“I like being able to define my species. And so I guess for the Seagull I don’t know anything, I’m an outside observer, but I think They found the beauty in being outside They made a place where they could define themselves.” Aisha/Nar The thirty-something Jewish Bohemians in “The Place We Built,” currently running at the Flea Theater, who in…
“After great pain, a formal feeling comes -/The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs-/The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore, And Yesterday, or Centuries before?” (Emily Dickinson, #341) Educators and academics have been trying to determine why schools fail for decades and have yet to identify successfully a formula for preventing the pandemic failure of education – particularly in…
Casino rule number one: the house always wins! That is certainly the case in Vera’s (Mia Katigbak) house where her daughters Twee (Tina Chilip) and Momo (Tiffany Villarin) are encouraged to abide by their mother’s rules whether they are playing Gin Rummy, Mahjong, Monopoly, or the game of life. And it is life’s game – the vicissitudes of human existence…
“I wouldn’t want to be Frankenstein.” (Adam to Jenny in “Boy”) The Keen Company’s Mission is to create “theater that provokes identification, reflection, and emotional connection – enduring stories fearlessly told.” In order to fulfill that mission, there must be a master storyteller who knows how to create characters with conflicts (problems) that are not only engaging but connectable. The…
In the final show of the York Theatre Company’s Musicals in Mufti Winter 2016 Series, “Starting Here, Starting Now” passes the test of time with high marks as it explores the trials and tribulations of love, relationships, and self- discovery with a diverse compilation of lesser known songs by the familiar team of Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire. The…
Stephen Petronio Company returns to The Joyce Theater with the second season of “Bloodlines,” a multiyear project that embraces significant works by trailblazers of American postmodern dance. The 2016 season features Trisha Brown’s “Glacial Decoy” (1979), Mr. Petronio’s “MiddleSexGorge” (1990), and the world premiere of Petronio’s “Big Daddy (Deluxe).” Trisha Brown’s landmark “Glacial Decoy” (1979) was her first work for…
“And anyway–it is an excellent time to be gay. I sorta like gay people better!” (Emily to Ben) If Emily (Jenna Gavigan) has her bioinformatics grad student finger on the national pulse when it comes to discerning whether the LGBT community has reached mainstream status, then it is a mystery why her boyfriend Ben (Jake Epstein) of four years has…
If the cacophony on stage during the Vineyard Theatre’s “Dot” even remotely characterizes the “noise” inside Dotty’s head, it is easy to understand the severity of her Alzheimer’s disease and just how far it has progressed. Colman Domingo’s new play tackles the horrific details of one family’s struggle to cope with the deterioration of their mother and how her mental…
No matter how diligently humankind attempts to “reap angels,” the presumed effects of “The Fall” not only carry forward into the present but subvert any attempt for a successful journey “on to perfection” (John Wesley). “Angel Reapers” – currently running at the Pershing Square Signature Center – is a theological and psychological tour de force that exposes the underbelly of…
“The world is accident prone, no use attempting correction. After all, the loss of one fool makes room for another.” – Mme. Le Mode In the 1980s, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC is dedicated and Americans are ready to put the Vietnam War behind them. Interest rates reach an all-time high and Americans cash in on high-yielding Certificates…