Tag Archives: Theatre Row

Transcendency Rising

Festival, Off-Broadway April 5, 2026 Leave a comment

Since expanding their initial mission as a theater for the blind, Theater Breaking Through Barriers has become one of America’s few companies for artists with disabilities.  Their current production, Transcendency Rising: Short Plays About Defying Limitation, is a line-up of 10 original works written specifically for them.  The majority are by renowned playwrights while others are penned by TBTB members.  All are staged to also be inclusive of all audience members with large captions projected onto a set comprised of flat surfaces designed for the purpose and scene-setting audio descriptions read out by actress Melanie Portsche.  

The event starts off brightly enough with a section from Buffalos by author and essayist Adam Edmund Linn. With illustrative direction by TBTB’s artistic director Nicholas Viselli and a beguiling performance by a Fareeda Pasha, it is a pretty little watercolor of a monologue.  With a total of six pieces, the first half comes to a climax with Bekah Brunstetter’s Forgotten Corners Of Your Dark, Dark Place.  Bookended by familiar tunes and set in what must be a very progressive community center, the script masterfully combines broad humor with more touchy social commentary.  Jennifer Elizabeth Bradley portrays Gloria, an instructor who would make you uncomfortable even if she was teaching basic algebra.  (Hint: she is not teaching basic algebra.)  Under the direction of Brian Leahy Doyle, Jamie Petrone, Amanda Cortinas, and Emma Shafer collaborate to bring heart to the hastily sketched workshop participants.  (I remembered Petrone from 2016’s The Healing and was thrilled to see so many new entries in her Playbill bio.)

Jennifer Elizabeth Bradley, Emma Shafer, Jamie Petrone, and Amanda Cortinas in Forgotten Corners of Your Dark, Dark Place, one of the short works of Transcendency Rising; photo by Carol Rosegg

Shockingly it is the final piece of Act I, the much touted The Upside Down Man by John Patrick Shanley, that is the show’s low point.  This is not a reflection on director Ivette Dumeng or actors Nelson Avidonand Veronica Cruz, but rather on Shanley’s head-shaking focus on a misogynist breezily dismissing the harm done to Gisèle Pelicot and victims of Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Cosby, and Harvey Weinstein.  I kept waiting for the twist in his character arc, but it never came and the motivation of his date Serena for remaining at their table wasn’t a punchy enough reward for putting the audience through their exchange.  

Several people used the five minute bio-break that serves as intermission to head for the exit.  That was unfortunate given that the second half opens with a refreshingly original monologue: Redemption by Tony nominee Lyle Kessler.  Directed by Viselli,  Xen Theo portrays Syd, a Jewish man relaying his defense statement to an unseen judge.  Funny and vulnerable by turns, Theo gives a lift to every minute of his scene.  This is followed by a sincere and insightful exploration of caregiving in The Calling written by TBTB member Kathryn Grant and directed by Ann Marie Morelli.  It features Scott Barton as an elegant patient in assisted living.  Carla Brandberg and Enrique Huili portray his aid and an orderly with their own connection.  Portsche provides a voice over the facility’s intercom.

Like most short play festivals, Transcendency Rising is uneven, though the theme of wishing to be seen loosely ties the works together.  Critically, the 145 runtime too often allows the engagement to flag and the energy to dissipate doing a disservice to all involved.  Performances continue through April 11 in Theatre 5 at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street.  Tickets are $60 and are available at the Theatre Row Box Office or online at https://bfany.org/theatre-row/shows/transcendency-rising/.  The venue is low rise and shallow with 7 rows of 15 seats.  Most of row G is dedicated to wheelchair and companion seating.  

Spare Parts

Off-Broadway, Play March 16, 2026 Leave a comment

In Spare Parts, a well-meaning Columbia University Assistant Professor and a dedicated graduate student are studying the aging process; experimenting with possibilities for slowing or reversing it.  As with many such studies, they have received a government grant and had success with lower organisms.  But a potential billionaire investor is ready to skip all the usual precautions and move straight on to a human subject: HIM.  He’s 64 with high blood pressure and simply doesn’t have the patience or the NEED to wait.  Along with his younger and more emotionally intelligent assistant, he has summoned the academics in hopes that his money will move them along.

