Category Archives: Play

Suicide Forest

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized March 3, 2020 Leave a comment

Haruna Lee’s Suicide Forest is not so much a plotted play as an emotionally driven piece of performance art.  Sliding through dreamscapes saturated with Japanese cultural touchpoints, playwright and actress Lee allows the audience to undergo the experience of knowing that the way one is labeled by genetics conflicts with one’s sense of self.  So deeply personal is their storytelling that their actual mother, Aoi Lee,  appears on stage to represent the goddess mother, Mad Mad.  Her mature face whitened and her vocals racked with pain, she carries her grief symbolically in both hands.  The genuine pain was felt by the Lee family after the father passed away and the remaining members relocated from familiar Tokyo to unsettling Seattle.  With Mr. Lee in ashes, the father figure here is a put-upon salaried worker, who interacts uncomfortably with his own daughters and inappropriately with Lee’s character, Azusa.  The effect is unnerving whether your ancestors stepped off the Mayflower or you are a recent immigrant.

Lee’s story is disorienting and nightmarish, with dreamers and subjects exchanging places with frequency.  All of the characters are portrayed in poetic fashion with exaggeration and bold strokes, making them more like mythical figures than warm-blooded people.  But their feelings ring true, with repression and humiliation particularly starkly dramatized. Aya Ogawa’s dancelike direction builds on this illusory sensibility.  The Japanese-heritage cast — Ako, Keizo Kaji, Yuki Kawahisa, Eddy Toru Ohno, and Dawn Akemi Saito in addition to the Lees —slips easily between English and Japanese, sharing their befuddlement and isolation with most members of the audience. The flashback candy pink set by Jian Jung plays up the sense of otherworldliness, encompassing a graphical pattern that cleverly takes on added significance in the show’s second half.  Clothing by costume designer Alice Tavener combines elements of East, West, and cartoonish fantasy.

Design Team Jian Jung | Scenic Design Alice Tavener | Costume Design Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew | Lighting & Video Design Fan Zhang | Original Music & Sound Design Jen Goma | Song Composition & Arrangement

Haruna Lee, Eddy Toru Ohno and Hoi Lee in Suicide Forest; Photo by Richard Termine

Holding this bold vision together is a taut framework of critical and timely conversation starters.  What does society use to measure what it means to be a man, a woman, or neither?  Is DNA destiny?  And what are accepted cultural norms when you live between more than one nation?  At one point Lee directly addresses the audience to share some of their thoughts on these issues, while designer Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew moves from stealthy shadows to literally illuminating the subject.  

Experiencing Suicide Forest is uncomfortable.  But this distinct work also provides a unique pathway into one person’s journey to self awareness that leaves a powerful impression.  The production presented by the famed Ma-Yi Theater Company runs until March 15 at A.R.T./New York Theatres Mezzanine Theatre (502 West 53rd Street, Manhattan),  Performances  are Tuesday – Saturday at 7pm; Sunday at 5pm.  Tickets are $30–$75 and available at ma-yitheatre.org or by calling 866-811-4111.

Border People

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized February 16, 2020 Leave a comment

If you find that putting a face on an issue gives it meaning, you must make some time to experience playwright and performer Dan Hoyle.  In his latest work, this richly talented storyteller wears many faces to help us better understand the lives of Border People. Like the celebrated Anna Deavere Smith, Hoyle conducts  personal interviews — what he calls “the journalism of hanging out” — then weaves his subjects’ words into a rich tableau that shows us more of who we are as a nation.    

For this piece, Hoyle spoke with people on the Mexican and Canadian borders as well as his old stomping ground in the South Bronx, which shares a socio-economic border with Manhattan.  Taking close to 18 months to develop, the picture is a disturbing one, though not without hope.  His careful editing works like Miracle Gro, helping tiny seeds of individual moments blossom into deep insight.  While the cloud of the Trump administration’s policies hangs in the air, the stories are more personal than political.  These borders are shaped as much by culture and opportunity as they are by geography.  One particularly sweet section centering on a young girl’s introduction to chocolate cheesecake is bound to make you better appreciate whatever little treasure worked its way into your day.

Hoyle Border People_ by Carol Rosegg

Dan Hoyle in Border People, Photo by Carol Rosegg

Originally developed with and directed by Charlie Varon, Border People has all the hallmarks of the superlative solo-show development tank, The Marsh in San Francisco.  While Hoyle may be a young white male, for 75 minutes this flexible actor IS also by turns Black, Hispanic, Muslim, gay and female.  As staged by Nicole A. Watson, the audience has the pleasure of watching Hoyle physically and emotionally transform to deliver others’ experiences in their own words. Each character is rendered with respect and obvious affection.  A projection wall (scenic designer Frank Oliva; video design Yana Birÿkova) adds further detail and sense of place.

