snapshots"
The
Little Flower of East Orange
On
Naked Soil - Imagining Anna Akhmatova
"Gypsy"
is back
"Juno"
Is Well-Worth a Second Look
"Betrayed"
by George
Packer
"The
Conscientious Objector" - the Man Behind the King Myth
"Parlor
Song, " a familiar tune
A High Note From Paulanne Simmons
Symphony Space Celebrates
30th Birthday
Something special happened at Symphony Space on January 10. And for those
of us present, the evening was unforgettable. On that Thursday night,
Symphony Space celebrated its 30th birthday with a display of talent that
was truly remarkable: actors, singers, musicians, essayists, humorists
and writers, all paying tribute to an institution they love and value.The
event had something for everyone: from the traditional Gershwin standard
"Our Love Is Here to Stay, " sung by Andrea Marcovicci to Isaiah
Berlin's rewrite of Jerome Kern and P.G. Wodehouse's classic "Bill"
now titled "It's My Turn Bill, " and sung by Ivy Austin as Hillary
Clinton.The evening concluded with the entire cast onstage fervently singing
"There's a Space for Us, " Isaiah Berlin's version of Bernstein's
"West Side Story" classic "Somewhere." Happy Birthday
Symphony Space. May you live and be well forever.
"Endgame"at
BAM
"The
Importance of Being Earnest"
"A
Catered Affair"
"How
Theatre Failed America" by Mike Daisey
"The
Brain" - Einstein with puppets
Attorney
for the Damned: Rock Musical
"The
Day The Whores Came Out To Play Tennis" by Arthur Kopit
"Chamber
Music" by Arthur Kopit
"Candide"
at City Opera
Another
Vermeer
"Around
the World in 80 Days" in Two Delightful Hours
Bette
and Boo walk down memory lane at the Roundabout
"Little
Shop of Horrors" at
the Paper Mill Playhouse
"EST:
MARATHON 2008, SERIES B"
at
the Ensemble Studio Theatre
"Top
Girls" by Caryl Churchill
"Reasons
to be pretty"
"STRETCH
(a fantasia)"
"The
Great American All Star Traveling War Machine"
"Prisoner
of the Crown"
"Les
Liaisons Dangereuses"
"Cherry
Docs"
"Boeing-Boeing"
"The
Devil and Tom Walker"
"Cry-Baby"
"Kiss
Me Kate"
William
Forsythe's "Impressing the Czar" at Lincoln Center
SummerDANZ
at Dance Theatre Workshop
"Sunday,
Again," by the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
"Vanishing
Point"
Tom Pearson and Zach Morris
"Ballet
Biarritz" at the Joyce Theater
"Appearance
– A Suspense in Being"
"La
Voix"
Scapino
Ballet Rotterdam
NY
Theatre Ballet: Antony Tudor Centennial Celebration
King
Arthur: Amiable, Although Invisible
Dreaming
Along With Paul Taylor
Wendy
Osserman Dance Company with Iva Bittová
Kansas
City Celebrations
Ballet
de Monterrey
New
York City Ballet: Two Premieres and a Farewell
Trisha
Brown: The World Beyond the Wings
"The
Clarities of Christopher House" by Jeremy Laing
"Inhabit"
by Lingo
"Rite"
by Cedar Lake
The
Edinburgh Festival
2007
Salzburg
Festival 2007: Jürgen Flimm &
The Night-Side of Reason!
The
Bayreuth Festival 2007
National
Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa
Britain and Britten
in Bregenz Festival 2007
Festival
Season in Munich 2007
Festival
TransAmériques in Montreal
"Broken
English" -- Parker Posey is Unloved
Sydney
White
Splinter:
Boyz in the Hood Redux
"Introducing
the Dwights" -- True Love vs. Killer Mom
"Surrender"
is not surrender!
"A
Man for All seasons" at The Roundabout Theater
"The
Pumpkin Pie Show" at Under St. Marks
"The
Fourposter" at The Clurman Theatre
"Revealed"
at Under St. Marks
Diverse
City Theater Explores "Passing"
Workdays
with Maury
"What
To Do When You Hate All Your Friends"
"Buffalo
Gal"
"Some
Americans Abroad" at Second Stage
"Hillary:
a Modern Greek Tragedy With a (Somewhat) Happy Ending"
"The
Grand Inquisitor "
"Gang
of Seven"
"Pucelandia"
Is a Colorful Show for the Whole Family
''Catch
22'' at Lucille Lortel Theatre
"Saturn
Returns"
Sin
Cha Hong's "Godot"
Oh,
Those Beautiful Weimar Girls!