The concept is sadly timely, with Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos, and Sam Altman among those eagerly backing anti-aging ventures.  Playwright David J. Glass is a medical professional and has drawn on his first-hand experience at both a biotech company and Playwrights Horizons to forge a unique narrative path.  The result is a wild blend of life questions.  While the probing of ethics is enticing — especially during our period of deception — it is the exploration of the purely human realm that gives this play heart.  There are a few places in the script where the storytelling is a touch inelegant, but for the most part it’s impressively paced given that this is a 95 minute play and not a three-part mini.  

While the content vibrates with originality and intrigue, the direction by Michael Herwitz erodes the impact.  Actors are sometimes stretched out across the long, shallow space, diminishing the electricity between characters.  Worse is in the unimaginative and downright confusing set by designer Scott Penner.  Various locations slosh around on top of one another without so much as a color shift in Zack Lobel’s serviceable lighting to differentiate the location.  My I-Give-Up moment with the staging occurred when the the walls became doors thanks to PVC strips that flap upstage.  The thumping original synth music by Ryan Gamblin overwhelms his futuristic soundscape.

Matt Walker, Jonny-James Kajoba, Michael Genet and Rob McClure in Spare Parts; Photo by Russ Rowland

Fortunately the cast more than holds up their end of selling the story.  While the draw is frequent award nominee Rob McClure, his talent outweighs the needs of Professor Coffey.  Similar to their characters’ dynamics, he is outshone by Matt Walker in a delicious layer cake of a performance as assistant Jeffrey Jordan.  Perhaps it is Walker’s actual Ph.D. in genetics from Columbia University that makes him appear so comfortable while embodying such an awkward personage.  As billionaire Zeit Smith, Michael Genet understands how to portray a character with troubling intentions without stepping over the line into melodrama.  Most admirable is Jonny-James Kajoba’s turn as Ivan Shelley, Zeit’s faithful protégé.  (How I wish I’d seen his Lady Bracknell!)

Spare Parts is certainly not easy to peg, which makes it exciting even for frequent theater attendees.  Whatever discomposure is brought on by the indecent proposal is more than offset by the satisfaction of an unexpected journey.  The limited engagement of this comedy/drama/mystery/horror show has been extended through April 30 in Theatre Three in Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street.  Prices range from $39 “cheap seats” to $129 for the premium section.  There is little rake in the first four rows followed by sufficient rise, along with better than average leg room throughout the house.  Visit https://www.sparepartsplay.com/ for more information.

The Lights Are Bright Off Broadway

Off-Broadway, Round-up September 3, 2025 Leave a comment

The New York theater scene is most often associated with Broadway, but there is a diverse audience that actually prefers to head Off-Broadway.  (I count myself among them.)  The descriptor has nothing to do with location, but rather the number of seats — between 100-499 — making for a more intimate shared experience.  Not needing to attract as large a crowd or pay sky high production costs allows tickets to be offered at relatively budget-friendly prices. Additionally, themes are often more daring: speaking to the issues of our time with an unexpected voice.  Many works are brand new, possibly even still evolving.  However, most runs are just a few weeks long, so here are a few to keep on your radar.

The six performances spaces of Theatre Row have welcomed a number of smaller companies from Pan Asian Rep to the community minded Keen Company as well as played host to the country’s largest celebration of monologues, United Solo. Now playing through September 29 is Sober Songs. With a score comprised of a range of musical styles, this dark comedy by Michael Levin tells the story of six young adults who meet at a local AA group.  Emotions flow from carefree and charming to raw and deep, much like the recovery process itself.

