Off Broadway
Rip Tide
Like a flower slowly opening its petals to reveal its beauty, Rip Tide, the one-person show now playing at Axis Theatre, carefully and beautifully unfolds its story over the course of 60 minutes.
Holli Harms
Like a flower slowly opening its petals to reveal its beauty, Rip Tide, the one-person show now playing at Axis Theatre, carefully and beautifully unfolds its story over the course of 60 minutes.
Exorcistic is a rock ‘n roll, hubris-free, hilarious take-off of the 1972 film The Exorcist. The music is thumping, toe-tapping, and diverse. Solos and harmonies fit magically within the storyline. The lighting and sound are perfectly managed, and the costumes and sets blend well with the staging trappings. The actors frolic about the theater, from the balcony, and about the audience as they create a truly multi-dimensional, intimate experience. The premise of the production and script is clever and effective, and the cast barely escapes demonic possession.
Twisted was outrageously funny from beginning to end. A mélange of chortling-provoking antics, the show delved into areas where laughs can’t help but bubble up in a brew of hilarity. A talented, passionate cast ensured the delivery of this burlesque pasquinade. A rockin’ band supported the action, physical comedy, singing, and pantomime.
Welcome to Matteson! is a modern-day version of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, but with more social problems exposed during a dinner party. The story is about forced gentrification, housing equity, and interclass relationships.
After the final reading, Burns remarked, “Let’s put Cather back on the Times Best Seller list. You will not be disappointed.” Not disappointed, the audience celebrated with a hearty round of applause for the brilliant performances of those who were onstage.
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.
Mark and Mathew know thousands of tunes and what’s performed works starts with requests paid for via Venmo. If someone in the audience doesn’t like the song they’re playing, they can outbid that song. whereas Mark and Mathew stop immediately and play the new request. If no one sends a paid request, Mark and Mathew play the Baby Shark Song until the audience is numb and desperate for something new.
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.
The Gospel According to Heather is retelling of the story of Jesus, of those who followed him and believed in him, and those who fought to destroy him. It is the story of Scrooge and his transformation, it is the story of teenagers and how they discover their own worth and belief and love for self.
Tonight’s Juneteenth Celebration at New York’s Lincoln Center was a reflective, fresh, and vibrant source of inspiration for all participants. This nonpareil venue inspired artistic expression and creativity with its lustrous modernist designs, magnificent facades, soaring columns, and capacious plazas. It was a celebration of elegance, sumptuousness, and breathtaking transcendence.
