Category Archives: World Premiere

Safe House

Drama, Off Off Broadway, World Premiere September 7, 2026 1 Comment

Conspiracy theorist and former soldier, Rock, has turned his home’s basement bedroom into a doomsday bunker in a well-intentioned effort to keep his family safe from the Civil War he’s sure will break out shortly after the upcoming election.  A former construction contractor with the Department of Defense, Rock has thought through every detail, from the air and water filters to the battery packs and shotguns.  Far more of a domineering drill sergeant than a loving husband and father, Rock’s short fuse is a more obvious danger to the women of his household than any Democratic Socialist of his fanciful nightmares.  Nevertheless, his wife, Slipper, and eldest daughter, Ashley, are helping to complete the project to his specifications and practicing their drills with conjured enthusiasm: anything to keep the peace, especially since the sudden disappearance of younger sibling, Claire, a year ago.

While the intention of this World Premiere drama, Safe House, is to explore a deeply emotional component of our current political climate, as written by New York physician L.B. Browne, the script also has a medical secret hidden inside its walls.  We see early signs in the twitching of Rock’s hand and his confusion between the two sisters.  The nurse friend who accompanied me felt the stakes of Rock’s condition were realistically portrayed, though they may not make for a successful theatrical experience.  Still this is a new work with a short initial run and the potential to shed light on a family trauma that differs from the oft-explored addiction issues.

All the craft elements work together to form a relentless tension-filled whole.  This begins with the main room with its dense, dark walls, freshly sawed wood smell and thin prison-like beams that separate the audience from the action in the set by Forest Entsminger.  Director Benjamin Viertel establishes a pattern for using the areas of the tight space for conversation and confrontation. Due to the stage’s limitations, a secondary chamber in which a highly consequential and hugely disturbing scene takes place is too far audience right for the proper focus, though the outcome is impossible to miss. Realistic replicas of high grade weapons are the featured “decoration” of well-designed props by Samantha  Tutasi.  Shadowy lighting by Mary Ellen Stebbins signals the brewing danger.

Julianna Layne (Young Claire) and Marc Kudisch (Rock) in Safe House; photo by Viktorija Mickute

At center is Marc Kudisch’s performance as Rock on a constant boil.  While the always-excellent Karen Ziemba beautifully modulates Slipper’s subservience, it is 12 year old Julianna Layne as young Claire in flashback scenes who dials up the unease and ultimate sorrow in Rock’s relationships.  Grace Church picks up Claire’s mantle but is given too many tattered ends to project a distilled image while Anna Roman’s stalwart Ashley suffers from too little color.  Filling out the narrative are Glenn Seven Allen as Rock’s father known as The General and Justin Lee Miller in the dual roles of Rock’s doctor and a local police officer. 

You may find Safe House as difficult to weather as the women under Rock’s care.  But it does succeed in crowding out one’s own concerns for its 100 minutes of run time.  Performances continue through September 13 in Theatre Four at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenue.  Be warned: the venue is as cold as the suburban Pennsylvanian November that serves as the setting.  

Isla

Immersive Experience, Musical, Off-Broadway, World Premiere August 17, 2026 Leave a comment

With both the plight of the neighboring island of Cuba and the struggles of refuges worldwide in the headlines, the appearance of the Hit the Lights! production Isla couldn’t be more timely.  Portraying her own aunt, Lulu, HTL Co-Artistic Director Samantha Blain shares the immigration story of the Blain sisters from Cuba to Miami to New York in 1969.  Thanks to the three scrims that make up the set, dragons and mermaids occupy the same space as Russian missiles and mom’s home cooking.  With its blurry time line and illusory digressions, the narrative is as obscure as a genuine human memory. Yet the feelings — love, fear, and determination — remain evident.

A scene from Isla featuring a shadow puppet by Casey Scott Leach; production photo by Rebecca J Michelson

The story begins in 2018 when Blain decided to begin recording members of her family in order to better preserve their legacy.  After introducing the players, Blain transforms in full view of the audience with a simple change of wardrobe and hairstyle (Costumes by L.A. Clevenson).  She is joined onstage by Daniela Delahuerta as older sister Carmen and Tiffany Iris as younger sister Alina, Blain’s mother.  Drawing on HTL’s multi-disciplinary ensemble work, performance occurs both behind and in front of the screens under the co-direction of company members Roman Sanchez and Mikayla Stanley.  Dialogue in both English and Spanish is minimal and some of the recordings are difficult to hear.  But the three women move gracefully, have sweet singing voices, and lend gravitas and sensitivity to the fabulizing.  

