PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS: NONSENSE AND HEART
At several points watching People, Places & Things, I was very moved. There’s a lot to admire in The Search Party’s production. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that there’s a great deal of nonsense wrapped around the pure, humble thread that is the play’s heart....
TOMBOY (CHŁOPCZYCA): THINK ABOUT IT
This production of Anais Mateusz West’s new script, Tomboy (Chłopczyca), held my attention. The intriguing thing for me is figuring out why it did — and I don’t mean that as a diss. Given my framing, it’s probably best to start with the ways I thought Tomboy...
NUNSENSE: LESS IS (MOSTLY) LESS
Let’s set up the terms of this review. The musical comedy Nunsense, which premiered in 1985, ran for ten years, becoming one of the longest-running shows in off-Broadway history. Translated into 26 languages, it has raked in over $500 million. In my opinion, calling...
HOUSE OF FOLK: TOO MUCH CATALOGUE, TOO LITTLE CONTEXT
Watching Act 1, I felt like I was trapped in my seat listening to a golden oldies station that I could not turn off. Act 2 is better. Musically and theatrically, this is all about accumulation or the lack of it. Let’s be clear off the top: every member of the...
RED LIKE FRUIT: THE FOG OF SEX
It seems like an odd thing to say, given the alternative, but I paid attention to every second of Red Like Fruit. The script’s combination of compassion and intellectual rigor — ethical curiosity — demanded it. As I received it, Red Like Fruit is about the ubiquity of...
DIAL M FOR MURDER: NOT JUST PHONED IN
There’s zero thematic ambition here. Still, you’ve got to admire craft, and there’s plenty of that in director Jillian Keiley’s production of Dial M for Murder. The script is, nominally, a thriller as opposed to a murder mystery: in a thriller, we know who the villain...
THE BAKING SHOW SHOW: THE PLAY – WHAT HAPPENED IN THE KITCHEN?
Playwright Faly Mevamanana needed more help. Her script, The Baking Show Show: The Play was developed through Ruby Slippers Theatre’s Advance Theatre Production Program. Presumably, there was input from several artists. Two dramaturges are credited. But I don’t see...
EVERYTHING HAS DISAPPEARED: PAKIKIRAMDAM! BRING IT ON!
Everything Has Disappeared is so original. I enjoyed it so much. Because, for starters, Hazel Venzon. I haven’t seen her onstage in years. Venzon’s Instagram bio might explain why: “Producer Director @unit productions sometimes I will act in plays or movies...
THE GOLDEN ANNIVERSARIES: A QUESTIONABLE INVESTMENT
Playwright Mark Crawford’s The Golden Anniversaries is not meanspirited, but it is boring and shallow. It’s Glen and Sandy Golden’s fiftieth anniversary but, about a week ago, Sandy kicked Glen out of the house and declared their marriage over. Now Glen is...
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