George Morfogen Jean Lichty Korinne Tetlow and Larry Bull By Arney Rosenblat The Traveling Lady by Horton Foote is a poignant story of longing and remorse set in a rural 1950’s Texas town. On the surface, the lives portrayed may appear remote to the in-your-face tell-all lifestyle of the typical Manhattan dweller,…
by Julia Polinsky So often, words are open to interpretation. In the best possible way, interpreting almost every word spoken makes Lauren Yee’s In A Word deeply engrossing, a surprise in a play so short. Usually, “80 minutes no intermission” is code for “we know it needs work, but don’t want…
By Eugene Paul When you’re invited early to the performance in order to brave the bowels of Mistress Overdone’s bordello to get to your seat – you’re meant to stare at the deliberately malodorous collection of treasured objects therein, from a wall art five foot penis to a less endowed masked…
By Ron Cohen Phrase of the day is deus ex machina. Don’t bother clicking on or getting out your dictionary. Borrowed from the Greek, it translates literally as “god from the machine” and has evolved into a dramaturgic term referring to an unexpected or surprising – maybe even illogical — turn of plot that…
By Ron Cohen The foreboding set establishes the mood immediately. A grimy wall of grey stone broken by half-circle windows, looking out into impenetrable darkness, surrounds the playing area. Dotting the playing area are spikes of misshapen metal. Some of them look like long-dead trees. The play Terezin, written and directed by Nicholas…
By Arney Rosenblat When Zero Mostel starred in Rhinoceros on Broadway, a critic remarked how realistic he was as a human being in the 1st Act- Drama Desk winner Jim Brochu, who both wrote and performs Zero Hour, seemingly channels the roaring bellowing rhinoceros Sam “Zero”Mostel, a complex man that used humor…
Gregg Henry, center, and the company (Credit: Joan Marcus) By Arney Rosenblat The current retelling of the life and death of Julius Caesar, the 400 year old historic tale by William Shakespeare, has become a battle field, with friends of the present political administration whipping up the crowds to anger and retaliation just…
Mary Testa, Michael McGrath, Michael Urie, and Talene Monahon photos Carol Rosegg By Ron Cohen Believe it or not, some two hours of Russian-themed political corruption can provide you with a rollicking good time. You just have to forget our current imbroglios in Washington, DC, and turn yourself over to Red Bull Theater’s…
Juliette Binoche, photo credit: Stephanie Berger by Deirdre Donovan Sophokles’ Antigone might be old as the hills but with Belgian director Ivo van Hove and French actress Juliette Binoche teaming up in a new modern-dress version, the play gains cache and interest at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s 2015 Next Wave Festival. This touring production is a very…
by Deirdre Donovan The real reason to see Martin Sherman’s new play Gently Down the Stream, directed by Sean Mathias, is to see the one-and-only Harvey Fierstein back on a New York stage. The Tony Award winning actor-playwright teams up with another Tony Award winner, Gabriel Ebert (Matilda), and Christopher Sears…