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Lisa Kron’s The Veri**on Play [sic], the first of seven full-length and three 10-minute offerings, opened this year’s 36th annual Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville with a satiric blast at corporate America and its woefully boneheaded customer service.
Kron herself plays befuddled Jenni, plunged into customer-service hell when the phone company and its robotic minions keep bugging her about a billing problem she consistently asks them to correct.
Chaim Potok’s bestselling novel, “The Chosen,” comes to life in a mesmerizing play by Potok and Aaron Posner. The Wisconsin premiere of The Chosen
was produced by In Tandem Theater in Milwaukee. “The Chosen” is perhaps best known from the 1981 film starring Maxmillan Schell, Rod Steiger and Robby Benson.
The revival of a modern classic is always an occasion for reminiscence, celebrations and some recriminations by nostalgic fans of the original production. In the case of A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry’s great breakthrough drama of African-American struggles against inequality, every revival – and there have been very many distinguished ones worldwide – has to deal with comparison to the historical 1959 Broadway original, which was mostly exactly repeated in the classic 1961 movie.
It is the final decades of the 18th century in Germany, a period of the literary and social “Storm and Stress” movement. In the conflict between two sons of a Count for their father’s affections, power and wealth, the brothers claim corollary personal liberty to pursue their personal, social, and political aims.
One of the problems of staging a play that largely takes place around a long table — with a number of place settings — is how to permit the audience to see the facial expressions of all the characters, especially if some have their backs to the viewers. Last February, when Lisa Loomer’s provocative play, Two Things You Don’t Talk About at Dinner,was aired in a Play-Summit reading at the Denver Center, this was not a problem, as all the players were more of less in line at their respective music stands.
Tom Alan Robbins may not actually be playing Moby Dick, but he certainly looks like a great white whale in Samuel D. Hunter’s whale of a play.
When the establishing shot of the Denver Center’s new Shrew turned-up on its website — an obviously Cowbo -Petruchio with a Wild-West Kate on his back — this image reminded your arts reporter of the Wild-West Shrewthat Charles McCalley staged long, long ago, at the Globe-of-the-Great-Southwest, in Odessa, TX. Since that epic adventure in updating Shakespeare, Mantua and Padua have occasionally been relocated to Western-American sites in Utah, Arizona and New-Mexico.
Cynthia Nixon as Vivian Bearing, PhD, gives one of the best performances of any actor on Broadway this season in a beautifully realized production of Wit by Margaret Edson and directed with great skill by Lynne Meadow. Witis told from the perspective of a woman with Stage Four ovarian cancer in a series of flashbacks showing the progress of the disease from diagnosis to death.
The Fall to Earthstarts out as a play in a comic vein: daughter obliged to share not just a motel room but a single bed with her estranged, control-freak mother. Gradually, though, the comedy begins to give way to drama and then horror as the story unfolds.
In 1956, John Osborne shocked theatergoers with his examination of the Britain’s angry young men coming out of the post World War II years. These were the blue-collar lads with ability, some with education, but all missing the key to a better life in the white-collar stratum of society. There is more than a hint of relevancy to the current economic troubles and explosive frustrations.
If Next Act Theatre administrators were looking for a comedy to fill this dead-of-winter time slot, one wonders what made them choose Morris Panych’s play, Vigil. There is a glimmer of humor here, but the comedy is about the blackest this critic has seen.
Two exceptionally talented actors, Ruth Schudson and Mark Ulrich, do about the best job one could wish in delivering this odd play. Ulrich is an unhappy bank teller who rushes to the deathbed of his elderly aunt. They haven’t seen each other in 30 years. It is not a happy reunion.
To Kill a Mockingbirdis one of the most passionate, powerful novels about the American South, circa 1935. It dredges up everything that is good and bad in a medium-sized town in Alabama. It exposes hatred and prejudice that, unfortunately, cannot be confined to this era.
A play that’s become a modern classic is now bound to be remembered as a classic production by WBTT. A strong story, cast and director bring out the universal qualities of a distinctly American experience. As A Raisin in the Sun re-creates that of urban African-Americans half a century ago, it also shows how timeless is the struggle of members of a family to each realize their dreams of success.
The current Broadway Porgy and Bess, about a community of black fishermen in South Carolina in the 1930’s, is a thrilling theatrical experience in a magnificent production brilliantly directed by Diane Paulus and choreographed with exciting verve by Ronald K. Brown played on a simple (but profound) set by Riccardo Hernandez. The beautiful Audra McDonald’s rich voice and powerful acting of Bess, a multilevel character, shakes the theater, Norm Lewis as the crippled Porgy gives us an emotional rip, and Phillip Boykin will churn your guts as the evil, powerful Crown.
