Tag Archives: Cathy Hammer

5th Annual Little Shakespeare Festival

Festival, Off Off Broadway, Shakespeare, streaming August 5, 2025 Leave a comment

Looking for an escape from the heat? the smoke? the world?  I can recommend a bite-sized treat: the 5th Annual Little Shakespeare Festival.  Each year playwrights take stories and themes from The Bard and spin them in a humorous/soul searching/topical direction.  This year’s selection of ten productions was curated by Conor Mullen based on the prompt “Not Your English Teacher’s Shakespeare.”  They include three Hamlet-inspired pieces.  A farcical Hamlet: La Telenovela is adapted by Federico Mallet, translated by Jose Ruano, and presented by Something From Abroad.  Events retold from the prospective of the theatre troupe unfold in The Mousetrap, or Prince Hamlet wrote a dumb play and now we have to do it written by Margaret Rose Caterisano and presented by Broomstick.  And comedian Rachel Resnik begs you not to laugh at her solo performance Hamlet’s Dad: Otherwise Known As The Daddy Issue’s Cycle presented by Serious Play.

The venue at UNDER St. Marks is not fully accessible, so the good folks at FRIGID New York have live streams available for purchase. This is how I was able to giggle from my couch at As You Wish It or The Bride Princess or What You Will.  The feed is supplied by two cameras, one in the back row and one audience right and closer to the stage. The audio is good quality and you can even hear the etherial music that plays as the audience loads in. The hilarious introduction by the house manager is not to be missed. It’s such a small theater that it’s a similar experience to arriving just before curtain and grabbing whatever seat you find.

As You Wish It etc. is billed as a parody, but it struck me as more of a love letter.  Presented by Fork the Odds Productions, the beloved William Goldman book/movie has been transposed into Shakespearean English by Michael Hagins.  Dialogue from Hamlet, MacBeth, Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrew, and Richard III is comfortably intertwined with all the favorite lines and plot points from Rob Reiner’s classic.  It was wonderful to see that over 30 years later the over-the-top tale of true love still has such loyal fans.  With every long introduction by the revenge-seeking Count and “inconceivable” the audience roared with appreciation.  If it’s been a while since you saw the original, a quick review of the dense character-filled storyline will aid your full enjoyment. 

Rather than covering up the obvious shortcomings of enacting an action film on a tiny stage, the company leans into the insanity of even trying.  A roll down the hill becomes a balletic twilling through curtains, a knock out punch is prefaced by grabbing a small wrestling mat, and a chase on horseback is mimicked with Python style coconut shells.  The sword fights are brilliantly choreographed in slow motion.  The actors physical humor is enhanced by inexpensive, well designed props.  Synchronized sound effects heighten the laughs. Tickets are still available for the August 8 and 9 performances.

As You Wish It is among the offerings at the 2025 Little Shakespeare Festival; Photo by Michele Santomoreno

There is a timelessness to Shakespeare’s themes and relationships that opens his works to seemingly endless variation.  The Little Shakespeare Festival puts a spotlight on particularly clever revisions all presented by independent companies.  The fun continues through August 17.  All live performances take place at UNDER St. Marks (94 St Marks Place) and tickets are $25.  Streaming tickets are $20 for a live feed (so no late seating even at home.) To view the full schedule and to purchase advanced tickets visit www.frigid.nyc.

Polishing Shakespeare

Off-Broadway, Play July 30, 2025 Leave a comment

When you hear the premise of Polishing Shakespeare — Dot-com billionaire, Grant, is bestowing generous grants to a team of eager writers prepared to translate the entire works of The Bard into *English*— it is easy to picture the original ten minute skit.   What is impressive is the full length skewering of the dangerous shifting landscape of the arts that the script has become.  Given the events of the last six month, it’s almost as if playwright Brian Dykstra is writing in real time.  And he’s doing so in iambic pentameter!  (In fact, the actors’ improv skills are all so sharp that actually did happen during the performance I attended.)