Housed in the Theatre at St. Jean down a flight of stairs on an Upper East Side side street is The York Theater.  Founded by three theater professionals over fifty years ago, their focus is on new musicals and lost gems.  This fall season begins on Tuesday, September 9, with the World Premiere of This is Not a Drill.  The script was inspired by the experience of Holly Doubet in 2018 when a false alert went out to residents and visitors that there was an missile attack headed for Hawaii.  The book is by Doubet and Joseph McDonough with music and lyrics by Doubet, Kathy Babylon and John Vester. 

Also calling a church home is the Theatre at St. Clements.  Nestled in the heart of Hells Kitchen, this steep venue has launched new works by David Mamet, Terrence McNally, Sam Shepherd, and Julie Taymor among others.  Beginning September 5th, the storied tradition continues with False Steps, a ballroom comedy written by dance champion Candace H. Caplin and Kim St. Leon, with original music and lyrics by Jesse Corbin.  Starring Caplin, this farcefollows a floundering playwright whose life takes an unpredictable turn when her recently widowed mother falls for a much younger ballroom dance instructor. 

Positioned firmly on your funny bone is Asylum NYC which offers stand-up comedians, sketch and improv troupes and musical reviews.  Beginning on Wednesday, September 17, performances of Exorcist: The Rock Musical will be followed by the Slam Frank.  With a score by Andrew Fox and a book by Joel Sinensky, this satire is perfect for those who think South Park doesn’t go nearly far enough.  Inspired by a truly bonkers provocative tweet, the Afro-Latin hip-hop musical puts the story of Anne Frank through a pan-gender, feminist, multiethnic lens to create a work that has already sparked spirited conversation.  

Long before finding household fame in Law & Order, Jerry Orbach starred in the long-running Fantasticks.  Now the black box where the revival played on the third floor of  The Theater Center bears his name.  (A smaller space honoring his wife sits across from it.)  The chairs in the Orbach feel like the sectional you should have replaced last year and the A/C is cranked to an 11, but the staff is welcoming and there are no bad seats.  Recently, it’s been home to both The Office and Friends parody shows.  But more progressive works are scheduled in between the comfort food.  Starting on September 24 on Wednesdays at 2 pm, Fridays at 4 pm and Sundays at 6 pm is Kipp Koenig’s The Glitch. This timely sci-fi dramedy uses a woman’s visit to an AI simulator lab to explore life decisions, emotional connection, and the interdependence of love and forgiveness.  

These are just some of the spaces offering risk-taking, thought-provoking, conversation- stimulating theater… and that’s just September!  So consider enlivening your entertainment line-up with something brand-new and uniquely theatrical.

All The World’s a Stage: First Look

Musical, Off-Broadway April 8, 2025 Leave a comment

Only two weeks into previews, the World Premiere of All the World’s a Stage is developing into a warm and enjoyable spring offering.  Though set in 1996 in small-town Pennsylvania, sadly the themes covered could be ripped from today’s headlines.  Adam Gwon’s lyrics are dense and expressive, but despite the many complex subjects he explores — bullying, book banning, religious indoctrination, and the very human need to be seen — it is hopefulness that is heard above them all.  Pair that with a memorable score and a quartet of talented performers, and this tale of a gay math teacher and the unusual student he mentors add up to a winning piece of entertainment.

The actors work together like four limbs of the same magical being.  Eliza Pagelle is wonderfully squirmy, adrift in her baggy cloths as unpopular high school senior Sam.  Matt Rodin embraces both the nerdiness and attractiveness of her protective closeted teacher Ricky.  Jon-Michael Reese and his big bold voice are perfectly suited to self-possessed bookstore owner Michael, who is out accompanied by trumpets and klieg lights.  And Elizabeth Stanley puts a relatable chink in the armor of by-the-book administrator Dede.  

Matt Rodin, Elizabeth Stanley and Eliza Pagelle in All the World’s a Stage at Theatre Row
Production Photography: Richard Termine

Keen Company’s Artistic Director, Jonathan Silverstein, takes the helm as the director of this lovely work.  The effect employed to create the unseen school principal is an example of his clever approach to promoting the big things in this small package.  Set designer Steven Kemp has made the most of the tight space in Theatre Row’s Theater 5, placing a short cinder block wall around the musicians and steps downstage to add more dimension.  Jennifer Paar has built an impressive wardrobe for each of the four central characters giving them even more to work with.   

