Monthly Archives: March 2025

Twelfth Night

On Demand, Shakespeare March 23, 2025 Leave a comment

Twelfth Night is arguably the most lovely of all of Shakespeare’s comedies.  It reflects the same lighthearted and celebratory nature as the Christmas holiday for which it is named.  Set along the sun-kissed coast of Illyria with happily-ever-after always in view, it includes many of the playwright’s favorite motifs — tangled affections, mistaken identify, and class contrasts — and blends them into a frothy mixture.  Now playwright Alison Carey has given it a delicate layer of modern polish, increasing the ease of comprehension while leaving the most memorable lines intact.  Her translation is being produced at TheatreSquared and performed by the National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) who co-present along with Play On Shakespeare.  Further enlivened by new music soaringly sung by Joyce Meimei Zheng, it’s a delightful family-friendly entertainment.

Nima Rakhshanifar, Karen Li, Eston J. Fung, and Anula Navlekar are among the National Asian American Theatre Company cast members of Twelfth Night at TheatreSquared, now streaming.

At the opening we are introduced to Count Orsino (Eston J. Fung) who pines for the lovely Olivia (Karen Li).  But the lady is in mourning over the recent death of her brother and is not open to his wooing.  She is protected and served by the crafty Maria (Nandita Shenoy).  Living with them is Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby Belch (Victor Chi), who spends much of his time drinking and playing tricks on those around him.  He hopes his niece will accept a proposal of marriage from his good friend, the sweet but foolish Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Alex Lydon).  The two other members of this household could not be less alike.  Her house manager, the self-important Malvolio (audience favorite Rajesh Bose), is the most humorless man in the realm, while her fool, Feste, (Joyce Meimei Zheng) is often seen around town entertaining everyone with jokes and songs.

Meanwhile, a shipwreck just off shore has separated devoted twins Viola (Anula Navlekar) and Sebastian (Nima Rakhshanifar).  Each believes the other to be drowned.  Recognizing the potential perils of living as a woman alone in a strange land, Viola has disguised herself as a young man and now serves as a page to the broken-hearted Orsino.  When she is sent to court Olivia in the Count’s name in her male garb, she inadvertently wins the woman’s heart for herself.

Vibrantly directed by Aneesha Kudtarkar making her T2 debut, the cast whizzes through nearly 2 ½ hours of poetry, music and storytelling.  An amusingly choreographed duel is a highlight.  Each line is spoken clearly and with natural rhythm.  The set by scenic designer Chika Shimizu provides ladders, platforms, and a bridge that promote physicality and an openness that is bathed by Marie Yokoyama’s seaside-colored lighting.  Costume designer Mariko Ohigashi adorns the actors in warmly colored relaxed fabrics that move with them, further enhancing the ease and fluidity of the entire play.

The welcome comfort is palpable in this Twelfth Night.  While I was anticipating some form of cultural spin, what I saw was a first rate production of an easy-to-like play.  Illyria can be reimagined to be anywhere where the only person who is mocked is the one who stomps on everyone else’s delight.  The point is not what these people look like, but rather the joy they take in each other’s company.  TheatreSquared is located at 477 W. Spring St. in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas.  In person tickets ($30-$60) as well as an on-demand stream ($25/$35) are available on the TheaterSquared website (https://www.theatre2.org/twelfth-night).  Performances continue through Sunday, March 30.

Amerikin

Off-Broadway, Play March 19, 2025 Leave a comment

With his promising recent promotion, loyal best friend, and gorgeous new baby, Jeff Browning seems to be well on the way to living the life he’s always dreamed of.  The acceptance of his application to a local organization — The World Knights — is almost assured, making him and his fragile wife, Michelle, members of a supportive community.  Despite all he has, a deep sense of belonging remains a missing piece.  True, the Knights are dangerously anti-Black, but Jeff doesn’t consider himself a bigot.  He would never have called his dog a racist slur if he lived within hearing distance of a person of color.  Yet Jeff is rocked to the core when his required DNA test reveals he is 14% Subsaharan African.

These events unfold in the first few scenes of Amerikin, a new work by Chisa Hutchinson presented by Primary Stages.  With its highly provocative and uncomfortable themes, it’s no wonder this production became a target of the current administration and lost its NEA grant.  But for those who enjoy their live performances dexterously delivered and dowsed with hot sauce, the play provides enough rousing dialogue and surprising twists.

Playwright Hutchinson has much that she wants to communicate and she uses both sharp wit and emotional intelligence to largely accomplish her goals.  The simultaneous display of past and present makes for engaging storytelling.  Well-earned laughter breaks up the mounting tension.  The breaking of the fourth wall by several characters is a less effective short-cut and too frequently employed.  