The clawing back of money for the arts from the current administration forms a solemn backdrop for this timely comedy.  Though it makes its point numerous times, the exaggerated set-up is moved forward by three characters, each with a strong motive.  Grant (silver-tongued playwright Dykstra) doesn’t want to have to think when he attends a live performance.  He sees his project as a way to make Shakespeare entertaining for the masses, ignoring, of course, that Shakespeare has been just that for hundreds of years.  Ms. Branch (a beautifully tightly wound Kate Levy), the company’s director is just trying to be financially responsible now that she is almost completely reliant on her board for funds.  And though she genuinely loves and appreciates the Folio, Jane (a brilliantly bold Kate Siahaan-Rigg) sees a way to use her acute observational skills and talent with a pen to get out of crushing debt.  Alliances shift as each seeks an opportunity to move closer to their goal with the help of one at the expense of the other. It becomes such a battle of wits, you can almost see the gleaming sabers.  

Brian Dykstra and Kate Siahaan-Rigg in Polishing Shakespeare; photo by Carol Rosegg

What makes the piece sparkle is the spirited speed with which the lines are delivered.  Only someone completely comfortable with Shakespeare could set the necessary tempo with wink-and-nod style.  There is an ease to Dykstra, who has not only performed roles in numerous productions of the real thing (King John, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, and MacBeth among others) but also participated in Season 6 of Mos Def’s well respected spoken word poetry program on HBO.  He plays with the audience like a cat with an amused mouse.  Siahaan-Rigg is a marvel, rattling off several sublime soliloquies that celebrate all those who have been exploited and marginalized by the mass market.  Levy navigates the intricate pathway between the stuffiness of her character and the humor in her lines.

Director Margarett Perry’ s assured hand highlights the flows of power.  Supporting the rapid fire exchanges is the strategic lighting by Tyler M. Perry who also designed the hilarious Shakespeare tchotchke-ladened set.  

Eliciting both belly laughs and tummy knots, Polishing Shakespeare has been extended through August 24.  Performances run approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.  The show is presented in Theater B at 59e59.  $44 full price tickets ($30 for Members) can be purchased at https://www.59e59.org/shows/show-detail/polishing-shakespeare/. 

Joy: A new True Musical

Musical, Off-Broadway July 20, 2025 Leave a comment

Tired of not being able to answer the simple query, “how are you?” without sighing? Ken Davenport and AnnMarie Milazzo may have an answer.  Their creation Joy: A New True Musical is a type of musical optimism that has audience members returning from intermission wearing the freshly-purchased official T-shirt.  Its message of resolve and imagination envelops people in a purple and yellow cloud that even has them warmly hugging the mops they’ve been handed by the ensemble.

You may be familiar with Joy Mangano from her book “Inventing Joy: Dare to Build a Brave & Creative Life,” from seeing the 2015 movie simply entitled “Joy,” or maybe even from buying her products through the QVC home shopping network.  She was a young mother with a house full of people depending on her when she was suddenly laid off from a steady if uninspiring job.  In other words, she had much in common with women around the country who are behind in their mortgage and anxious to fully provide for their families.  Using a combination of vivid imagination, determination, and a few lucky breaks, she turned her life around.  

The musical retelling of her tale stars the dynamic Betsy Wolfe, who gained a wide range of fans with her Broadway turns in Waitress and & Juliet.  She’s surrounded by an accomplished cast including Adam Grupper as her well intentioned father Rudy, Jill Abramovitz as her overly cautious mother Toots, and Honor Blue Savage as the daughter Christie who only wants Mom to be able to come to her games.  Along her road to success she has dealings with Paul Whitty’s underhanded Cowboy Eddie, and Charl Brown’s experienced network exec Dan, both of whom are given showy performance numbers.  

Betsy Wolfe (with ensemble members) in Joy: A New True Musical; Photo by Joan Marcus

It is easy to see why Wolfe is so popular that she gets a round of applause before she opens her mouth. Her very presence fills the house and she sings with much appreciated clarity and emotion.  Milazzo’s score isn’t the most varied and the refrains bleed into one another, but it is tuneful, carried along by Andy Einhorn’s arrangements.  The opening “Welcome to My World” does some heavy lifting, rapidly introducing us to a number of important characters and plot points.  The book by Davenport is considerably more assured than Hollywood’s interpretation of Mangano’s biography.  Filled with broad humor that makes a point, the plot gets bogged down in the second Act in part because it’s hard to top the momentum of Act I.  