Gwon’s book is filled with cultural references that have traveled well through time, especially the admiration for Tony Kushner’s Angels in America which was recently revived in New York and London.  Many lines earn a laugh of recognition from the audience.  (Who among us didn’t prefer listening to the cast album of Chess over following the stock market?)  His love for and knowledge of the theater is particularly needed at this time when the art form has been under attack.  The musical numbers cover a wide range of styles from the jingly “Saturday Night in a Small Auditorium”, through the campy “The Show Must Go On,” to the heartfelt “Mirrors” which had the hulk of a man sitting next to me weeping hard enough to wiggle my seat.  The four musicians under the direction of Andrea Grody stay wonderfully engaged with the onstage happenings without calling attention to themselves.

All the World’s a Stage packs a lot of emotion and life lessons into its current runtime of an hour and 40 minutes without getting preachy or losing its humanity.  It’s a compact work with enough heart to feel expansive.  Performances continue at Theatre Row thought May 10.  Tickets beginning at $25 can be purchased  online at www.keencompany.org, by phone at 212-714-2442 ex 45, or at Theatre Row Box Office at 410 W 42nd Street.  

Fish

Off-Broadway, Play April 3, 2024 Leave a comment

We’ve heard the old proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”  But what are you supposed to do if you don’t have the money for a rod, line, or bait?  That is the provocative question behind Fish, a world premiere play by Kia Corthron currently running at Theatre Row on 42nd Street in New York.

The story revolves primarily around Latricia, known as Tree, a sharp 18 year old senior attending a typical urban high school that is short on funds and long on drop outs.  The teen has much more on her plate than 100 word essays.  With her mother incarcerated for a minor drug violation, she is responsible for running the household and overseeing her high-energy asthmatic 11 year old brother, Zay.  To add to her burden, her best friend LaRonda has won a spot in the Peak and Pinnacle Academy Charter School.  While only on the 6th floor of the same building as the rundown public school, with its gleaming computer lab and health center it might as well be on Mars.  English teacher, Jasmine Harris, can see Tree’s intellectual curiosity and capability below the layers of tough talk and anger.  But she’s so overburdened by the “teach to the test” requirements of Common Core she doesn’t have the time or tools to draw them out.  

Director Adrienne D. Williams does a brilliant job of incorporating the posture and movement of today’s cellphone obsessed youth.  Scenic designer Jason Simms has divided the small stage into three sections with smudged walls, mismatched chairs, and familiar posters, so that the action can move seamlessly from classroom, to project, to the streets.  The sound design by Michael Keck incorporates the thumping beats that greet us at the theater door.  Nic Vincent’s lighting design includes flickering fluorescents, an illuminated metaphor for the overall decline.  Scenes are cleverly titled overhead with the names of typical high school classes, for example “Speech and Debate” for a heated argument between teacher and student.   

Torée Alexandre makes a very believable Tree.  Even though she captures the cadence of a typical teen, with the guidance of dialogue coach Xavier Clark she takes the speed of delivery down just enough to make every impassioned word come across to the oldest of ears.  Equally good is Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew as best friend LaRonda, especially with dialogue that emphasizes the girls’ genuine caring for each other.  Acting as a worthy foil in her exchanges with Tree is Rachel Leslie as Jasmine Harris.  The cast also includes Josiah Gaffney as a sweet and playful Zay and Morgan Siobhan Green, Margaret Odette, and Christopher B. Portley playing multiple classmates and teachers.

Josiah Gaffney and Torée Alexandre in Fish at Theatre Row

This scathing portrait of a failing system and the magic of having a teacher see the value within a student would have been enough to satisfyingly sustain the 105 minute runtime.  Instead, the storytelling becomes defused in the last 20 minutes, with several tangential issues introduced.  It’s unfortunate that after all the times she is let down, Latricia doesn’t get the full attention that she deserves from the audience either.