BAM’s
2008 Next Wave Festival
"Blue
Bird" Takes Flight
"Shrek
The Musical"
"Silent
Heroes"
"Women
Beware Women"
"Pal
Joey"
"Equus"
"Speed
the Plow"
New
translation of "Uncle Vanya"
"All
My Sons"
Brandon Judell
|
Josh
Radin. |
Joshua Radin: His
"Sundrenched World"
Columbia Records has a new star in the making in Joshua Radin.
Yes, watching this striking brunet rehearse at Joe's Pub for his set later
that night, you can only wish you were the guitar he was strumming. Afterwards,
interviewing him in the intimate Manhattan performance spot's lobby, staring
into his piercing brown eyes and watching those gentle lips move, you
can only wish to be with him or be him, depending on your persuasion.
By Brandon Judell.
Other Contributors
Whitney Live; Nick
Didkovsky
Not since Yoko Ono took a hammer to a Ming vase, shattering it in hundreds
of pieces, in order to avenge the cancer that ravaged her college friend,
and cellist, Charlotte Moorman, has the Whitney Museum heard such a configuration
of sound. But last month composer, guitarist, and band leader /musician
Nicholas Didkovsky jumped on the backs of three of his bands and led them
to the Whitney's downstairs cave breaking the silence of visual art. By
Ellen W. Lytle.
Eric
Bentley receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Eric Bentley received a Robert Chesley Foundation 2007 Gay and Lesbian
Playwriting Award for Sustained Achievement on May 7th at the New School
in Manhattan. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the annual Publishing
Triangle Awards, which honor the best lesbian and gay fiction, non-fiction,
and poetry published in 2006. Bentley, born September 14, 1916 in Bolton,
Lancashire, England, is renowned for his work as a playwright, translator,
editor and teacher. By Koen Machielse.
Humor
|
No
rest for this Chaperone. |
Re-running Shows
The period between a hit show closing and its return to
Broadway has been shrinking over the last decade.
Now it will be easier for theater-goers to get tickets to two of Broadway's
hottest musicals. Producers of "The Drowsy Chaperone" and "Jersey
Boys" are expected to announce this week that revivals of both shows
will be up and running by October. While this is the first time that a
play will be revived while the original is still running, it is, in fact,
the culmination of a long time trend. By guest columnist Curt Schleier.
Film, Stage & ShowBiz Expo
|
ShowBiz
Expo 2008. Photo by Steven Rosen |
A Taste of Entertainment
Featuring Endless Varieties of Flavors
On Sunday, September 21, entertainment professionals gathered at the NY
Hilton for the Film, Stage & ShowBiz Expo.The unique event was a conglomeration
of passionate filmmakers, creative marketing professionals, aspiring actors,
theatrical organizations, and anyone who is, or desires to be involved
in the entertainment industry. By Jana Black.
Galapagos in Williamsburgh becomes
Public Assembly in Dumbo
Is Williamsburgh's
loss Dumbo's gain?
The mission statement of Galapagos Art Space reads, "The most basic
function of the arts is to be relevant in the advancement of society."
It seems like Galapagos' job is done in Williamsburgh. Or more accurately,
Williamsburgh's loss is Dumbo's gain. The Galapagos Arts Space has moved
to Dumbo (16 Main Street, in Brooklyn). As the organization changed its
location, it also changed its name to a more generic-sounding, "Public
Assembly." (The name was the product of a "name
our space" contest on their website.) Williamsburgh had been its
location since its creation in 1995. In Dumbo, the institution formerly
known as Galapagos will still be presenting avant gardist work along with
innovations in the world of art. By Amelie Fillaudeau.
A Talk With The Playwright:
Theresa Rebeck by
Glenda Frank
Theresa Rebeck keeps testing the water and growing as an artist. For the
past 15 years, her plays have been consistently inventive, provocative,
and contemporary. She is a multi-talented writer--of plays, novels, comic
essays, scripts for television, and a doctoral dissertation on Victorian
melodrama. Her loyal following will tell you about the comedies featuring
contemporary women almost on the verge of a nervous breakdown –
what with their uncomfortable spike heels, unexpected pregnancies, manipulative
roommates, and stalking men.
My Youth Envy by Larry Litt
My Youth Envy
In 1970 I was 24 years old, a healthy, draftable, ex-student, arrested,
released, anti war protestor, artist, actor, writer, party animal, wild
boy. In short I was an idealistic romantic anarchist. I learned how to
live in NYC for free from the Yippie Manifesto "Fuck The System"
by George Metesky aka The Mad Bomber, or was written by Abbie Hoffman.
Abbie the 1960s counter culture trickster, political activist whose words
and actions inspired us to, well, fuck the system.
Chez Melinda
Annulla: What If Women
Governed the World?
Melinda Guttman revisits Emily Mann's "Annulla, "
hoping to express how Annulla's language, intricately and artfully edited
by Mann contains the enormous intellectual and emotional vocabulary to
expand the audience consciousness of the scope of living through the holocaust
and its lifelong consequences. By Melinda Given Guttman.