Director Lorin Latarro uses her actors and limited space well, giving us glimpses of Bigger Show potential.  Likewise the choreography of Joshua Bergasse is muffled by shoulder shrugs and knee bends when it could eventually soar. The creative team has also delivered with vision but to scale.  Scenic designer Anna Louizos takes a lesson from the TV studios that brought Joy fame, filling a generic cityscape proscenium with small rolling set pieces.  Also taking a cue from television is David Bengali whose projections are critical to the storytelling.  Clever props including the co-staring Miracle Mop are designed by Andrew Diaz. Tina McCartney lets a few key outfits shine, and keeps the rest timely and simple. Liz Printz’s wigs and hair design age the lively Abramovitz and allow the ensemble to cover myriad roles.  Shout out to House Manager Dovber Dier and the incredible organization of the venue staff.

Who doesn’t welcome an upbeat story of success under trying circumstances?  Sure to be a crowd pleaser, the show is exactly what you’d expect from something called Joy: A New True Musical.  Performances are at the Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, 111 West 46th Street near 6th Avenue.  Running time is 2 hours including a 15 minute intermission.  The limited engagement is currently scheduled to end on August 17.  For more information and tickets starting at $72, visit https://joythemusical.com/.

OPEN

Off-Broadway, Play, Solo performance July 13, 2025 Leave a comment

After a lengthy pause, Crystal Skillman’s award-winning play, OPEN, has been given a three-week Off-Broadway run at WP Theater.   Celebrating its 47th Season, WP Theater is the oldest and largest theatrical company in the country dedicated to fostering, producing and promoting the work of Women+ at every stage of their artistic development.  With LGBTQ rights under heightened threat, bringing OPEN’s heartfelt love story back to the stage could not be better timed.  Whatever impression the script left in 2019 has only been amplified by rising violence including a shooting near the fabled Stonewall Inn at the end of Pride Month.  

From a darkened space lined with lighting and sound equipment, Kristen invites the audience to join her for a three stage magic act consisting of Love, Commitment, and Sacrifice plus an extra promise.  To execute her wizardry, she has dressed in flashy top hat and tails (costume design by Madeline Wall) and taken on the persona of The Magician, a character inspired by “Night by Night” one of her own YA short stories. In it, a boy discovers that his make-believe skill as a conjurer has imbued him with real abilities.  In the lengthier version of her tale, he also falls in love with another boy.  Kristen hopes that she will experience a similar transformation in her powers as she struggles to reach out to her girlfriend, Jenny.

Over the course of 75 minutes, Kristen shares chapters from her and Jenny’s relationship.  She acknowledges that she has been deeply affected by a repressive upbringing in Indiana and lives cautiously: doubting her abilities and never “flaunting” being a lesbian.  Jenny, however, is out and singing with joy, surrounded by loving and accepting family and working with LGBT youth.  Not only is their meeting magical, but their life together requires all sorts of tricks from the juggling act of their needs to levitating above societal forces.  The very word OPEN performs a number of functions as in living openly gay, being open hearted, speaking openly and honestly, and opening the door to opportunity. 

Unlike most playwrights with a single character, Skillman does not give voice to her own words.  Instead the piece is brought to life by Megan Hill, who previously played The Magician at The Tank.  She is not the type of monologist who uses different vocal registers, but rather distinguishes her characters with tone and body language.  The most important ingredient in her success is engaging the imagination of audience members which she coaxes and nurtures.  The colorful details throughout the script make it easy to see with your inner eye and indeed “conjure” episodes from Kristen and Jenny’s life together.  At points, attendees function as magician’s assistants, filling out the invisible visuals with their willing participation.  

Megan Hill as The Magician in OPEN; photo by Jeremy Varner

The genuine slight of hand is performed by the creative team with impressively timed sound by Emma Wilk and lighting by Sarah Johnston (who also designed the set).  Director Jessi D. Hill and Magic Consultant Rachel Wax along with Wilk, and Johnston have collaborated beautifully on executing the physicality and visualization of the incantations without a ball, ring or flower in sight.  