All borders are constructs and can be deconstructed if only we take the time to listen and understand their impact.  Dan Hoyle makes a chink in the walls that separate us, shining light on the view beyond them.  Presented by Working Theater, Border People is currently running Off-Broadway at the Gural Theatre at A.R.T./New York Theatres (502 W. 53rd Street).  The borough tour starting March 3 and includes stops at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Staten Island, The Bronx Documentary Center, and the IBEW Local 3 in Queens.  Visit https://theworkingtheater.org/events/border-people/ for details and to purchase tickets.

The Commons

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized February 13, 2020 Leave a comment

The Commons attempts to explore the ways in which everyday moments can form a wider story.  The comedic drama is written by Lily Akerman and directed by Emma Miller backed by an almost exclusively female creative team.  For a piece that sprung from the mind of a young playwright known for telling stories filled with colorful and distinctive voices and further filtered through a sharply feminine lens, it is surprisingly lacking in warmth or depth.  

The script is composed of quick scenes depicting a series of conversations held in the kitchen shared by four New York City housemates.  Fastidious Robyn (Ben Newman) is a failed artists who has lived in the house for 20 years.  Jittery Dee (Julia Greer) is struggling to focus her thoughts about her all-important dissertation.  Homey Janira (Olivia Khoshatefeh) lovingly bakes bread while Marie Kondo-ing the heck out of the space.  And newcomer Cliff (Ben Katz) is stretching his meager web designer paycheck while filling the air with empty promises.  The topics they cover are everyday issues from who should wipe down the stove top to how long a guest should be able to stay.  Atypically, these discussions do not build on one another.  Each time an incident appears to be lifting the action to the next level, it deflates as quickly as Cliff’s vow to clean his beard hair from the sink.  In total, the characters live together for 9 months — the period it takes to create a new human life —  yet they have almost no impact on each other, an outcome that is as tedious as it is unrealistic.  

Ms. Miller’s staging in the black box Theater C at 59E59 is also ill-conceived.  In order to accommodate Emmie Finckel’s clean kitchen set, the performance area has the audience seated in an L-shape.  But the actors are mostly placed so that those on the shorter side are continually confronted by backs instead of faces.  The sharp cuts between episodes often make the passage of time difficult to gauge.  At least the clever sound designed by Caroline Eng fills the pauses with the “music” of kettles, microwaves, timers, and other kitchen noises.  

The cast members — most of whom have worked exclusively in festival and workshop productions — do what they can to bring variety to their roles.  The most successful is Olivia Abiassi, whose energetic arrival halfway through the play woke up the audience, in some cases literally.  Her portrayal of Cliff’s ex Anna, the most full blooded of the characters, is thoroughly engaging  For the short time she is in the shared apartment, the spunky straight shooter fills the void by providing everything the others have been lacking in their lives, be it a fresh salad or genuine honesty.   Unfortunately, none of her vitality survives her character’s exit.

Julia Greer, Olivia Khoshatefeh, Ben Newman, Ben Katz Photo by Carol Rosegg

Julia Greer, Olivia Khoshatefeh, Ben Newman, and Ben Katz; Photo by Carol Rosegg

A still-emerging work, The Commons might be better appreciated in a less established venue.  For a modern day kitchen sink drama, this production suffers from a lack of seasoning.  Though the situations portrayed may be increasingly… common, that does not automatically imbue them with meaning.  To build a real bridge between the viewers and the subjects requires more than an exploration of surface traits and eccentricities.  

Presented by The Hearth, The Commons is running at 59E59 (59th street between Madison and Park) through Sunday, February 23.  Tickets are $25 ($20 for members) and are available by calling the 59E59 Box Office at 646- 892-7999 or by visiting http://www.59e59.org. Seating is general admission.  Note that the second row on the shorter side of the L is not raked.  

Halfway Bitches Go Straight To Heaven

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized December 9, 2019 Leave a comment

No one creates moments that are simultaneously unsettling and humorous quite like Stephen Adly Guirgis.  Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven is his first play since being awarded the Pulitzer in 2015 for Between Riverside and Crazy.  This new work is a snapshot of the struggling residents of a New York City halfway house, surrounded by an unwelcoming neighborhood and staffed by those whose lifestyles aren’t much healthier.  It’s a sprawling script with over a dozen main characters to track.  Many of the transactional relationships include elements of genuine affection and the ride is a profound one.  Ultimately, though, it is not so much a tapestry as a sewing kit with each thread slightly touching the one beside it.  

