In the Trenches is fun and one feels just a bit sorry to see young adults leave behind their single, childless lives. But they muddle through and discover that raising a family is rewarding, time is fleeting and precious, and your single friends will have to deal with you and your yoga pants, PTA meetings, trips to the mall, a barking lab, and dinner moved up from 10 pm to 5 pm.
The actors’ droll and elegant linguistic patter sliced into the backdrop of the city’s hubbub of engines, horns, and sirens. The virtual world they drew us into was a topsy-turvy pastiche of clever banter, delight, and merriment.
From a bottomless pit of prison and despair, Stevens mustered sobriety and hope powered by a renewed, unwavering determination, self-worth, confidence, and passion for his craft. His life became a transformative journey of recovery, growth, and personal empowerment. He crushed his alter ego D Man and broke free, becoming a beacon of resilience and strength. Ronald “Smokey” Stevens is a superbly gifted raconteur with an authentic, inspirational story for everyone that must be told.
Hansol Jung’s stage interpretation of Romeo and Juliet doesn’t challenge the work of Shakespeare’s classic but enhances it by bringing her version to a new audience, and the final standing ovation was proof of her success.
The Theater for the New City presented Bliss Street, a blockbuster musical production based on the life and times of New York rocker Charlie Sub (played by Blaize Adler-Ivanbroo) and his unique connection to the legendary Coventry Club in Queens, New York. Narrated by Ethyl (Marlain Angelides), Bliss Street depicted Charlie Sub’s growing up in an ever-changing New York City in a family that adapted and survived with panache.
The Singing Sphere was entertaining, intellectually engaging, imaginative, provocative, and introspective. It seemed, after all, that one might evolve to a better state. We enjoyed a sojourn of hope and infinite beauty through this collective stream of eloquent consciousness and literary effusion.
Schwartz is a raconteur extraordinaire. From the onset, her repartee was confident and, at times, adapted to prompt audience interaction. One could hardly resist her gentle, enchanting coaxing. She exuded charisma as she commanded the stage with energy and charm. Schwartz’s timing was impeccably utilized for dramatic effect, while her suspense and pacing were expertly managed. Her voice conveyed various emotions and characters, using accents and expressing personalities with aplomb—bringing their stories to life. With her robust stage presence, Schwartz utilized body language, dance, and gestures to provide depth and nuance to her performance. She guided her audience through humor, sadness, fear, intrigue, and elation.
Royo delivered a resounding performance, transforming into over 12 characters experiencing the stages of alcoholism and its effects on each character’s interaction with himself and others. At times, it’s hard to tell who Man is, as his toxic masculinity dominates and elevates with the abuse of alcohol.
The Conductor celebrated emotionally charged discourse governed by mutual respect, intellectual rigor, and passionate argument without the hostility, recriminations, and violence sometimes seen in today’s national debate. As with any well-crafted, intellectually fueled discourse, Reed’s work evoked exciting questions and ideas for viewers desiring continued debate.
The cast, setting, dramatization, and well-crafted script evoked yearning, hope, sadness, heartache, and disillusionment. Sharp’s adaptation explored family, love, and social status themes as Catherine navigated whether to follow her heart or obey her father’s wishes. The audience was inexorably drawn into a story conveyed through a 90-minute production in a seemingly virtual moment.