Inventive, touching, and impactful, OPEN is a unique solo entertainment.  Performances continue at WP Theater, 2162 Broadway in New York, through July 27.  Tickets are $65 and available at https://wptheater.org/wp-space-program/open/. Pre-show acts and post-show talkbacks will incorporate the talents of the magicians who helped inspire Skillman’s story and the actors who portrayed The Magician in Broadway Licensing productions, drawing a through-line to the powerful role of magic within the LGBTQIA+ community.

Camera Ready

Musical, Off Off Broadway July 7, 2025 Comments: 3

Throughout the 1980s, videographer Nelson Sullivan used his developing camera skills and sincere love of the downtown New York art scene to capture and preserve many of the distinctive talents of that special time and place.  In partnership with his childhood friend James “Dick” Richards, host of a long-running access channel LGBT variety show, he put RuPaul on a path to stardom.  As he experimented with newer equipment and continued to evolve his technique, he sometimes included himself in the frame.  When he died at 41 of an apparent heart attack, he left behind a body of work credited with forming the template for the type of short form personal videos that proliferate YouTube.  

Now a behind the scenes look at Sullivan’s life and work has been fashioned into Camera Ready, a new play with music written and directed by his friend, artist/playwright/filmmaker Gary LeGault.  The sprawling cast of twenty much resembles the streets outside with its array of ages, races, and body types.  The ensemble brings unadulterated enthusiasm to each scene such as “Friday Evening in New York,” a celebration of Nelson’s first night out on the town with his camera.  There is a genuine sweetness to Jack Warren Lewis’s uplifting interpretation of the documentarian.  Other standouts include Bryce Payne’s dazzling RuPaul, JC Augustin gravely voiced Jackie Curtis, and a versatile Alexa Echevarria as Sullivan’s mother, musician Rhonda Granger, and a truly horrible Mona Robson in rehearsal at La Mama.  Her performance in the upbeat “All the Money” is a hoot.

Jack Warren Lewis as Nelson Sullivan with the cast of Camera Ready

Though working on an obviously tight budget, creative thought has gone into the design. The majority of the songbook (arrangements by Chris Glik and Michael O’Dell) has a breezy, clubby style that comes through on the solo piano. The backdrop, drawn by LeGault, is reminiscent of Edward Hopper had the artist worked in crayon.  Lola Saenz, under the direction of set designer Lytza Colon, installed bricks which adorn the central staircase. Night scene costumes and wigs by Diana Chaiken have the perfect dramatic flair.  

Oddly, it is LeGault’s obvious affection for Sullivan that flattens the story.  He has recorded history with heart, which makes for a valid but blurry lens. There is too much emphasis on tiny interactions and it is doubtful anyone under the age of 60 would recognize the celebrities about whom Sullivan exclaims.  A key relationship with housemate Choux (Dave Onofre) is underdeveloped and the parade of houseguests doesn’t achieve substantial impact. The current script also skirts the remarkable implications of Sullivan’s legacy. Ultimately the piece gets bogged down in less significant details and crosses the finish line at a hefty 2 ½ hours. 

With the show having completed its off-off-Broadway run on July 6 at Theater for the New City, LeGault has an opportunity to expand his private portrait into a deeper, more meaningful tribute to Nelson’s work.  This would also further highlight the gifts of Drag Queens and trans performers featured in Sullivan’s videos.  A rethinking would likely require LeGault to collaborate with an editor who could provide enough distance to make the appropriate refinements.  However, a more examined celebration would elevate not just Nelson’s legacy but the contributors to the American art scene he so valued.  

Trophy Boys

Off-Broadway, Play June 25, 2025 Leave a comment

It all comes down to gray areas according to Jared, the second debater on the undefeated team at the center of Emmanuelle Mattana’s Trophy Boys.  The same could be said of the entire play, now in its American debut at MCC Theater. The most immediate and obvious dichotomy is that each of the four boys on stage is portrayed by an actor who is non-cis male.  In truth, almost every aspect of the piece is non-conforming.  It is a comedy permeated by devastation and a tragedy that contains plenty of laughs.