Lydia R. Diamond’s Stick Flytakes a fascinating look at a wealthy black family in Martha’s Vineyard as they function and dysfunction. Father: a neurosurgeon (Ruben Santiago-Hudson), chilly, autocratic; two brothers: Flip, a plastic surgeon whose nickname fits him (Mekhi Phifer) and Dulé Hill as Spoon, a writer whose first book is being published. Each brother has a fiancé whom he brings home: for Spoon it’s the bright dynamo Tracie Thoms, whose energetic insights drive the play, and a smart WASP, Rosie Benton, for Flip.
The Echo Theater Company gives Jenny Schwartz's 2007 play, God’s Ear, a skillful production in its L.A. premiere at the Zephyr Theater. Schwartz is a decidedly modernist writer, one whose intent is to deconstruct the family drama genre by taking out the realistic elements and replacing them with comedy, wordplay and fantasy. At the same time, she also tries to delve into the dark corners of her characters, with boldness and power. It's a directorial challenge to hit all the right notes, but thankfully Rory Kozoll lives up to the task.
"Farce is tragedy played at a thousand revolutions a minute," said John Mortimer. If he were alive today, Joe Orton would surely have seconded that notion. The British playwright came to prominence in the 1960s with a series of black, bawdy farces -- The Entertaining Mister Sloane, Loot and What the Butler Saw-- that usually ended with blood on the walls.
Racism and real estate have always had a volatile relationship in the USA. Segregated neighborhoods have been a fact of life in most American cities and towns, with the divisions supported by laws and covenants that expressed the prejudiced feelings of the majority white population. Thanks to civil-rights legislation, most of the laws and covenants have been repealed, but the racism remained in place, making it hard for people of color to break out of their ghettoes.
It only seems fair that a production called The Complete Works of William Shakespeare – Abridged should receive an abridged synopsis. So here goes: Three guys, 37 of Shakespeare’s plays, and less than two hours to cram them all in. That, essentially, is what the show’s creators gave birth to in 1987. Since then, Complete Workshas appeared in many of the country’s regional theaters. It now lands in Milwaukee. (Also noteworthy is the fact that the original cast performed an “updated” version of this play at New York’s Victory Theater in March 2010.)
Well, I'm glad I was at least somewhat prepared for the desecration of the operatic masterwork, Porgy and Bess, that's now on view on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theater, or I probably would have booed loudly during the performance and caused a scene. Interviews given by director Diane Paulus, playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, and musician Diedre L. Murray concerning their "adaptation" of this beloved work as a Broadway musical in advance of the show's pre-Broadway run at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Mass.
No doubt about it, Athol Fugard’s The Road to Mecca is tough going, a long, winding journey with its pay-off at the end. This pay-off is not with blazing fireworks but finding an artist’s inspiration she fears is lost. Directed with sensitivity by Gordon Edelstein, the Roundabout Theatre Company's production at the American Airlines Theater is driven by three stunning performances and the poetic, often passionate language of its playwright.
I have always disliked Our Town, going back to when I first saw a production of it in high school. Its folksy, idealized portrait of small-town life made me think, sourly, of Norman Rockwell or the Andy Hardy movies. Seeing subsequent productions did not make me change my mind about Thornton Wilder's 1938, Pulitzer Prize-winning play--and that holds true for the production under review.
Milwaukee’s Renaissance Theater offers a powerhouse of a play in the one-woman show, Neat. Respected playwright Charlayne Woodard takes the audience on an autobiographical journey that ranges from Savannah to Albany, NY. Savannah, Georgia, is the home town of her favorite aunt, nicknamed “Neat.”
The black box Pinkerton is cleverly configured into three diagonals, two seating the audience. In the center, trees at the edge of a snow-filled forest with a bench in the snow mark one end of a path (half way graced by a fallen log). It leads to the porch of a cabin with sparse outdoor furnishings close to the front door.
On a playground, Annette and Alan’s admittedly “savage” son hit and knocked out two teeth from Veronica and Michael’s probably provocative son. To their red, tulip-bedecked Brooklyn home, Veronica has called a parents’ meeting to agree on what, if necessary, to “call the incident in a legal statement” and, by implication, whether there should be some kind of contrition, punishment, or effort to bring the boys together in a more civilized context.
Geva Theater Center has been fortunate to get Bruce Jordan -- an early alumnus – to return to direct always-winning, crowd-pleasing productions. A memorably witty character, also known for his savvy business management and tight artistic control, Jordan has combined those qualities in directing comedies at Geva by Noel Coward, Neil Simon, and Steve Martin, as well as the uncanny blockbuster he and his partner, Marilyn Abrams, created, Shear Madness, which thus far has grossed close to 175 million dollars worldwide.
