Theater J Wins Mayor’s Award
March 19, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Kiss of the Spider Woman
March 18, 2008 By 5 Comments
Kiss of the Spider Woman-
Music by John Kander . Lyrics by Fred Ebb
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Book by Terrence McNally based on the novel by Manuel Puig
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Directed by Eric Schaeffer
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Produced by Signature Theatre
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Reviewed by Gary McMillan
Seductive. Intense. Breathtaking. Kiss of the Spider Woman, Signature’s opening salvo in its Kander and Ebb Celebration, is a triumph from the opening note to the touchingly bittersweet end. The stars must have been aligned just so when director Eric Shaeffer assembled this cast and creative team – there is not a weak element here.
Stunning
March 18, 2008 By 18 Comments
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Stunning -
by David Adjmi
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Directed by Anne Kauffman
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Produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
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Reviewed by guest reviewer Joy Jones
I was hyped when I heard about the plot for Stunning. Here it comes, I thought, one of Woolly’s trademark edgy and unconventional plays that is disturbing in a good way. It’s described as a story about a young woman, cloistered in her Syrian-Jewish community in Brooklyn, NY, who gets exposed to new ideas and challenging realities when an African American maid comes to work for her. The synopsis was like the savory smell of a spicy dish I couldn’t wait to sample.
David Jennings on Playing Joseph
March 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment
by Joel Markowitz
March 7 — It’s opening night and Joel Markowitz sits down to talk with local young actor David Jennings who plays the lead in the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Toby’s – The Dinner Theatre of Columbia. [Read more...]
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The Price
March 16, 2008 By 1 Comment
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The Price -
by Arthur Miller
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Directed by Michael Carleton
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Produced by Theater J
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Reviewed by Rosalind Lacy
Rarely will you see such effortless, natural acting as in Theater J’s The Price, which draws you in and ambushes you with profound questions. What’s the cost of our choices? How can you put a price on the past? The confrontation with Arthur Miller’s uncomfortable insights into the lives of ordinary people merit deeply-realized acting and the Prosky team deliver some priceless moments that easily hit the peaks and dips in this rich tapestry of a play. [Read more...]
Fred Ebb and Parlour Song
March 15, 2008 By Leave a Comment
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By Richard Seff, NY Theatre Buzz columnist
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The YMHA Tribute to Fred Ebb, and Parlour Song
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[Editor's note: Richard Seff was agent to Kander and Ebb and has remained a long time friend.]
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Mark Rhea on Directing The Hostage
March 14, 2008 By 4 Comments
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HELD HOSTAGE: MARK A. RHEA ON DIRECTING THE HOSTAGE AGAIN
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By Joel Markowitz
I was held hostage by a dream ensemble last Saturday night, as I inhaled the genius of Keegan Theatre’s revival of it’s 2003 production of The Hostage Producing Artistic Director Mark A. Rhea talks about his feckin’ great beer and song-filled remounted production. [Read more...]
August Wilson’s 20th Century
March 14, 2008 By 1 Comment
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Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
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Produced by the Kennedy Center
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Reviewed by Alan Sharpe, Guest Reviewer
Not even last-minute tornado warnings kept excited theater patrons away from the opening of the Kennedy Center’s month long celebration of playwright August Wilson.
Those who braved severe storm alerts and snarled rush hour traffic to attend Gem of the Ocean as staged by series Artistic Director, Kenny Leon, witnessed the opening of an historic occasion – the first ever opportunity to see all ten plays that make up Wilson’s “Twentieth Century Cycle” performed consecutively in chronological order based on the decade in which each play is set., from 1900 through the 1990′s– an unprecedented experience. [Read more...]
Last Days of the Killone Players
March 13, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Last Days of the Killone Players-
By Eric Lucas
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Directed by Leslie A. Kobylinski
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Produced by Keegan Theatre’s New Island Project
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Reviewed by Steven McKnight
The stereotypical image of Ireland, arising in part from a wealth of literary and theatrical works, involves a poor agricultural nation rich in tradition and slow to change. In fact, Ireland has undergone a rapid period of booming economic growth and transformation over the last twenty years, a phenomenon known as the Celtic Tiger. Keegan Theatre’s New Island Project attempts to explore the impact of this phenomenon through the microcosm of a small amateur theatre company holding the first reading of its final production in The Last Days of the Killone Players.
Happy Birthday Wanda June
March 13, 2008 By Leave a Comment
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Happy Birthday Wanda June -
Written by Kurt Vonnegut
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Directed by Ellen Dempsey
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Produced by American Century Theater
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Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson
Who knew that Kurt Vonnegut had enough drama up the same sleeve that created such a seminal work as Slaughterhouse Five, to create a funny and poignant play? Or that the issues raised in his inaugural attempt at playwriting would still be relevant and piercingly accurate almost forty years after its opening? American Century Theater’s enjoyable rendition of Happy Birthday, Wanda June does an excellent job exploring Vonnegut’s ideas about integrity, social justice, duty and the American way. The superb cast effectively conveys the playwright’s sarcasm and provocative wit. [Read more...]