"Tonight
Lola Blau"
"Shekinah"
"The
Surprise"
Rory
Raven’s Brainstorming
Two
Kindred Spirits: Neil Sedaka and Jim Van Slyke
"Guys
and Dolls"
"Ruined"
brings Mother Courage to Africa
"The
Cripple of Inishmaan" seeks love under mean spirited cruelty.
"The
American Plan"
"Billy
Elliot, The Musical"
"Raised
in Captivity" is a big step for a new company.
Loss
and Departures : "The Cherry Orchard"
"The
Cherry Orchard, " again
"Forbidden
Broadway goes to Rehab"
Lynn
Redgrave in "Earnest"
"Woolf
at the Door"
"Exit
the King"
"Joe
Turner's Come and Gone"
"All
Aboard the Marriage Hearse"
"Kooza"
"Happiness"
"Waiting
for Godot"
"33
Variations"
Viva
Patshiva (Long Live the Party
"Why
Torture is Wrong, and the people who love them"
"The
Cody Rivers Show"
"The
Liar show"
"Angela's
Mixtape"
"Chasing
Manet"
"An
Oresteia"
"Walking
from Rumania: a journey to freedom in 1899"
"God
of Carnage"
"Miss
Evers' boys"
"She
Said, She Said"
The
Actors Company in "Incident at Vichy."
“Heroes”,
three French WWI veterans imagine their lives
"Love/Stories
(or But You Will Get Used to It)"
The
Air That I Breathe by Jieho Lee
A
Tree Grows in Israel: Joseph Cedar and his Beaufort
"The
Brave One, or Why the Nice Vigilante Shot Up the Big Apple"
"Zero
Hour"
"Search
and Destroy"
"Finian's
Rainbow"
"The
Emperor Jones"
"Circle
Mirror Transformation"
"Wishful
Drinking"
"The
Understudy"
"In
the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play"
"This"
is a witty play about the angst of thirty-somethings.
"Fascinating
Aïda - Absolutely Miraculous"
"Ragtime"
"Love's
Labour's Lost"
"Santa
Claus Is Coming Out"
"Superior
Donuts"
"So
Help Me God"
"A
Streetcar Named Desire"
"Shrek
The Musical"
"Memphis"
"The
Brother/Sister Plays" by Tarell Alvin McCraney
"Lord
Buckley & Marilyn" at The Richmond Shepard Theatre
"On
the Town" at Paper Mill Playhouse
"Creature"
"The
Age of Iron"
"My
Wonderful Day"
"A
Quarreling Pair"
"Nightingale"
"The
Emperor Jones"
at Irish Rep
"God
of Carnage"
"Such
Things Only Happen in Books"
"The
Royal Family"
"A
Steady Rain"
"After
Miss Julie"
"Broke-ology"
"Hamlet"
Two
Views of "Imelda"
Barb
Jungr at Metropolitan Room
Burn
the Floor
Tin
Pan Alley Rag
"Look
after You" by Louise Flory
"Viral"
by Mac Rogers
"Time's
Scream and Hurry"
“Way
to Heaven” (“Himmelweg”) by Juan Mayorga
The
Irish Rep Presents “Father Knows Best” – Take Two
"Facespace"
"Play
it Again, Boys"
“Bartholomew
Fair New Jersey: a Comedy in Verse”
“Requiem
for a Marriage”
"The
Norman Conquests"
"Blithe
Spirit"
"Our
House"
"Waiting
for Godot"
“The
Wiz” at City Center is a Wow!
"The
Full Monty" at Paper Mill Playhouse
"Preparation
Hex"
"Pure
Confidence"
"Billy
Elliot the Musical"
Richard
Alston Dance Company
"A
Light Convesation"
"Burn
the Floor"
"Sundowning"
"Songs
of Ascension"
Sidi
Larbi Cherkaoui: "Orbo Novo"
The
Lucidities of Lucinda Childs
New
Russian Choreography at the Storefront
Discovering
Tulsa Ballet
Gabrielle
Lansner's Human Scenery
Paula
Mann's Dancing Thoughts
Shen
Wei Hits the Silk Road
New
Russian Choreography: An Informal Showing
Mark
Morris's Shakespeare
Captain
Petronio on the High Seas
Goode,
with twist
Two
Second Companies
Mandance
Plus Women Plus Horse
The
Pleasures of Isadora Duncan
Berlin
36
Harry
Potter Needs a Shave
"Irangeles":
Will Romeo Get Circumcized for Love?