At opening, four seniors from an elite New York high school are preparing for the debate of their scholastic lives. Win, and they are all one giant step closer to achieving the lofty professional goals they’ve set for themselves.  Lose, and all of their ambitious plans could be sidelined.  In their favor is the well-honed collaborative technique they’ve developed over the year.  Though they’ve just learned that they are to argue in the affirmative that feminism has failed women — against the team from an all-girls school no less — their brainstorming is exuberant.  But when a catastrophic piece of information is introduced into their planning session, it throws everyone off balance.

Mattana has drawn from their own experience as a debater, a skill which often required them to argue for cases they didn’t believe.  “It was no wonder,” they reflect in the program, “ that this ethos seeped so dangerously into other parts of these boys’ lives.”  She has also given herself the juicy role of Owen, the socially awkward debate team closer who to his very roots believes he is the smartest person in the room.  

The other three teammates have their own reasons for seeing themselves as superior to the rest.  In the first spot is the bi-curious physically dominant Scott, portrayed by the always magnetic Esco Jouléy.  Backing him up is the creative lover-of-women Jared, an all-too-recognizable Louisa Jacobson.  In forth place is Terry Hu’s David, the strict administrator.   As an acting ensemble, they smoothly cede the spotlight to the next player even when their characters do not.  

Emmanuelle Mattana, Louisa Jacobson, Esco Jouléy, and Terry Hu; Photo by Valerie Terranova

Director Danya Taymor has great familiarity with young males, having recently won the Tony Award for The Outsiders.  She has injected that extreme physicality into her cast. The music pumps as the audience enters, preparing them for the energetic onslaught.  At points the cast members literally bounce off the furniture, depicting what their nervous systems are experiencing.  Vigorous dance moves include humping their notebooks to show their dominance over the material.  Passions hot and cold run deep and lines are delivered at a barely digestible rate of speed.  One can only imagine the sensitivity with which the more emotional exchanges were developed with a sensitivity specialist (Ann James) and DEI consultant (Nicole Johnson) working alongside Taymor to mold the scenes. 

There is a through-line from the contradictions of ideas that runs across all the creative elements.  It is far into the term, but Matt Saunders’ desks, chairs and whiteboard remain immaculate.  Images of important women through history adorn the walls but appear cartoonish.  The students are 17 years old and Márion Talán de la Rosa has dressed them in short pants usually reserved for under-classmates.  Cha See’s lighting is natural and then morphs to profoundly exaggerated.  

Ultimately, Trophy Boys is a sincere and thoughtful exploration of the non-binary nature of the world.  No person represented is just one thing and neither is any aspect of the content.  Most noticeable of all is our feelings which are completely adrift by the end of an increasingly taut 70 minutes.  We are left in that all-important gray area.  Performances continue through July 27 at MCC Theater, 511 West 52nd Street.  Dynamically priced tickets start at $74 and are available at https://mcctheater.org/tix/trophy-boys/.

Lunar Eclipse

Drama, Off-Broadway June 4, 2025 Leave a comment

When the earth, moon, and sun are in alignment, the moon moves into earth’s shadow blocking light from reaching the moon’s surface.  This lunar eclipse is the featured event of Donald Margulies play of that name.  It also serves as a somewhat strained symbol for the darkness that has engulfed the long marriage of 70-something George and Em.

The piece opens with George alone on stage crying in the vastness of night in a field on his Kentucky farm.  Soon Em arrives with a gigantic bag filled with items that might make him more comfortable, though he doesn’t show much interest in her offerings.  They talk as they wait for the moon to take on its eery red glow.  The phases of the astronomical phenomenon — umbra, penumbra, total — are projected behind them, inserting breaks in flow of their conversation.  It soon becomes clear that much as the moon’s shine is being swallowed up, so have they been swallowing their fears and sadness.

George is intellectual with a particular interest in the stars and a strong need to stop and appreciate his surroundings.  Em is more an instinctual “city girl” and her relative ignorance allows George to explain events to us as well.  As time elapses and the bourbon flows, their increasing levels of honesty and respect break chinks in the wall between them.  Despite all the disappointments they’ve had to face, they are reminded why they chose each other in the first place.