As the play opens, a group session is in progress.  This initial conversation hits many predictable beats — drug use, sexual exploitation, and abuse — but also provides a quick introduction to the characters with whom we’ll spend the next three hours.  We learn Queen Sugar (Benja Kay Thomas) has gotten caught up in an Amway-style pyramid scheme while Munchies (Pernell Walker) is preoccupied with Nigerian caregiver Mr. Mobo (Neil Tyrone Pritchard). There are glimpses of Wanda Wheels’ (Patrice Johnson Chevannes) elegance, the stranglehold that mentally ill mother Sonia (Wilemina Olivia Garcia) has over her bright daughter Tiana (Viviana Valeria), and the familiar relationship pattern fragile Bella (Andrea Syglowski) is recreating with lesbian in command Sarge (Liza Colón-Zayas).  Always quick to say, “no,no,no” is Rockaway Rosie (Elizabeth Canavan).  Taking center stage at the top is the clever rapper Little Melba Diaz (Kara Young).  In the corner is morbidly obese Betty (Kristina Poe) whose surprise connection and subsequent blossoming is a highlight.  And on the edge (and on edge) is the transgendered Venus Ramirez (a glorious Esteban Andres Cruz) a ferocious voice for those who insist on their rightful place.  That list doesn’t include the rest of the staff compassionately portrayed by Victor Almazar, David Anzuelo, Sean Carajal, Molly Collier and Elizabeth Rodriguez.  

Elizabeth Canavan ( Rockaway Rosie ), Liza Colón - Zayas ( Sarge ), Kara Young ( Lil Melba Diaz ) and Pernell Walker ( Munchies ) . Photo Credit: Monique Carboni

Elizabeth Canavan ( Rockaway Rosie ), Liza Colón – Zayas ( Sarge ), Kara Young ( Lil Melba Diaz ) and Pernell Walker ( Munchies ). Photo Credit/ Monique Carboni.

As with other Guirgis plays, a subtle but clear picture of the outside world is also drawn.  The city’s system is failing and the shortages of both supplies and care are making these lives unnecessarily challenging.  A flock of goats tending the grass in a park uptown receives more devotion and support than any of the humans who are simply looking for a chance.

To hold all these tales, a skeleton of the tenement house dominates the set.  The sparsely decorated central room of Narelle Sissons’ design also represents the office of the dedicated and overworked manager and occasionally the bedroom of an occupant.  The area between the first row and the stage serves as the surrounding alleyways. Director John Ortiz places much of the action on the house front steps audience left and a bench audience right making the viewing experience a bit like a tennis match.  Additional focus is achieved with lighting design by Mary Louise Geiger while the mood rises and falls with sound and compositions by Elisheba Ittoop.

Haunting and moving, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven is like taking in a gallery filled with the faces of those whom New Yorkers breeze past every day.  Though their full stories are not on the display, the images will sear into you.  Note that the material is strictly adult, containing nudity and simulated sex and drug use.  The limited engagement co-produced by LAByrinth Theater Company has already been extended through Sunday, January 5.  Regular tickets begin at $70 and are available online at atlantictheater.org, by calling OvationTix at 866-811-4111, or in person at the Linda Gross Theater box office (336 West 20th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues).

Confidence (and The Speech)

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized November 21, 2019 Leave a comment

Like the Mr. Rogers of Presidents, Jimmy Carter was a man who gently spoke the truth even when it wasn’t sunny news.  Susan Lambert Hatem examines such a heartfelt and impactful moment from 1979 in her new work Confidence (and The Speech) now playing at Theatre Row.  That Carter is warmly portrayed by April Armstrong, an African American actress of… shall we say limited stature… adds a brilliant and powerful punch.  Placing Carter’s consciousness in such an unlikely body forces us to focus on the only things that matter: the president’s heart and mind. Whatever else can be said of our 39th president, he always tried to do the right thing starting from the time he sold his tiny peanut farm so as not to have any appearance of impropriety.

The set-up for Ms. Armstrong’s performance begins at present day Baynard University.  Professor Cynthia Cooper has just wrapped up her session when she is approached by Jonathan (an outstanding Zach Fifer) who has been monitoring her class.  He’s learned that she was an intern assigned to Camp David just prior to Carter’s infamous Crisis of Confidence speech.  This address to the nation is consider by some to have been farsighted, though others see it as the moment Carter signed his fate as a one term Commander in Chief.  Cynthia agrees to tell Jonathan everything about that significant time from her viewpoint on the condition that in her story it is she who is President Carter and that Jonathan walk a mile in her heels as Cynthia.  With the assistance of grey suited dressers, the two take on their new roles and corresponding wardrobe skillfully designed by Vanessa Leuck.   Fifer also captures Armstrong’s manner and cadence.  

