Most anyone who has ever left his home has longed to be back in it. There exists an unmistakably powerful pull to the familiarity that has been burned into our brains by the repetition of living in a place. Even for those who didn’t enjoy their homes, a pull exists, however slight it might be.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Rarely, if ever, would you match up the pop song “Hey Jealousy” by The Gin Blossoms with William Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona. But Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s production of the classic blends in some modern-day elements and the match-up works.
Bird in Magic Rain with Tears
John Fredriksen seems like an odd center for a play revolving around a teenage HIV-positive prostitute, a multi-media artist who is grieving for her recently deceased son and a cuckolding businessman with terminal cancer. After all, Fredriksen is an oil tanker and shipping tycoon who is one of the richest men on Earth. He’s also […]
Barefoot in the Park
Marriage is difficult, and Barefoot in the Park doesn’t try to make it seem like anything but. Penned by Neil Simon of Biloxi Blues fame, the three-act play follows a newlywed couple that’s just spent six wonderful, loving and lusty days on their honeymoon. The self-identified spontaneous one of the couple, Corie Bratter (Brianna Letourneau), […]
Can I Really Date a Guy Who Wears a Yarmulke?
Religion is a touchy subject among people of different religions. It can become an even touchier subject among people of the same religion. At least people with different beliefs can leave it at that: they believe different things. Those who share a religious code, but maybe not the same ardency in adhering to it, can […]
Claudie Hukill
The easiest way to shatter your notions of a person is to actually meet him. Sometimes, this is a positive thing: someone who you presumed to be a jerk turns out to be friendly. Sometimes, it goes the other way: nice guys/girls turn out to be cretins. Either way, meeting someone makes that person human. […]
Seussical
Doctor Seuss, or Theodor Geisel as he was know to his kin, was a rebellious soul. He fought, tooth and nail, for civil rights and social justice. He was a progressive who understood that adult problems were often caused by ignoring simplicity. In other words, adults create adult problems because complexity seems adult, somehow. He […]
Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie
Joy comes from a number of places. Nostalgia, while not joyful in and of itself, can bring a certain quiet excitement. Especially for a time long removed, a time before cell phones, before constant Internet access, before 24-hour news cycles. A time when people hitchhiked around the country and made ends meet by picking apricots […]
A is for Artist
Can art be made about artists? It can be done, but it has to be done cleverly and creatively. It has to show the artist in a new light: either by humanizing him or finding some other way to help us answer the question “why should I care?” It should not, ever, be a masturbatory […]
Almost, Almost Maine
As a general rule, literally translating symbolism and colloquialisms isn’t a great thing to do on stage or a screen or really ever. Yet, that’s exactly what Christian Beltran and Mandy Moore in director Manu Kumasi’s version of Almost, Almost Maine. Throughout the seven or so vignettes, all with two people in some situation involving […]
A Night In (Or The Night My Wife Left)
One of the five main characters of A Night In (Or the Night My Wife Left) is a bong named “High.” This fact stands out a great deal, for some reason. It’s not funny, though it supposed to be. It’s not clever, though I can’t imagine it’s supposed to be. The biggest thing that stands […]
He Hee (or What? It’s Not Glee?)
This might be the most Fringe-worthy show at the Fringe fest. The Comedy Academy, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to giving younger folks — think high school age — a voice in theatre. And that’s exactly what this show does: almost everyone on stage is in high school and is written in part by […]