It is a difficult and a brave undertaking to choose to stage Henrik’s Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt.” The Classic Stage Company recently accepted the challenge with a sparse two-hour (with no intermission) version in June of 2016. It becomes more difficult when one attempts to overlay the complex script with a new narrative – the quest of an LGBTQ Peer Gynt…
Jamie drives the Zamboni at the ice rink and loves his job. He is passionate about the results of his efforts, as his powerful machine shaves off the imperfections on the surface, sparsely spreads a stream of water that will freeze repairing any cracks and flaws, and then removes the excess water with a squeegee blade leaving a clean, smooth,…
One of several plays that appear annually on festival stages that deal with reuniting millennial best friends at the (about to be sold) beach house, for one last memorable weekend, “Bodies of Water” treads in deep water but has too many life preservers at hand to produce a lasting impression or immersive characters. Margot, the somewhat successful actor, played with…
Normally long bus rides usually do not cause much discomfort, taking the stress out of driving, providing some time to catch up on your latest read, or having a relaxing conversation with your travel mate to pass the time. Often the traveler can meet a stranger, strike up a conversation, share some snacks, and learn secrets about them and quite…
“Miss” is about unspeakable acts: horrific, unforgiveable, heinous acts committed by seemingly “normal” and “respectable” individuals. Because of the structure of Michael Ross Albert’s play, it is difficult to speak of these acts without having to issue a plethora of “spoiler alerts.” The most unspeakable are committed by a Laura (played with a suspicious gritty innocence by Rosie Sowa) a…
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen…
One of the many LGBTQ themed offerings in the N.Y. International Fringe Festival is “Cyrano: a love letter to a friendship” penned by Sean Peter Drohan who has attempted to create a play that slightly parallels the infamous Rostand drama but with a modern day gay twist. In this adaption, Cyrano, played with a nerdy self-pity in flawed physical shape,…
It is difficult to categorize Nick Raio’s “Shelia and Angelo” currently running at FringeNYC 2016. The play defies categorization. It is neither comedy nor drama, nor is it some amalgamation of the two genres. To compare it to anything with a serious dramatic intent would be insulting to the effort. One wonders why Mr. Raoi wrote this play and why…
It seems that this year in FringeNYC more than a few offerings are based on, connected to, or somehow resemble “Waiting for Godot” and almost all contain notes in the programs from the directors or authors explaining what makes their particular production different from the absurdist classic that is in constant revival. The new play “Is That Danny DeVito? (and…
Playwright James Hindman invited a group of playwrights to write short scenes all set in Watkins Glen, New York in a roadside motel that – although it might have “seen better days” – is still frequented by those looking for some semblance of self, by those looking to get married, by those looking for “something new,” and by those who…