Their transformation is one of many clever moments orchestrated by director Hannah Ryan in the challenging layout of Theatre One.  She and the entire female creative team — Brittany Vasta (Scenic Design), Christina Watanabe (Lighting Design), Emma Wilk (Sound Design), S. Katy Tucker (Projection Design), Deb Gaouette (Properties), Karla Garcia (Movement Direction), Bobbie Zlotnik (wigs) as well as Ms. Leuck — deserve a round of applause for developing such a slick production on a limited budget.

Mark Coffin, Stephen Stout, Ross Alden, April Armstrong Photo Credit: Russ Rowland

Mark Coffin, Stephen Stout, Ross Alden, April Armstrong; Photo Credit/ Russ Rowland.

All the well known characters from the Carter administration are well drawn including Walter “Fritz” Mondale (Mark Coffin given little to work with just like a real Vice President), Hamilton Jordan (a suave Ross Alden), Jody Powell (appropriately brusk James Penca), Rick Hertzberg (a measured Imran Sheikh) and Pat Caddell (Stephen Stout stopping just short of Jack Black-ness.)  But though this remains a story dominated by men, it is the voices of the women that are amplified in this retelling.  We see how the strong bond with her husband gave Rosalynn (a gracious Sarah Dacey Charles) a special place in the administration.  And we are introduced to Sarah Weddington (a too soft, too fast Abigail Ludrof) whose work on behalf of women’s issues influenced many, including Cynthia.

Confidence (and the Speech) provides an immensely satisfying opportunity to consider the pressing issues of climate change, equal rights, and basic decency in politics through the lens of a deeply invested observer.  Performances of this 100 minute gem continue through December 7.  Shyer audience members should be aware that if they answer the pollster making the rounds before curtain that, in a risky move by the playwright, they will be called upon to speak during Carter’s Town Hall. Tickets are priced $49-$69 ($89 premium) and can be purchased at www.confidenceandthespeech.com or at the Theatre Row Box Office (410 W. 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues.)

Power Strip

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized November 5, 2019 Leave a comment

There is a hunger for stories about women who find their power, and rare to find one that also follows an unexpected path.  One such surprising and welcome piece, Power Strip, is currently playing at Lincoln Center Theater’s Claire Tow.  Set in a refugee camp on Lesbos, Greece in the Spring of 2016, it follows the story of Syrian refugee Yasmin.  Through playwright Sylvia Khoury’s beautifully crafted script, we witness how this young woman came to be in such a harsh environment and learn her plans for the future.  So clever is this work that even the title takes on multiple meanings.  

Khoury’s storytelling is rich in detail despite the show’s tightly clipped runtime.  She doesn’t give her plot a twist so much as perform narrative slight of hand.  Everything is in front of you, but revealed so slowly and with subtle distraction that you only see the full picture at the end.  Khoury also takes the step of placing tiny lights along the cultural awareness path to lead the way for those without much knowledge about the lives of Middle Eastern women.  War forms an essential part of the backdrop, but the politics remains bubbling under the surface.  Khoury’s language is blended with Matt Hubbs’ humming soundscape which further communicates commotion, fear, and conflict.  It’s a powerful experience made even better by director Tyne Rafaeli’s masterful staging and pacing. 

Dina Shihabi is on stage for the entire 90 minutes, her lithe body flowing between taut and fluid as Yasmin’s story unfolds.  The skillful actress stuffs emotions into a tiny space with the same efficiency as Yasmin hastily packs her carrier bag with essentials.  The shallowness of the venue allows the entire audience to almost see her mind at work as she evaluates her shifting circumstances.  Arnulfo Maldonado’s bleak set and Jen Schriever’s muted light work to put further focus on the tiniest of her reactions. 

PowerStripLCT3 6028 - Darius Homayoun and Dina Shihabi - credit to Jeremy Daniel

Darius Homayoun and Dina Shihabi in Power Strip.  Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

The men around Yasmin each have an influence on the trajectory of her life.  So, too, do the three actors who embody them impact what the actress brings forth.  The dominance and assuredness of Ali Lopez-Sohaili as her fiancé Peter, the protective sweetness of Darius Homayoun’s fellow refugee Khaled and the vulnerability of Peter Ganim’s widower Abdullah each bring out a different quality in her performance.