Tobias Segal and Daniel Abeles in Primary Stages’ 2025 production of AMERIKIN;
photo by Justin Swader

Housed primary in a perfectly scuffed up set by scenic designers Christopher Swader and Justin Swader, the production is shaped by intuitive director Jade King Carroll and a skillful acting ensemble. Daniel Abeles takes the lead in Act 1, imbuing Jeff with alternating waves of swagger and vulnerability.  Act 2 is anchored by Victor Williams as a dauntless clear-eyed Black Washington Post reporter, Gerald, and Amber Reauchean Williams as his self-assured college age daughter, Chris.  The seasoned political journalist is looking for a fresh angle, preferable one that is Instagrammable.  Chris’s life has been more profoundly impacted by the execrating pace of police brutality against her race.  Their banter-filled car rides between D.C. and Jeff’s home in small-town Maryland compellingly illuminate a generational divide and are highlights of the script.  

The outsiders are the ones who bring the schism between Jeff’s sense of self and harsh reality into focus.  Additionally, Tobias Segal as best friend “Poot” is sweetly well meaning, expressing what many in the audience are thinking.  His character is a welcome counterbalance to Luke Robertson’s solid but offensive sponsor, Dylan.  His “Black Labs Matter” T-shirt (costumes by Jen Caprio) says it all.  Jeff’s wife and ex-girlfriend, portrayed by Molly Carden and Andrea Syglowski respectively, are plot-fillers written with limited range.

Amerikin is to be praised both as a springboard for productive and thoughtful conversation as well as an evening of quality ensemble acting.  The program notes contain several warnings including discussion of postpartum depression and suicidal ideation and the ending is so punishing it diminishes what came before.  Runtime is 2 hours plus a 15 minute intermission.  Performances continue through April 13 as part of the AMPLIFY Festival being celebrated at 59e59 Theaters at 59 East 59th Street.  Tickets begin at $66 and can be purchased at https://www.59e59.org/shows/show-detail/amerikin/#show-info.  In honor of their founding year, Primary Stages has also made $19.84 lottery tickets available through the TodayTix app for every performance.

My Man Kono

Off-Broadway, Play March 2, 2025 1 Comment

For nearly 20 years, Toraichi Kono worked for Charlie Chaplin during the period when the silent film star rose to prominence and notoriety.  Originally hired as a driver, Kono became one of Chaplin’s most trusted confidantes: acting as his a social secretary, assisting with film production, and even playing a valet in three of Chaplin’s pictures.  Serving as a role model for other Japanese immigrants, Kono’s starry life was eventually upended by tragedy on the home front and a fishy arrest by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI for suspected espionage.  Los Angeles based Asian American playwright Philip W. Chung has now melded the world of Hollywood with the immigrant experience in his captivating new work, My Man Kono, highlighting this man’s fascinating story.

Kono is presented as a rich and well-rounded character.  We see his early days in Japan as a charming film flam man wooing and winning over the woman of his dreams against his parents wishes. We celebrate his rise in a flashy and influential California circle while regretting his time away from loved ones.  Dinh James Doan has replaced Brian Lee Huynh in this pivotal role for the remainder of the play’s run.  He was still not completely at ease with the broad demands during Saturday’s performance, but there were only a few scenes in which he didn’t fully connect with the fine ensemble bolstering him.  Conlan Ledwith pulls off the physicality, charm, and smugness of Chaplin on screen and off also portraying the judge who holds Kono’s future in his hands.  Robert Meksin imbues lawyer Wayne Collins with the right amounts of warmth and gravity and Cody Leroy Wilson gives the buffoonish Alva Blake much needed grounding.  Emma Kikue is clearly having fun playing all of Chaplin’s wives including Paulette Goddard who drove a wedge between Chaplin and Kono.  Kiyou Takami does what she can with the underwritten part of Kono’s suffering wife Isami, countering her husband’s thirst for fame and fortune with one driven by honor and family.  James Patrick Nelson plays a variety of almost clownish enforcement heavies, while Jae Woo rounds out the cast playing suspected spy Itaru Tachibana among others.

James Patrick Nelson, Robert Meksin, original cast member Brian Lee Huynh (kneeling), Conlan Ledwith (in window), Kiyo Takami, and Cody Leroy Wilson in My Man Kono; photo by Russ Rowland.

Director Jeff Liu has worked closely with set designer Sheryl Liu to make the most of the intentionally shallow configuration of the black box space.  Grey blocks with strategic cutouts are combined with Cinthia Chen’s projections to serve as everything from Chaplin’s elegant homes to a drab courtroom and represent geographically areas from across the US and Japan.  Sometimes the actors literally pop-up from the top or poke out through a window to grab attention.  Lighting designer Asami Morita supports this spirited concept.

Presented by Pan Asian Repertory as part of their 48th season, My Man Kono is a wildly engaging and informative piece of theater.  Sending American citizens — many of whom had offspring in our military — to internment camps because of their heritage is one of the most disgraceful chapters in our history.   Shameful questioning of what it means to be an American patriot reverberate in the present.  To see this period through the eyes of someone who was close to a Hollywood legend is an ingenious way to draw in a wider audience.  This World Premiere continues through March 9 at the A.R.T./NY Mezzanine Theatre on the second floor of 502 west 53rd Street.  Reserved seats are available at https://www.panasianrep.org/my-man-kono and are $35 for students, $60 for seniors and $70 for adults.