The Sound of Music: It’s all about the kids
Brace yourselves: this is going to be a rave. I was so moved during the first act of the Arts Club’s production of The Sound of Music that I was in serious danger of making embarrassing sounds. And I wasn’t alone in suppressing sobs. Damien Atkins’s performance as...
Seventeen to seventy in seventy minutes
As is so often the case, the acting is better than the writing. Seventeen is about a group of friends (mostly), who have gathered in a playground to celebrate their last day of high school by getting hammered. As determined by Seventeen’s playwright Matthew Whittet,...
Mom’s the Word: Talkin’ Turkey is not a turkey
I cried. I was bored. I laughed. Mom’s the Word: Talkin’ Turkey, the latest in the Mom’s the Word series, is inconsistent but, when it lands, you feel it. The Mom’s the Word shows date way back to 1993, when a group of theatre professionals, who were all raising young...
Yaga: Tell me a (better) story
Despite the sometimes superlative strengths of this production, the evening doesn’t satisfy — at least it didn’t satisfy me. That’s because, although there’s a lot of plot in Kat Sandler’s twisty script, there isn’t an engaging story. Right off the top, we meet Yaga...
The Café: Make your reservations now
I love it when a show makes me work and The Café had me hoppin’. The evening also offers a tasty tasting menu of emerging and established local talent. In The Café, which was conceived by Fay Nass, seven short plays are performed at tables scattered around Kafka’s,...
Bad Parent: Yeah, kinda
I’m going to suspend judgment on this one. Okay, no, I’m not, I have opinions. But I will acknowledge the context of my response. First opinion: an hour is long time to watch a couple bickering, especially if you don’t like them very much. In Ins Choi’s new play Bad...
Redbone Coonhound: diminishing returns
This is unusual: a relatively positive review has come back to haunt me — well, to tap me on the shoulder. When the Arts Club mounted Redbone Coonhound as part of its audio play series, I kind of liked it. Back in February, I said about the play, “It isn’t always...
Blue Stockings: Feminism 101
I wish there was a time store where I could go and demand a refund. The subject matter of Jessica Swale’s 2013 script is potentially fascinating. Set in 1896, Blue Stockings is about women’s struggle to be granted degrees at Cambridge University. The story features...
Benevolence: exuberance, compassion
On my trip to Benevolence, I started on a hill, then wandered through a valley. As I climbed the rise on the other side, I was surprised to find a startling view. Translation: I got bored in the middle of this show, but there’s such an excellent payoff that my...
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