Fish — a co-production of Keen Company and Working Theater — is playing in Theatre 4 at Theatre Row through April 20.  The script contains mature language and tough themes and is most suited to those over 10.  Running time is 105 minutes with no intermission.  Tickets are being sold on a sliding scale starting at $0 and can be purchased online (https://bfany.org/theatre-row/shows/fish/), by phone (212-714-2442 ext. 45,) or in-person (410 W 42nd Street).  You can learn about how to pick the price point that suits your budget by visiting www.keencompany.org/tickets.

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.)

The Exes

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized August 25, 2019 Leave a comment

As The Exes opens, it is Christmas Eve day and the Killingworth household is preparing for the wedding of Richard’s over-indulged daughter, Victoria.  Richard’s best friend, Dick Wright, is helping to keep everything on track despite the barrage of business calls.  Richard made a fortune from the patent he holds on a genetically-engineered “forever” flower that has caused quite a stir among fearful florists.  There’s a protest planned and it is even suspected that these small-business owners were behind a fire that destroyed Richard’s original townhouse. 

The birth of Richard and Dick’s friendship was an unusual one.  Richard’s soon to be ex-wife, Mavis, was first married to Dick.  One year ago, she ran off to Denmark to be with her now-fiancé, Marcel.  The two men bonded when Dick saw a reflection of his own pain in Richard’s distress at her leaving.  Now the two are so close that they jokingly call each other #1 and #2.  Even Dick and Marvis’s son, Garrett, comfortably hangs out in the Killingworth home.  Just as everyone is about to depart for the ceremony, Mavis makes her customary chaotic entrance.  She’s returned from overseas to get her divorced papers signed.  She is also intent on witnessing the marriage of the young woman she helped raise.

If it wasn’t for the key role played by cellphones and iPads, The Exes could have been written ages ago.  Rather than exploring what divorce and remarriage is like for woman like Mavis, playwright Lenore Skomal leans into the throwback elements of her script.  She has followed her own advice and self-produced this run, assembling a production team that seemingly drew inspiration from a creaky drawing room comedy.  Craig Napoliello’s set is functional, but the elements are dated.  Magda S. Nyiri’s direction often has the actors awkwardly posed in a straight line.  And it’s hard to say what time period is represented by the jazzy musical phrases looped together by Nathan Repasz.  These are puzzling choices for a talented writer devoted to artistic empowerment.

'The Exes' by Lenore Skomal, Directed by Magda S. Nyiri, Theatre Row

David M Farrington, John Coleman Taylor, Galen Molk, Tim Hayes, Alison Preece, Karen Forte in The Exes; Photo by Emily Hewitt

The most disappointing fallout from these creative decisions is that 2019 Mavis comes across like a character from a 1940 movie.  Having been introduced to the audience by her exes as a serial cheater, Mavis doesn’t do much to redeem herself.  While she has brief tender moments with her son, Garrett, and confident, Prim, she mostly thrashes around.  It’s unfortunate that the character isn’t developed more sympathetically since that possibility is running right under the surface.  Despite only one of the Richards using the nickname Dick, they both obviously are.  #1 makes cutting remarks about everyone around him.  #2 always has business on his mind and a cellphone glued to his ear.  Neither could have made a suitable partner for the sociable Mavis, who was left searching for connection.  Having apparently learned little about what constitutes a healthy relationship, she chose to move on with a man who was dismissed from his job for behaving inappropriately with younger women.  Now she is leaving Garrett behind  AGAIN, this time to face his 6th year of college with only three stunningly selfish people to guide him.