The sisters’ private world is expanded by the Latin jazz music of Claron Hayden — who remains on stage throughout — and most strikingly by original shadow puppets designed by Casey Scott Leach.   Though black and white, they are the most colorful characters.  Leach is assisted in his artistry by puppeteers Erica C. Knight and Jessie March as well as by the resourceful lighting design of Vittoria Orlando.  Mia Sempertegui is the understudy for all three principle roles.

With its reliance on evocative imagery, Isla is more a work of art than a play.  It is intended to be a family entertainment, though a certain amount of maturity is highly recommended. One could imagine this work having life as a museum installation.  (Throughout, I was often reminded of “Meta/Physical Therapy,” Shana Moulton’s performance project that was featured at The Museum of Modern Art in the spring of 2024.)  If you are unfamiliar with the Cuban Revolution, Operation Anadyr, and the Freedom Flights from Havana it is doubtful Blain’s work will offer enough history or explanation, but the images of a rich island life brought into decline will linger.

This World Premiere continues through August 29 at the WP which provides discounted space to Women+ at 2162 Broadway, 4th floor.  The performance on August 17 includes a special talkback about shadow puppetry.  Tickets are three “pick your price” tiers from $34 – $94.  Accessible seating is available only in row A.  Running time is approximately 75 minutes with no intermission.  Advanced purchase is available at https://www.hitthelights.org/.  Late seating and rebooking are not guaranteed.

The Saviors

Drama, Off-Broadway, World Premiere July 28, 2026 Leave a comment

You can imagine a pitch meeting along these lines: “I’ve written a play that depicts the difference between being religious and acting godly.  Oh, and the lead roles are 13 and 14 year old boys.”  Fortunately for the prospective audience for The Saviors, the pitcher in question was Bubba Weiler who cemented his reputation as a playwright well worth backing with his acclaimed Well, I’ll Let You Go.  Fortunately for Weiler and his go-to director Jack Serio, the producer who picked up the challenge was the Atlantic Theater Company.  Their main-stage, The Linda Gross, is located in a converted church.  To paraphrase a line from The Saviors script, if that isn’t the hand of god, what is it?

A complaint I’ve sometimes made about The Linda Gross is that the performance space is often blocked to be wide and shallow.  This set by David Zinn is gorgeously expansive, with tall delicate stained glass windows and light colored steps leading up to humble statuary and a candle covered altar.  Director Serio also makes use of the aisles as an extension of the upfront interior (necessitating a strict no-late-seating; no-reentry policy).  Sound by Leah Gelpe that accompanies the cast member entrances lets us experience the chilly winter world just outside the heavy church doors.  Stacey Derosier’s shadowy lighting design of the sanctuary nearly qualifies as a fifth character.

Ivan Howe and Julius Rinzel in The Saviors; production photos by Ahron R. Foster

Into this subdued scene of reverence tumble altar boys Michael and Paul.  The young teens are obviously close and have turned each assigned task into a lighthearted contest.  The differences between the two slowly unfold.  Michael has embraced the Catholic teachings with manic enthusiasm.  They give structure to a life that is otherwise filled with anxiety-inducing choices.  Paul is more questioning of the strict prescribed path that seems to lie ahead.  Two adults with disparate views on Christian faith become entwined in the boys’ bond.  Judy, a congregant whom Michael asks to be his Confirmation sponsor, is so devoted to the parish that Michael has come to regard her as a Mary figure. Concurrently, Paul befriends Julian, a homeless man with an unclear connection to the community who comes into the church seeking refuge and comfort.  

Much of the play consists of pairs in hypnotic conversation.  That Weiler began working on the script when he was not much older than the current stars is a factor in making the dialogue so genuine.  There is elegant world-building within the exchanges, with an underlying tension that rivals many psychological thrillers.  

It is nearly impossible not to feel protective of both Ivan Howe’s exuberant Michael or Julius Rinzel’s probing Paul.  Both actors are heartbreakingly brilliant (and neither has an understudy.)  Making his stage debut is an impassioned Stanley Simons as the older but equally vulnerable Julian.  Completing the first-rate company is Crystal Finn who expertly traverses Judy’s rough terrain.

The Saviors will undoubtedly have a different impact on practicing and lapsed Catholics than it did on me, but it doesn’t take a background in religious doctrine to feel its sting.  This World Premiere has been extended through August 15 at The Atlantic’s Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th Street.  Running time is a tight 90 minutes without intermission.  Tickets start at $56.50 for standing room and top out at $121 for premium seating at select performances.  To purchase, visit https://atlantictheater.org/production/the-saviors/