For my money, the theatre is up there in the ten top reasons to be human. I leave my home and go sit in a dark room with complete strangers and watch actors do their stuff because I want to be inspired. I’m asking to be involved. I’m volunteering to be led down any old path they choose as long as they don’t let go of my hand. And if I see a show, and it is NOT so very good – I will try to divert you, because I don’t want you to come to the temple when the preaching isn’t up to snuff. I will bar the door, I will swing from rafters, I will yell FIRE just to set your feet on a path that does not lead to disappointment. Do something different with your evening I will say. Save your money for dinner with a friend you haven’t seen in months because you are too frigging busy. Go take a walk with your dog or your child or your significant other. Go to bed early, I will say. Don’t come to the theatre when it is less than it can be. I’m an usher snob, and that’s all there is to it.
There are two elements at work here. The first one being that Clark’s skill as an actor is so refined that she disappears while you watch and leaves her character in her place. The other reason is that Joshua Owen has given Clark text that lets her make unexpected choices. The writing here is precise and covers substantial ground in a few sentences.
This is about woman on a mission and in a hurry. Her mission is to get us all to listen to one another. The way she listened to her father quote the Declaration of Independence over and over. The way she listened to her elders, her cousins, and her neighbors. Jones is a walking compendium of folks, and she is a willing conduit.
Where I got lost was where the story ended up. My theatre guest and I disagreed on the facts of the conclusion (always a good sign) while we agreed on the general final situation. I cannot say more here because that would defeat the purpose of the tale – and this trio is definitely worth a look-see.
It is one thing to go to a show, whose subject is an icon – Nat “King” Cole – and be entertained. It is another thing entirely to be transported as soon as the person playing Cole, Dulé Hill, begins to sing. It is as though Hill dropped into another dimension and stayed there long enough to soak up the very molecules that made Cole an extraordinary talent.
I PROMISE it will make you laugh. It made me laugh, and I am not a laugher. I am an observer who, when something is funny, often makes a mental note of that effect. But laugh out loud? Not so much. Wasn’t I surprised to be one of the people who nearly barked.
The only thing freeky about “A Freeky Introduction” is the astonishing amount of love, smarts, and hope that one person – NSangou Njikam (Freeky Dee) – can fit into one tight 85 minutes, never mind one theatre. With the aid of his DJ and sidekick DJ Monday Blue, Njikam leaps onto the stage and into our hearts. You don’t have a chance to deny him, because he is that slick. The deed is done before you realize it. S-L-I-C-K!!!
Donald Margulies has written a story that, at first glance, is chock-a-block full of metaphors and symbolism. Set in Western Kentucky, it is the night of a lunar eclipse. The eclipse offers lessons in life, continuity, time – all the biggies. They can look back on the passage of time reflected in their decades-old relationship and look up at the moon and see time passing in the here and now. There is mystery in the past and the present, and certainly the future. They live on the farm founded by George’s ancestors. These two are the last generation. George and Em have two adopted children. Tim is dead, and this has always been a problem. Marianne turned out okay, but she lives far away.
Back in the day, we would have called this “A Happening.” It was the time of “Dionysus in 69” by The Performance Group and works by Judith Malina and Julian Beck’s The Living Theatre. The lines between performer and audience were blurred decades ago. With HA HA HA HA HA HA HA, now at The Public Theater, the lines are obliterated.
“Angry Alan” begins with a brilliant and sensitive script by Penelope Skinner that is both seductive and raw. Then we have John Krasinski – you know that sweet guy with the bowl cut from “The Office” 2005-2013. (Yes, THAT long ago, so just take a moment and swallow.) THAT guy gives a performance that is startling in its precision and depth. Who knew? Top it off with direction by Sam Gold, who has pulled every ounce of nuance out of this even and released it to the four winds. This is a theatrical trifecta: brilliant writing, exquisite acting, and insightful direction.
Jean Smart’s performance is so smooth – even through rough bits – that she appears not to be acting at all. She simply transforms over and over again as she slips into each chapter of Izzy’s story, making what is a complicated feat of magic look easy.
If you are Tina Landau and Adam Guettel, you would know that the premiere of Floyd Collins was presented in 1994 in Philadelphia, and 1996 was the year it premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons. Its Broadway premiere was a mere 29 years later and has now taken a bow at Lincoln Center. It’s a good thing they waited so long, because Jeremy Jordan (Floyd Collins) clearly needed to grow into a man and be ready to take on the title role.
Hold Me In The Water is a master class in turning a story into magic. A sense of precision runs through this production from the tippity-top where Haddad emerges from out of nowhere to the final graceful denouement where he returns whence he came. In between, Haddad holds us in the palm of his hand. He is a gentle guide, beginning with his description of a “Relaxed Performance.”
