Theater
2680 results
Page 245
"Blackbird' by Theatre Exile (2nd Review)
The power of human emotion (for better or worse)
Playwright David Harrower and director Joe Canuso have used a morally unconscionable subject to show the transcendent, universal power of human emotions, no matter how misguided they may be. It's a great theatrical moment about life's great dramatic moments when bitter enemies acknowledge the uniqueness of the experience they have shared.
Articles
4 minute read
"Blackbird' by Theatre Exile (1st review)
Actions and consequences
We've barely scratched the surface of sexual exploitation of the young by their elders. All the more reason, then, to be grateful for the remarkable intelligence and sensitivity of David Harrower's intense and unsettling Blackbird, which examines the aftermath of such an affair with superb performances by Pearce Bunting and Julianna Zinkel.
Articles
4 minute read
"Rent' at Academy of Music
A newer and better 'Rent'
In today's tough economic times, a play about people who can't afford the rent is more relevant than ever. That's why a new DVD and a live tour of Rent are especially welcome.
Articles
3 minute read
The case for cantankerous critics
‘The Wilma papers' (continued): The case for cantankerous critics
The head of the Dramatists Guild of America compared my review of a work in progress to smothering a baby in its crib. Are great artists really so fragile? I say: Any artist who could be smothered in his crib by the likes of me should probably find another line of work.
Articles
4 minute read
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Lantern Theater's "Sizwe Bansi is Dead' (1st review)
Under apartheid's thumb
The stories of two black men in apartheid South Africa, circa 1974, make for theater at its best, albeit in fragments. It's sort of like watching the first act of two different plays— very good plays, to be sure.
Articles
5 minute read
PTC's "Resurrection' (2nd review)
Black male despair, pre-Obama
Daniel Beaty's Resurrection contains lovely prose poetry about the pressures and futility of black male life in the ghetto. It speaks of hope, yes, but it's an almost-miraculous old-fashioned hope— not the real, pragmatic hope symbolized by Barack Obama election.
Articles
3 minute read
PTC's "Resurrection' (1st review)
The souls of black men (and white theatrical audiences)
Daniel Beaty's Resurrection rests on an original device: It seeks to examine the black male psyche through the stories of six individuals spaced at ten-year-intervals, from age 60 down to age ten. Unfortunately, all this talent and insight is wasted on a script that lacks any dramatic arc; it's not so much a play as a succession of monologues.
Articles
3 minute read
"The Rant' at InterAct Theatre (1st review)
Truth as the ultimate victim
The Rant is a first-rate production of an engrossing urban drama that never flags for 90 minutes. Unfortunately, it falls short of its purported goal: to offer a sophisticated portrayal of how the truth-and-justice system works in big cities.
Articles
5 minute read
Luna Theatre's "Orange Flower Water'
Divorce, 21st-Century style
Divorce these days is a routine rite of passage that most Americans accept without revulsion. Luna Theatre's gut-wrenching production of Craig Wright's Orange Flower Water may change your mind.
Articles
4 minute read
"My Name is Asher Lev' at the Arden
A battle between good and good
My Name Is Asher Lev is a gratifying play about father-son conflict. In this concentrated form, the play actually turns out to be more intense than the Chaim Potok novel on which it's based.
Articles
3 minute read