Rollicking, driving and at times as plaintive as a blues song sung against a starless night, Olney’s production of The Piano Lesson by August Wilson plays a melody of feelings you can’t get out of your mind.
Archives for May 2014
Theater J announces its next season
The 2014-2015 Theater J season will feature new plays by Helen-Hayes-award winning playwrights Aaron Posner, Renee Calarco and Tanya Barfield along with the work from some of the most celebrated writers of this and the last century – Tony Kushner, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Charles Busch.
Midsummer Night’s Riot, another hit for Keegan
The great Northern Irish golf pro Rory McIlroy, who drove a golf ball forty yards at the age of two and thereafter slept with a golf club, fingers interlaced so that he could memorize the proper grip, had his marriage proposal to Danish tennis pro Carolyn Wozniacki interrupted when a loud drunk wandered on to […]
Linda Lavin’s role in Too Much Sun is pure gold
The first ladies of the New York stage have been having a rough time of it of late. They have been finding rich and meaty roles in plays that come close, but don’t make it to the finish line. They offer employment, and we are grateful to them for that, but for total fulfillment we’ve […]
In war, what happens to the bodies? Liz Lerman explores answers in Healing Wars
Liz Lerman is the sort of artist who constantly finds herself fascinated. The veteran choreographer and MacArthur “Genius” has conceived and choreographed dance productions for nearly forty years, yet she still gets excited when discussing how movement can tell a story. Her new choreographic work, Healing Wars, is a prime example.
Special Drama League Awards for Barbara Cook and Neil Patrick Harris at New York’s most glamorous luncheon
Each year, the Drama League bestows awards on all sorts of worthy talents who have contributed to the season just passed. On May 16th, I attended this year’s luncheon, the social event of the theatrical community, the one place where all those artists can meet and greet each other, to mingle with them for an […]
Has Brecht’s time come and gone: a conversation with artists from the Signature production
A current production of Brecht’s Threepenny Opera, directed by Matthew Gardiner at Signature Theatre, has caused a stir with lots of contradicting opinions about the merits of performance, concept, and the writing itself. I was most shocked to hear a question bantered about, “Has Brecht’s time come and gone?!” I had to see for myself.
Mothers and Sons
Tyne Daly has found herself a rich and demanding role, and she inhabits it with all of her considerable talent in peak condition. The role is Katherine Gerard, who first appeared in public in a short play, and then in an Emmy winning teleplay called “André’s Mother”, both written by Terrence McNally, now revisited by […]
First look at Side Show at Kennedy Center
First look at Side Show: May 13, 2014 — at the Meet and Greet for the cast and creatives of Side Show, the Bill Russell/Henry Kreiger musical based on the true story of conjoined twins who became stars during the Depression. The show will run June 14 – July 13, 2014 at The Kennedy Center. […]
She Stoops to Conquer
The happy news that comes out of Pallas Theatre Collective’s amiable if uneven production of She Stoops to Conquer is that they prove they can do Restoration Comedy – explosive dialogue, large gestures and all – effectively in a tiny space.
With She Stoops to Conquer, Pallas unveils its ambitious new season
It takes time to build a theatre company, and not just in a logistical sense; you also have to find your voice and working method. So it should not be taken as anything but a good sign of continued dedication that Pallas Theatre Collective is re-imagining themselves three years after making their debut.
Another Day on Willow St
Frank Anthony Polito’s new play, being given its world premiere at Compass Rose Theater, owes a debt of gratitude to Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, both being quiet plays about ordinary days and the remarkable moments within them. Yet Another Day on Willow St is very much its own rumination on relationships, communication, aspirations and disappointments. […]