The Bluest Eye – The Hottest Ticket Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” – Theater Alliance By: Debbie Minter Jackson Developed in Chicago and on its way to New York City, The Bluest Eye is having its East Coast premiere at Theater Alliance amidst plenty of advanced press and serious buzz, all well deserved, by the way.
Review: Rebecca Gilman’s Spinning into Butter
The opening sequence of Spinning Into Butter feels cozy, comfortable and familiar – a student is called into a typical dean’s office, not too cluttered or pristine. Maura McGinn plays Dean Sarah Daniels with accuracy and precision, pulling bifocals in place when necessary, trying to find a way to help a struggling yet promising college […]
Almost Theatre Heaven – West Virginia
By: Debbie Minter Jackson Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, WV July 13, 2006 Why, oh why has it taken me sixteen years to finally get to Shepherdstown, WV for the Contemporary American Theater Festival, which started the same year I moved here from Chicago? I have heard rumblings about it since its inception, so […]
Hedda Gabler at Olney
Hedda is, always has been, and always will be, a piece of work. She languishes in pools of longing, waiting and “expectation.” Everyone has experienced such moments of “is this all there is??” Hedda lives them outright, in 19th century bustling gowns, and despite being a rather unlikable character, she evokes recognition, clarity, and moments […]
Two-Headed a must-see at WSC
Note: D.M.Jackson has acted at WSC in the past, but has never worked directly with or for any of the artists involved with this production. This gem of a two-character play, Two-Headed by Julie Jensen, is an ideal performance piece for Lee Mikeska Gardner and Melissa Flaim. Wrapped in tight layers like an onion, the story […]
Charlie Victor Romeo at Studio Theatre
This most unusual, unsettling piece, Charlie Victor Romeo depicts the final moments heard on the CVR: Cockpit Voice Recorders known as the “black box” from airplane wreckage. Described as terrifying, riveting, spell-binding, mundane and boring as hell- Charlie Victor Romeo is all of the above and more. For me, it was actually good theater-admittedly, it […]
Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune
“Frankie and Johnny were lovers,” so goes the familiar ballad, and so goes the play by Terrence McNally where a short order cook and waitress connect for an overnight romp of intimacy, exploration, and discovery. The sex comes at you first, before the lights come up, before a word is spoken–the familiar sounds of panting, […]
Becoming George at MetroStage
The world premiere musical Becoming George at Metrostage celebrates the life of one of the most colorful, even outrageously artistic figures of all time. Does the musical capture the indomitable spirit, prodigious writings, and mind-boggling life choices of this self-named woman clearly far ahead of her time? Yes, but in its own irresistibly charming way. […]
The Gigli Concert at Woolly Mammoth Theatre
Words only go so far in being able to describe The Gigli Concert. The descriptions and abstracts don’t prepare you for the incredible transformation of character in the piece. As such, descriptions do not do justice to the heart and soul of the play. It really has to be experienced.
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
Whether she’s standing in front of the mic looking glazed and dazed into the audience or retreated and semi-nodding in the nook of the piano, Lynn Sterling embodies the haunted spirit of Billy Holiday.
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