"Pray
the Devil Back to Hell" An Interview with Director Virginia Reticker
"The
Caller" You Don't Necessarily Have to Hang Up
Roman
de gare by Claude Lelouch
Films
of Jacob Burckhardt
Under
the Sun of Sarasota
Roundup
in the Washington, DC and Arlington Area
"L'Orestie"
d'Eschyle in Paris
"Low:Meditations
Trilogy Part 1"
at the Adrienne
Arsht Center Studio Theatre in Miami
Glenn
Loney in Jordan
Twyla
Tharp in Miami
"The
Emperor Jones"
"Circle
Mirror Transformation"
"Wishful
Drinking"
"The
Understudy"
"In
the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play"
"Memphis"
"Enemy
of the People"
"The
Jackie Look"
"Lear"
"Fanny"
"Venus
in Fur"
"Il
Mondo Della Luna"
"The
Garage"
"Woodworm"
"Zero
Hour"
"Search
and Destroy"
"Present
Laughter"
"River"
"Lost
in Yonkers"
The
Bard, From Scratch, For Laughs.
This January New York plays host to Chicago's hugely entertaining Improvised
Shakespeare Company. The title says it all: Shakespeare, sans the script.
Sound impossible? We spoke to the group's founder Blaine Swen about the
ins and the outs of their hey nonny nonnies. By Georgia Clark.
"Auto
Da Fe"
The always-ambitious International WOW kicks off the new year with "Auto
Da Fe", a realization of the classic Odysseus story. With a 30-strong
cast onstage, the tale is told as if the hero of Homer's epic poem has
returned to his homeland but it's been replaced by an industrial wasteland
called the Memory Pit, that's being run by the History Processing Operation.
The play, originally produced in Kyoto and Tokyo, is a dreamscape of collective
amnesia, life during wartime, the self-conscious erasure of history and
national identity, and a search for meaning and beauty. We spoke to ensemble
member Melissa Chambers about the creation of this adventurous new work.
By Georgia Clark.
"Mortal
Engine"
Contemporary Australian dance company Chunky Move return to New York this
December with a new show, "Mortal Engine". The performance uses
movement-and-sound-responsive visual projections to portray an ever-shifting,
shimmering world. We chatted with director and choreographer Gideon Obarzanek
about the process of creating this compelling new work. By Georgia Clark.
"Highly
Evolved Human"
Nick Ross turns his experience with cancer into an underground comedy
hit with "Highly Evolved Human" at Upright Citizen's Brigade
Theater. By Georgia Clark.
An
Ocean of Longing: "Halt!"
"Halt!" is
a free dance piece for the Whitehall Ferry Terminal where you might find
yourself part of the action. By Georgia Clark.
And
Then There Was Light.
A new interdisciplinary
work, "She Turned on the Light," finds connections between memory,
and different generations. Georgia Clark delves into the inspiration for
Wendy Woodsons production in this interview.
Not
Your Average Punch and Judy
When
is the last time you saw a good puppet show? The characters in "A
Quarreling Pair" are far more than your average Punch and Judy. Drawing
from boho American writer Jane Bowles' great literary work, this unique
show proves that this art form isn't strictly for children. We spoke to
Cynthia Troup, writer and a founding member of the always intriguing Aphids
Arts Company from Australia, who are bringing the production to La MaMa.
Balaton
There's nothing like good family drama. Throw in multiple generations,
death, and a rich culture and you've got "Balaton", the world
premiere play by Ashlin Halfnight. Directed by Kristjan Thor, "Balaton"
jumpstarts the new season at Electric Pear Productions. We spoke with
playwright Ashlin Halfnight for a behind-the-scenes look at this show.
A new Web site collects
the writings of the late dance journalist Burt Supree.
In honor of this excellent writer, Burt Supree's friends and colleagues
created a Web site, www.burtsupree.com, to save his work and pay tribute
to Supree. You can find two decades of his wonderful work, his biography,
moving pictures of him and his friends, and his unpublished poetry. It
is also an opportunity to discover or rediscover more than five hundred
reviews written by Supree for the Village Voice. By Suzanne Trouve Feff.
|
Randy Gener.
Photo by Nadia Kitirath. |
Randy Gener receives
the George Jean Nathan Award on an Inspiring Night
Filipino-American playwright, director and critic Randy Gener received
the 2007-08 George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism March 9, 2009
at the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. By Nadia Kitirath.
|
The voice
specialst coached an attendee at Edge Studio & the Voice Design
group booth in Film, Stage & Showbiz Expo on March 29, 2009. Photo
by Nadia Kitirath. |
Dreams overflow at Film, Stage
& Showbiz Expo
On a rainy afternoon Sunday, March 29, the weather outside
in midtown Manhattan seemed unfriendly. In contrast, the Hilton Hotel
in New York seemed sunny with optimistic entertainment industry professionals
from film, stage, television, fashion, concerts and live events who waited
in long lines to get into Film, Stage & Showbiz Expo. By Nadia Kitirath.