While the most enduring relationship portrayed is between Richard and Dick, it is Garrett who stirs compassion from the audience.  Alone among the hyped up cast, Galen Molk’s performance is warm and natural.  His vivid, witty description of events which take place off stage — enhanced by designer Ross Graham lighting — is a bright spot.  John Coleman Taylor also remains dignified if a bit stereotypical as English “house manager”, Prim.  Oddly for a production powered by women, Karen Forte’s Mavis and Alison Preece’s Victoria border on the unpleasant with shallow interpretations coated in neediness.  The capable men are each given one note to play.  David M. Farrington has terrific timing, but Dick’s every line is delivered with equal snap.  Richard is driven, so Tim Hayes is continually put in drive mode.  And Kyle Porter’s badly dressed and overly-mannered Marcel is so quirky the character becomes an unfathomable punchline.  

The Exes has a fun premise and some great minds at work.  But like the marriages it portrays, it doesn’t fulfill its promises.  Runtime is about 2-hours with an intermission.  Tickets are available for $59.25 through Telecharge at https://www.telecharge.com/Off-Broadway/The-Exes/Overview.  It’s playing off-Broadway at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street near 9th Avenue) through October 5th.

The Brothers Paranormal

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized May 1, 2019 Leave a comment

Being unmoored feels as haunting as any creature to the characters in The Brothers Paranormal, opening tonight at Theatre Row.  Max left behind a fulfilling life in California and moved to the midwest to look after his mentally ill mother Tasanee and alcoholic brother Visarut.  Attempting to restore his financial stability, Max has partnered with Visarut in a ghost-hunting venture.  Delia and Felix have come to the same town after being forced out of their home in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina.  They are all brought together when Delia hires the brothers to rid her apartment of a malicious spirit only she can see.  Though Max is a non-believer, he is a pragmatic businessman and more than happy to take Delia’s money for an easy night’s work.  Felix goes along with the plan hoping to prove his wife’s visions are real and not the onset of madness.

Pictured (left to right): Vin K ridakorn, Dawn L. Troupe. Photo credit: John Quincy Lee

Vin Kridakorn and Dawn L. Troupe. Photo credit/ John Quincy Lee

The timing of this world premiere production by Pan Asian Repertory is auspicious. Modern audiences have been primed to experience the blend of comedy, social commentary, and horror that are entwined throughout Prince Gomolvilas’s script.  The lifespan of a typical play makes it unlikely that the playwright was inspired by Jordan Peele’s groundbreaking Get Out, but the sensibility is similar if not as artfully executed.  There are chills, chuckles, and deep reflections on displacement, along with family-oriented conversation.  The second act begins to drag with too much exposition and the ending is a disappointing “specter ex machina.”  But the overall journey is an entertaining and surprising one.

Talented director Jeff Liu does his best to navigate the many moods and styles, which are in near-constant transition.  The gasp-inducing horror elements are achieved with well-crafted lighting design by Victor En Yu Tan and perfectly-timed sound by Ian Wehrle, along with a magical assist from special effects expert Steve Cuiffo.  It is the logic behind the hauntings that is flawed.  It is explained to us that ghosts follow their own rules, but horror purists will be particularly frustrated by the inconsistencies of the other-worldly occupants.  Gomolvilas fares much better in the comedy realm where his zingers are delivered with flair, most especially by Emily Kuroda as the sly and insightful Tasanne. 

Sheryl Liu’s sparse set allows us to focus most of our attention on the characters.  Gomolvilas has chosen to explore the intersection of African American and Thai American cultures, particularly as they relate to superstition and the afterlife. Common ground is found and differences acknowledged and respected.  There are also interesting distinctions made between the viewpoints of Max who was born in America and the rest of his family who immigrated from Thailand.  It is especially in the heartfelt moments that Gomolvilas’s writing skills shine.  The chemistry between Dawn L. Troupe’s warm Delia and Brain D. Coats as her charming husband feels genuine.  More astonishing is the connection formed between her and Vin Kridakorn’s seat-of-his-pants Max. The relationship that develops between client and hoaxer is fresh and ultimately brings about extraordinary feelings of hope.  Natsuko Hirano and Roy Vongtama round out this strong cast.