Lisa Emery and Reed Birney in Lunar Eclipse; Photo by Joan Marcus

Marital every day moments and eventual strain is not new territory for playwright Margulies, who previously won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2000 for Dinner with Friends.  Much of the terrain here is as well-ploughed as George’s family farm.  But director Kate Whoriskey has been blessed with her cast.  Lisa Emery and Reed Birney — reprising his role from Shakespeare & Company’s 2023 production in Lenox, Massachusetts — remain two of the most reliable stage performers and watching their exchange is enthralling.  The dialogue may not be radical, but much is communicated in a touch, a look, or a pause. Their poetic descriptions of worry, loss, and grief ring true, though the fog doesn’t just roll across the skies.  

Scenic designer Walt Spangler has created a thick black box around the proscenium, restricting the space and cushioning the actors’ movements with earth (though what that does to the audience view from the first few rows is unwelcome.)  Just a few wild flowers add color to the landscape.  The tinkling of a piano lulls the audience upon entry to the theater.  Occasionally the soft sounds of the surrounding nature join Sinan Refik Zafar’s soundscape.  Lighting by Amith Chandrashaker provides metaphoric bright and shadow building to the crescendo of S. Katy Tucker’s video.

Unsurprisingly, though seeped in tragedy, Lunar Eclipse with its slow reveals and well-earned sorrow, is a master class in acting.  Performances take place on The Irene Diamond Stage in the Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street. Runtime is approximately 90 minutes without an intermission.  Tickets are available through June 22 at https://2st.com/shows/lunareclipse

The United States vs Ulysses

Off-Broadway, Play May 28, 2025 Leave a comment

In 1933, the landmark trial of “United States v. One Book Called Ulysses” cleared the way for the publication of many significant works of literature that include sexual content and adult language.  Though James Joyce’s seminal novel was readily available in Europe at the time, it had twice been deemed obscene by a New York court. Random House founder, Bennett Cerf, determined that being the first in America to print the book in its entirety would launch them into the big leagues.  To that end, his company attorney, Morris Ernst, strategized what became a test case for freedom of expression.  Judge Woolsey’s deeply considered decision is practically a literary work in itself.

The events of the trial — its echos reverberating off the walls of today’s public libraries and scholastic institutions — form the foundation of The United States vs Ulysses currently running at the Irish Arts Center.  Playwright Colin Murphy takes the name of the actual case to heart, positioning sections of the book in the role of defendant.  He also fuses the courtroom drama with a rather unrefined behind the scenes look at the live reenactment produced by CBS’s The March of Time.  

This multilayered investigation is executed by a skillful cast of six under the adept hand of director Conall Morrison.  The send-up of the radio broadcast gives way to a serious lesson in interpretive performance.  The ensemble moves through characters historic and fictional, often brushing one against the other.  Jonathan White provides cohesion even while portraying a number of different narrator types.  Clare Barrett is an utter delight as Molly Bloom, especially in her interactions with Morgan C. Jones’s cerebral Judge Woolsey.  Ali White serves as a counterbalance to Barrett’s wild abandon, taking on the sterner female roles.  Ross Gaynor pulls off playing Bennett Cerf and the prosecuting lawyer as well as Molly’s oily lover.  Ernst is rendered by Mark Lambert, personifying this production’s blend of honest reflection and sharp-edged humor.  

The Cast of The United States vs Ulysses; Photo by Nir Arieli

The entire design team facilitates the slide between modes of storytelling. The actors are able to switch roles with the rapid exchange of a hat, the wrapping of a scarf or the removal of glasses (costumes by Catherine Fay).  Liam Doona’s set is like a gift box, with sound proofed radio studio opening to reveal Paris, Dublin, and the Southern District of New York.  Each state of the narrative is given its own tonal palette thanks in large part to John Comiskey’s lighting.  Music and sound by Simon Kenny enhance the atmosphere.

