Facebook-f Pinterest Flickr
Instagram Tumblr Blogger

REVIEWS & ARTICLES

Categories
In the Shadow of Memory: “Remembrance” at Theater for the New City
Off Broadway
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

In the Shadow of Memory: “Remembrance” at Theater for the New City

A particular alchemy exists within the confines of a black box theater, where the absence of spectacle forces an audience into direct communion with raw human truth. At Theater for the New City, Patricia Goodson’s “Remembrance” harnesses this intimate power to devastating effect. The production eschews theatrical artifice in favor of something far more precious: authentic emotional resonance. Indeed, this stark examination of caregiving amidst the cruel progression of Alzheimer’s disease offers audiences an experience that is at once harrowing and strangely affirming.

Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic
Above Ground – Not Exactly a Comedy at La Mama
Off Broadway
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

Above Ground – Not Exactly a Comedy at La Mama

As a gentle, meditative melody plays, ten senior actors stand motionless, facing the audience. The silence is weighty yet peaceful, inviting the audience to enter the world of Above Ground – Not Exactly a Comedy with a contemplative stillness. Above the stage, a large screen mirrors the image of the cast, reflecting them as they are—no embellishments, no illusions. It is a powerful prologue, setting the tone for a production that embraces authenticity, memory, and the undeniable passage of time.

Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic
Touch at The Tank
Off Broadway
Holli Harms

Touch at The Tank

Set in Del Ray, Florida, Touch, written by Lori Goodman, is a play about lifting oneself and moving on. About what it’s like to date at a mature age when the pickings are limited and those that are available are so set in their ways. Touch introduces us to Betty (Carole Forman), a widow whose son, Jim (Alex Brightwell), also living in Florida, is her main friend and companion. Jim is doing all he can for his mother and trying not to go crazy with daily calls and repetitive conversations. Bob (Willie C. Carpenter), a widower living in the same community, lost his wife and met Maureen (June Ballinger ) at the local grocery store.

Holli Harms
Curse of the Starving Class
Off Broadway
Tulis McCall

Curse of the Starving Class

Full disclosure – I am not very very very familiar with Sam Shepard’s work. Or I have forgotten what little I knew. I do remember seeing “True West” several times after it was filmed. I did see “A Lie of the Mind” back in the 1980s.

Tulis McCall
The Diary of Anne Frank at the Algonquin Arts Theatre
Off Broadway
Victoria L. Dammer

The Diary of Anne Frank at the Algonquin Arts Theatre

After coming to power, the Nazi Germany forced Anne Frank, a teenage girl from Frankfurt, and her family to flee to Amsterdam. With the eventual occupation of the city, the family went into hiding along with several others in a tiny apartment above a warehouse. The 13-year-old wrote in several journals that revealed a teenage girl’s horrors, dismay, and everyday emotions as she was stuck in captivity.

Victoria L. Dammer
My First Ex-Husband at the MMAC Theater
Off Broadway
Tulis McCall

My First Ex-Husband at the MMAC Theater

I remember the stories in her one-person show Me, My Mouth & I over 10 years ago—especially that one-liner of appreciation from Steve Allen. Good writing lasts. Behar opens this Readers Theatre event by telling us that she interviewed women who were divorced, separated, or widowed and compiled their stories into a show. Works for me. Many shows have been created using this method—The Vagina Monologues for one.

Tulis McCall
Bill Chats: Bill T.Jones in Conversation with Judith Butler
Off Broadway
Holli Harms

Bill Chats: Bill T.Jones in Conversation with Judith Butler

Jones and Butler shared the stage for one night only to discuss the insanity they see around them and what must be done. They spoke of a divisiveness that our nation has not only embraced with the vote of 47 but is pushing further and further into all aspects of our daily lives. The discussion touched upon the separation and segregation of the haves and have-nots, pillaging institutions of education, health, home care, elder care, the military, and government departments. This destruction, they warned, will deepen poverty and hardship for all except the billionaire class.

Holli Harms
STILL at The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture’s Loreto Theater
Off Broadway
Tulis McCall

STILL at The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture’s Loreto Theater

Mark (Mark Moses) is a successful and, more importantly, DIVORCED lawyer living in Colorado. The kids are grown, and he is looking for a new chapter that may be sitting right in front of him. Helen (Melissa Gilbert) is a successful author with no children and no romantic relationship anywhere. The flame is rekindled, and the game is afoot. We see this coming from the opening moments. There is nothing new or intriguing here. There is quite a bit of cutesy that feels appliquéd. Neither of these characters is cutesy.

Tulis McCall
Bodas de Blood: A Timeless Tragedy Brought to Life at Teatro Círculo
Off Broadway
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

Bodas de Blood: A Timeless Tragedy Brought to Life at Teatro Círculo

A production of this magnitude is more than just words. It is the heartbeat of the drums, the cry of the sonic intones curated through state-of-the-art synthesizers, and the whisper of footsteps against the floor. Francesco Santalucia and Papaceccio provide a live score that pulses like the very blood in the characters’ veins. The haunting and hypnotic music underscores the drama, binding the narrative with an emotional weight that lingers long after the final bow.

Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic
BUY TICKETS
Facebook-f Instagram

In the Shadow of Memory: “Remembrance” at Theater for the New City

PLEASE COMMENT & SIGN UP

More to Explore..

Buy Tickets to any Event, Show, or Game at Event Tickets Center TicketLiquidator Ticketclub.com