As the month in which we recognize both Asian Pacific American Heritage and Mental Health Awareness, May is the perfect time to bring the unusual and twisty The Brothers Paranormal to our consciousness. The play is currently at The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street) for a limited engagement through Sunday, May 19, 2019.   Runtime is 2 hours plus an intermission.  Content is intense and may be inappropriate for children under 8. Ticket prices range from $62.50 – $102.25.  For more information and to purchase, visit https://www.telecharge.com/Off-Broadway/The-Brothers-Paranormal/Overview.

Fruiting Bodies

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized April 29, 2019 Leave a comment

The fog-bound woods of Bolinas are the setting for the Midsummer Night’s Dream-like meanderings of the characters at the center of Fruiting Bodies.  In reality, this town is as described by Asian-American playwright Sam Chanse: deliberately secluded from the rest of the Northern Bay Area by the townspeople who removed the highway signs that marked the exit.  Though there is no fairy Puck, there is a sprite of sorts: A Boy who by turns is the brother/son, an abandoned 10-year-old, and a giant talking mushroom.  All of them influence the actions of Ben and his daughters Mush and Vicky.  Their environment functions as a fifth player.  The bare trees that spin as the people are drawn deeper into the landscape are paired with soft welcoming rocks in the evocative set by Reid Thompson.  Lighting design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew brings out a magical quality and Kate Marvin provides nature’s moody background music.  Costume designer Sara Ryung Clement provides Vicky’s Instagram-ready outfit and the rest of the workhorse wardrobe.

In biology, the “fruit body” is the sexual phase in the lifecycle of fungi.  At their most literal, the mushrooms on the forest floor are the fruiting bodies of Chanse’s visionary world.  Each grows from a rotting tree, releasing spores into the air as it attempts to start new life.  The family members are also struggling to leave a mark on the world, one quite literally.  Yet each one has a passion that is met with disapproval.  They were at some point connected, but that body has been rotted by disagreement and negative judgment.  It’s a melancholy but recognizable sensation that Chanse evokes beautifully and poetically.  

As the piece opens, the sisters are in Vicky’s treasured Tesla on their way to Bolinas to pick up their father who has gotten lost in the woods. The third generation Japanese American has gone mushroom hunting, a pastime that according to his Japanese tradition can bind family members together.  But fittingly for the increasingly addled Ben, he has forgotten to bring younger daughter Vicky as promised.  Instead, he has meet up with a young boy whom he mistakes for his son Eddie, the first sign that Ben’s mind isn’t what it once was.  The sisters are also disconnected.  The gulf that started to form years ago when their Finnish mother left has deepened now that Vicky is proudly at work on a communication app and activist/artist Mush has the lofty goal of cleansing the world of preconceived notions of beauty and power.

Fruiting Bodies is still developing, having been fostered by the creative environment of  the Ma-Yi Writers’ Lab.  Along the way to opening night, the work shed about 35 minutes and an intermission, leaving a still leisurely 100 minute experience.  Like mushrooms in a pan, there are many concepts being tossed about. Big themes including homophobia, ethnicity, and the power of celebrity are introduced alongside more everyday family conflicts.  The play is as much about mood as it is about substance. Throwing morels, buttons, and chanterelles into his paper sack, Ben quite literally goes through the day with a mixed bag and in a fog.  For all his intentions to serve as model head of the household, he can’t seem to see his son and daughters clearly enough to genuinely bond with them.  Some may find the ending less a conclusion and more a stopping point on a longer path.  The playwright seems to have done this deliberately given that two of the most heated arguments are given simultaneously, sometimes blending, but just as often drowning each other out. 

Kimiya Corwin, Emma Kikue, Jeffrey Omura and Thom Sesma

Kimiya Corwin, Emma Kikue, Jeffrey Omura and Thom Sesma; Photo by Carol Rosegg

Director Shelley Butler knows how to get the most from her nimble cast and wonderland scene.  In Thom Sesma’s hands, Ben is both sympathetic and maddening, taking joy in some moments while completely oblivious to others.  Kimiye Corwin and Emma Kikue don’t yet have the chemistry of the sisters, though both are highly skilled and may find the right rhythm.  The role of The Boy and his many facets is the most challenging and Jeffrey Omura flits expertly among them.  His shifts from teenage exasperation to slightly menacing creature of the dark are executed with ease and limberness.  