The touring musical of Shrekfollows the characterizations of the Dreamworks film and most of the plot of the Broadway musical about the titular ogre. Basically, the inciting incident is Shrek being thrown out of his house by his parents to make life on his own. They predict he’ll be disliked by everyone and thus will lead a perpetually unhappy life.
The title might be off-putting, and not necessarily because of its coarseness, though that does tend to reduce theaters and some publications to partial spelling (e.g., "The Motherf**ker with the Hat," as it's rendered on posters and programs). But the title smacks of smugness on the part of the playwright, so you might have to be won over by the play at GableStage in South Florida.
The cutthroat, heat-of-the-summer struggle that is A Streetcar Named Desiregets worthy treatment in South Florida at New Theater with persuasively well-rounded performances in the central roles of the Tennessee Williams drama and transformative tech.
Superb acting, writing and directing make Stephanie Liss' world premiere play, On Holy Ground, a joy to behold. In the first act – “Daughter of My People” -- Salome Jens, one of the USA's finest actors, portrays Henrietta Szold (1860-1945), one of the co-founders of Hadassah and a fervent Zionist and humanist. Jens, seated alone on stage, delivers a monologue which brilliantly illuminates Szold's life.
The title is Jeff’s and it’s ironic. True, Jeff makes the one possibly courageous choice among four characters trying to step out of moral messes. He’s hardly traditionally heroic, though. He’s mostly the resentful son of a father known for one instance of heroism that Jeff could never live up to. Now maybe he has the chance.
Brendan Ragan almost gets sympathy as he shows a conflicted Jeff, after dismissal from the military, trying for a new life. Could he possibly make Dawn part of it?
Place four eager young writers in the hands of a renowned literary giant, and the results can be deeply rewarding or plain destructive. Not many actors can intimidate as brilliantly as Alan Rickman. Here he plays Leonard, an acclaimed author, in a biting new work at the Golden Theatre, Seminar,by Theresa Rebeck.
The category-busting Blue Man Group is easier to watch and enjoy than to describe. In essence, three wide-eyed men, with bald heads covered in blue paint, go onstage to present a 90-minute, multi-media show. Is it theater? Is it a rock concert? Is it a comedy club? Yes and no.
It’s a unique blend of rock music, high-tech projections, audience participants and Blue Man Group’s special brand of humor. For those who have seen the show elsewhere, perhaps in New York or Las Vegas, Blue Man Group doesn’t disappoint.
It’s the ‘60s. Left at the altar, Marge finds “Breaking Up is Hard to Do,” so best friend Lois persuades her to get away and forget. They eschew any “Lonely Night” by booking an end-of-season stay in a Catskills resort “Where the Boys Are” -- Esther’s Paradise.
Is it wise to go off the beaten path? Is it ever too late for love? Is it a good idea to take a chance on love, no matter what the odds or the outcome? Three seniors who’ve loved and lost in the past confront these questions this autumn in a city park.
It sounds as if it’s a revue of Aretha Franklin’s songs, perhaps given a biographical motif. But it’s is not. Too bad, because her songs and others popular in 1968 as rendered by WBTT’s talented singers almost redeem Love Sung in the Key of Aretha.
Four black American women, next door neighbors in a triplex at the height of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership of the Civil Rights movement, search for love. (The cartoonish building lines up front doors for frequent ins and outs, then unfolds to what’s essentially a bar scene.)
When the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s new artistic director announced that musicals would be a part of upcoming seasons, some longtime patrons winced. First off, the Rep’s main stage wasn’t designed for musicals. Others cautioned Clements about their expectations. “You don’t understand,” they told him. “We are used to serious theater at the Rep.”
Well, audiences now realize that Clements wasn’t thinking of restaging Oklahoma! or My Fair Lady.”His first entry, presented last season, was a dark, moody production of Cabaret.
Registering ten on the theatrical Richter Scale, Fela!is an earthquake of a musical about the life and wild times of the Nigerian singer/showman, Fela Kuti. After flirting with jazz and pop in London and New York, he found his groove in 1960's L.A. when he was radicalized by the Black Power movement. He took his new-found social consciousness back to Lagos and combined it with elements of funk, rock and pulsing African rhythms (powered by virtuosic drumming).
Short and sweet! That’s what each half of Golden Apple’s holiday celebration is, and the whole adds up to entertainment that audiences of all ages can enjoy – and with more weekend matinees and earlier evening shows than usual.
Amahl and the Night Visitors distills the spirit and meaning of the holiday. Three rich kings visit a poor lame boy and his single mother one night. These people and their hovel of a home are much like what the kings are seeking, without realizing it.
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