Just like a series of sockets, Power Strip provides us with a deep connection to the astonishing things that can keep someone going.  This effective drama is sure to linger with you, bringing with it a unique combination of grief and hope.  It runs through November 17 at the Claire Tow Theater in Lincoln Center (150 West 65th Street).  Curtain time is 7PM, with 2PM matinees on weekends.  All seats are an economical $30 and available through Telecharge at https://www.telecharge.com/Off-Broadway/Power-Strip.

Quiet Enjoyment

Off Off Broadway, Play, Uncategorized October 26, 2019 Leave a comment

Inspired by true events experienced by literary agent, author and playwright Richard Curtis, Quiet Enjoyment is a lighthearted comedy about a stressful experience: the title transfer of a New York City co-op.  As part of a bruising divorce settlement, Peter Chasen is signing over his $5M apartment to his ex-wife Juliana for $1.  It’s the first closing conducted by Meredith Cudlip and she wants it to be perfect.  With all her preparation, the transaction should flow and take approximately 20 minutes.  Instead, a series of events conspire to drag out the proceedings, leading to heated exchanges, underhanded dealing, and a few sexy memories.

The idea for this work percolated in Curtis’s mind for a number of years before being committed to paper.  The good news is that you are almost certain to laugh during the nearly 100 minutes of runtime.  Curtis has seemingly taken informal lessons from a number of masterful sources including Noel Coward’s witty banter and Groucho Marx’s physical shtick.  The drawback to this approach of blending comedic styles is they don’t tickle the same funny bones.  At any given point, a third of the audience is having a blast while the remainder sit stone faced.  Judging from the lopsided reaction, the most divisive element is Megan Simard’s Karma.  While Ms. Simard commits her heart and soul and several other flexible body parts to the role, she can’t bring her lines above the level of hippy chick caricature.  The character doesn’t seem to fit the rest of the piece any more than Karma’s wild presence fits the tightly controlled proceedings. Her presence literally in the middle of the conference table pushes the needle from humorous to absurd.

On the other end of the creative spectrum is Samantha Mercado Tudda’s Meredith Cudlip.  Ironically nicknamed Merry, she’s an anal-retentive and ambitious associate who makes zany entertainment spring from dry real estate language.   More broad but equally skillful is Paula Gates who takes on the roles of Peter’s harried assistant Tammy and Meredith’s overbearing boss, Martha Pusey.  Though the actress plays both similarly, the stand-up comedy chops she displays in her first scene elicit a special round of applause when she makes her second entrance.  (Someone needs to get this women her Equity Card pronto.)  At Friday’s performance, Jamie Lee Kearns was suffering from laryngitis.  She might consider vocal lessons to retain that Demi Moore-esque  purr which further enhanced her interpretation of Peter’s competent and sexy ex Juliana.  As for Peter himself, Mark A Daly has great timing but doesn’t project the magnetism that would more obviously stir so many loins.  Kris Paredes and Mario Claudio round out the cast as Jules’s sister, confident and lawyer, Dana  and Peter’s obnoxious lawyer with bladder issues, Abraham Bimsky.  (If it isn’t obvious from this paragraph, playwright Curtis has a particular flair with names.)

QUIET ENJOYMENT by Richard Curtis - L to R Samantha Mercado Tudda (MERRY), Mario Claudio (BIMSKY) _ Megan Simard (KARMA), Photo by Mozinya Productions

Samantha Mercado Tudda (MERRY), Mario Claudio (BIMSKY) and Megan Simard (KARMA), Photo by Mozinya Productions

Director Marcus Gualberto does a fine job with the rapidly moving exchanges, especially given the confined space.  He is aided in making the most of the 62 seat house by choreographer Ruth Guimerà.  The versatile Mercado Tudda also provided the appropriate costumes.  Lighting is employed to highlight areas of the set where physical barriers (doors, partitions etc.) would likely be used for a rendition with a bigger budget.

A shaker full of delicious ingredients that don’t quite blend, Quiet Enjoyment is a pleasant enough diversion for $25.  Richard Curtis certainly has an ear for comedy and his dedicated cast makes the most of what’s on the page. This production is registered with the New York Innovative Theatre Awards. It plays through November 3 at the Playroom (151 West 46th Street, between 6th and 7th) on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 7PM with a special performance on Monday, October 28.  Tickets are available at https://QuietEnjoyment.BrownPaperTickets.com and by calling 1-800-838-3006. In person purchases may be made at the theater half hour prior to performance.