Combining elements of history, literature, law, society and culture, The United States vs Ulysses reminds us of the fight which won us the right to read whatever we choose.  Along the way, it pokes fun at the powerful men who tried to silence a fictional woman for being a sexual being.  Performances continue through Sunday, June 1, at The JL Greene Theatre in the Irish Arts Center,  726 11th Avenue.  There is a lovely cafe in the lobby that is open before and after the show.  Runtime is a sleek 85 minutes.  Tickets start at $25 and are available at https://irishartscenter.org/event/the-united-states-vs-ulysses.

Bowl EP

Off-Broadway, Play, Theater Event May 26, 2025 Leave a comment

I am not young, black, gay, or well acquainted with club drugs. What I am is a fierce advocate for theater as an art and communication form. Being in a performance space filled with 20-somethings who are stomping, clapping, hooting, and laughing, even while relating strongly to Morales trying to feel like an ice cream cone, was thrilling. That was my recent experience at a matinee of Nazareth Hassan’s Bowl EP, a joint production of Vineyard Theatre and National Black Theatre in association with The New Group.

If you are a fossil like me, you remember Extended Plays or EPs as the record albums comprised of a few songs. These days they are used by artists to stay on the charts while they are working on larger musical projects.  Bowl EP begins with short “tracks,” the titles of which are projected around the sides of the “bowl,” an empty swimming pool that Quentavius da Quitter (Oghenero Gbaje) and Kelly K Klarkson  (Essence Lotus) use for skateboarding… and other activities.  Similar to that short form, the scenes are performed by the same pair, but don’t firmly connect in style or content.

Also like an EP, much of what the two say to each other has more of the quality of song lyrics than naturalistic dialogue: abstract and disconnected, yet deeply emotional. They never call each other by name and there are no characters listed in the program.  They talk very little about their lives away from this space as if there is no meaningful world away from the bowl.   It’s even hard to tell how long they’ve known each other.  The exchanges do produce a recurring cycle: flirtation, overt sexuality, and comic relief as they try come up with a name for their nascent rap duo.  Their “yums” are quite different, but each one is greeted with acceptance.

At a turning point Kelly — bedecked in wrap skirt over jeans and a sparkling baby-T (costumes by DeShon Elem) — mentions a cathartic therapy session during which she was able to vomit up her demon and become her.  Then during an intensely intimate act she is able to do the same for Quint.  The demon expelled into the pool is the high energy Lemon Pepper Wings (Felicia Curry).  From here, this pan-gender all-knowing character with oversized anime head, pink and purple frills, beat up teddybear backpack and a heart shaped tailed, takes over.  The rapid “tunes” are replaced by a relentless tirade akin to a drum solo as he/she/they shares Quint and Kelly’s relationship past and future in gory detail, personally involving the audience as well.  (Shout out to the stage managers who facilitate the magic.)

Essence Lotus and Oghenero Gbaje in Bowl EP; Photo by Carol Rosegg

Much thought has gone into transforming the venue for this unusual work.  Seating is in the round and blocked off from the stage with chain link fencing.  Playwright Hassan follows the flow of his words in the actors’ movement accented by Teniece Divya Johnson’s fight and intimacy choreography.  Scenic design team Adam Rigg & Anton Volovsek have created a gorgeous curvaceous pool in peaceful sea-foam complete with useful ladders and a diving board to contain the ferocity of the action.  Kate McGee’s lighting simulates street lamps and headlights until the colorful shift to the unconscious.  The projections as designed by Zavier Augustus Lee Taylor telegraph the intensity and vibe of each beat with the formation of the lettering.  Music by Judah “Free Fool” Girvan caps the undertaking, even effectively incorporating some of the lyrics devised in earlier chapters.

Intentionally and undeniably different, Bowl EP continues through June 22 at the Vineyard Theatre, 108 East 15th near Union Square.  Runtime is 80 minutes without intermission. Tickets are available at https://vineyardtheatre.org/shows/bowl/  beginning at $37.80.  Seating is unique and a look at the chart is helpful in selecting your preferred location.  ADA seating is available in the North section.  A joint fundraising initiative is striving to provide tickets to first-time theatergoers, though if this production was on film the content would likely be rated M for violence and sexuality. The venue continues to offer two masked performances per run, honoring their commitment to make theater accessible to everyone.

Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole

Docudrama, Off-Broadway, Play May 20, 2025 Leave a comment

In November of 1956, singer/pianist Nat “King” Cole became the first Black man to host a variety show on network television.  Though he eventually had multiple Billboard hits including Mona Lisa, L-O-V-E, and Nature Boy, he never secured a National sponsor for this groundbreaking program.  Major markets, especially those in the South, pressured advertisers to drop their support of the broadcast.  Despite an array of popular guest stars with household names, beaten down by the color barrier, NBC and Cole agreed to terminate the venture the following year after 53 episodes.

Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole, written by Colman Domingo and Patricia McGregor, uses the final taping of the Nat “King” Cole Show to explore not only this chapter in the life of the beloved crooner, but the systematic erasure of Black voices.  It’s an intriguing pick for a central character.  Though Cole participated in civil rights marches and avoided segregated venues, he felt his public role was one of an entertainer.  He sang ballads, not protest songs, even after a cross had been burned on the lawn of his home in a wealthy white Los Angeles neighborhood.  

The play is set in a television studio (scenic design by Clint Ramos) complete with an applause sign, clever lighting (Stacey Derosier), and a live “Nelson Riddle” band on the stage.  This enables the easy integration of music, live-feed camera work and audience reaction.  However, it quickly becomes obvious that this is not a recreation of one night.  Shortly before airtime someone (someTHING) causes the ghost light to flicker and briefly go out, allowing the spirit of Sammy Davis Jr. to explode onto the scene.  In an effort to inspire Cole to go out on a combative note, The Rat Packer takes him through a phantom version of events.  Classic song lyrics are incorporated into the spoken dialogue along with a mix of historical fact as seen through the lens of modern times and Cole’s personal reflection as imagined by Domingo and McGregor.

Dulé Hill in NYTW’s LIGHTS OUT; photo by Marc J. Franklin

Dulé Hill gives soothing voice and gravitas to Cole, a part he cultivated at the Peoples’ Light in Malvern, PA and further developed at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.  Daniel J. Watts, also reprising his role, grabs Davis by the lapels, practically ricocheting off the walls with intensity.  He is high octane gasoline to Hill’s humming battery pack.  Playwright McGregor directs, bouncing the two very different friends off one another, culminating in a dynamic dance number (choreography by Edgar Godineaux with tap by Jared Grimes). Though the plot line is choppy and likely to challenge those unfamiliar with the named celebrities and cultural touchstones, the songbook alone (arrangements and orchestrations by John McDaniel) makes for highly satisfying entertainment.  

Hill and Watts positively dazzle in the leads, capturing key qualities of their characters and steering clear of imitation.  The action is kicked off by Elliott Mattox’s convivial Stage Manager.  Cole’s white producer is portrayed in myriad forms by Christopher Ryan Grant.  Krystal Joy Brown makes an early impression as a purring Eartha Kitt, later embodying an enchanting daughter Natalie Cole. Also displaying range is another vet of the previous run, Ruby Lewis, who depicts both spunky Betty Hutton and sultry Peggy Lee.  Matriarch Perlina Coles, who first introduced Cole to the piano, is played with soulful sincerity by Kenita Miller with Mekhi Richardson performing as young Nat (and a younger Billy Preston) the afternoon I attended.  Adding a comedic touch is Kathy Fitzgerald as make-up artist Candy.  She is also featured in the highly creative live commercials that run throughout the program.   

You feel the ripples of connection move through different sectors of the audience depending on whether it is Cole performing his rendition of The Christmas Song, Lift Every Voice and Sing vocalized by mother Perlina, or young Natalie joining him for a duet of Unforgettable (something she created in the studio long after his death).  When you layer in the profound racism, disgraceful accepted stereotypes, and aggressions micro and macro, the entire experience becomes a social study as well as a piece of engaging theater.

Likely to fill you with a bubbling combination of elation and frustration, Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole provides a worthwhile conclusion to a bold season at New York Theatre Workshop.  Performances continue through June 29 on the main stage at 79 East 4th Street.  Runtime is 90 minutes without intermission.  The actors smoke heavily, making me grateful to remain a mask-wearer.  Tickets start at $49 and are available at https://www.nytw.org/show/lights-out-nat-king-cole/.