Contributing Writer
By R. Pikser There are two types of theater. One is bare-bones and can be very exciting: Only the performers, the text, and the imagination. The other type of theater involves as many elements as possible: the text, or choreography, the performance, the lighting, the sets, the costumes. Francis Patrelle’s production of Macbeth gave…
September 10th, 2016 Alexandre Barranco (in the air) being lifted by Nicholas Montero photos by Corona Works by R. Pikser Shakespeare has been an inspiration for many, in theater, radio, film, or dance. His characters are specific to their place, time, and circumstances and, at the same time, so all-encompassing that we believe we…
Pictured L to R: Matthew DeCapua, Lou Liberatore, Stephen Bradbury, Nick Plakias, Jenny Strassburg, David Marantz. Photo credit: Carol Rosegg. A Class Act R. Pikser A Class Act shows the behind the scenes struggles within and between two groups of lawyers, one group in the employ of a chemical company, the…
Richard Johnson photo by Farnaz Taherimotlagh. Pappy on da Underground Railroad R. Pikser The Gene Frankel Theater is what used to be called a black box. A few seats, minimal performance space, a piano, and good lighting in what used to be an inexpensive part of town, allowed performers to hone their…
Elmore James, Magda Fishman, Tony Perry, Lisa Fishman By R. Pikser Zalmen Mlotek, Musical Director of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene put together some stirring music and some outstanding performers on the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday this year. To set the mood of the performance, connecting the African American…
By R. Pikser Kick is the story of a Catholic girl’s journey through life as she negotiates her experiences with religion, sex, rape, friendship, and surviving in the world of theater and of dance. The format of Kick is that most current of forms: the one person show. Joanna Rush does all the…
Hideaki Takeuchi, Naoya Oda, Yu Saito by R. Pikser Shuji Onodera was trained as a mime. Perhaps this is what gives precision to his choreography. This piece, said to be inspired by Mr. Onodera’s experiences work with students at the Metropolitan Otsuka School for the Deaf, considers desire, thwarted desire, communication, and lack…
Kimberly Jenna Simon photos by Miro Magloire By R. Pikser The TuTu Trilogy is composed of three vignettes, each of which takes place in a backstage situation; two are in a rented rehearsal studio, one backstage after a performance. Author Richard Curtis is not so much exploring his situations as he is commenting…
R. Pikser Since 1982 Donald Byrd has headed Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle, Washington, and the work of the dancers in this company meets the standards of his previous companies, no mean feat. Mr. Byrd has long been a socially engaged choreographer, and this evening length piece, a revisiting of a 1991 work is…
by R. Pikser In the early 1960s Martin Duberman culled historical records of both Blacks and whites. With this information, he wrote a play about the Black experience in the United States: In White America. His selection of materials and how he arranged them, made those records live. It must have been gratifying,…