Though a little thin on plotting, Fruiting Bodies make for an entrancing event.  For a brief time, you’ll be pulled away from your everyday experience and into these enchanted woods.  It is playing through May 19 in the Beckett Theater in Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd Street) in Manhattan  Tickets range in price from $32.25 to $42.25 and can be purchased by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200 or online at www.telecharge.com.  More information is available on The Ma-Yi Theater Company website at www.ma-yitheatre.org.

The Chekhov Dreams

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized February 3, 2018 Leave a comment

The lovers at the center of The Chekhov Dreams are an unusual pair.  Kate is dead, having been killed in a car crash several years ago.  Deeply depressed since the accident, the independently wealthy Jeremy has put his writing aside and spends his days asleep in order to visit her in his dreams.  A frequent topic of conversation between them is the possibility he might end his life and join his beloved in the hereafter.

Tired of watching this sad cycle, brother Eddie — who has chosen to spend his money on the more traditional wine, women and song — elicits a promise that Jeremy will make an effort to get out and meet new people.  A man of his word, Jeremy signs up for an acting class, thinking this exercise might have the benefit of expanding his relationship with the literature he loves almost as deeply as he does Kate.  Instead, he and his scene partner Chrissy are assigned The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, a playwright Jeremy considers dreary and uninspiring.

ChekhovDreams

Photo by Arin Sang-urai. L to R: ELIZABETH INGHRAM, DANA WATKINS, CHARLOTTE STOIBER

Playwright John McKinney ambitiously draws parallels between his characters, Chekhov’s Anna and Trigorin and Jeremy’s favorite fairytale, The Snow Queen.  The results are uneven, punctuated by some imaginative moments.  A few grimmer concepts are presented too off-handedly, which is jarring.  But by the second act we’re more firmly in Blithe Spirit territory than anywhere near a Cherry Orchard. The broader comedy works fine while we remain in Jeremy’s mind and apartment, but when the action shifts back to the acting class, McKinney breaks his established rules of conduct and produces an uneasy mix of personal hallucination and the reality of others.

The small cast works comfortably together.  The angular Dana Watkins provides Jeremy with an appropriately dreamy quality.  As his scene partner and potential lifeline, Chrissy is given bubbly charm by Charlotte Stoiber.  Christian Ryan channeling Jere Burns delivers the best zingers as Eddie.  The toughest challenge is handed to Elizabeth Inghram who struggles to bring the not-always-likable Kate to “life”.  Rounding out the team is Rik Walter as the time and realms-traveling Chekhov who fills in the blanks whenever Jeremy becomes too blind in grief.

Some of director Leslie Kincaid Burby’s staging is clever, particularly the dream sequences.  The mood of these all important scenes is enhanced by Diana Duecker’s lighting and sound designed by the playwright himself.  Burby is less successful when giving the actors “business”.  The already rapid-fire dialogue gets punched up with distracting sight gags. Scott Aranow’s scenic design also doesn’t quite work.  We are told that Jeremy inherited a great deal of money, but his furniture is inexplicably cheap and ratty.  At times the walls actually wobble.  It is clear from his ultra-casual wardrobe provided by costume designer Christina Giannini that Jeremy isn’t “spendy”, but he should at least honor basic building codes.

For all the talk of endless love and devotion for the ages, The Chekhov Dreams is more a diverting night out than a philosophical exercise.  The thought-provoking questions raised don’t hold up to much reflection.  Towards the end of the play, Eddie has a line that works as a wink to the audience, indicating McKinney knows that the ponderous moments won’t be sustained after the houselights come on. But really, what’s wrong with a little escape?  Tickets for the production at The Beckett at Theatre Row are available through February 17 at https://www.chekhovdreams.com.