It’s taken Hadestown 13 years to make it to Broadway, but it’s been well worth the wait. No doubt that Tony nominated composer, lyricist,and bookwriter Anais Mitchell will share its success with many others, including her fellow Tony nominated director Rachel Chavkin. Still, it is uniquely hers. According to Robert Sullivan in Vogue magazine, “Mitchell is the first woman in a decade and fourth woman in Broadway history to be the solo author of a new musical.” [Read more…] about ‘Hadestown’ is a Flawless Fable with Real-World Reflection
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Hartford Stage’s ‘The Flamingo Kid’ is ‘A Bronx Tale’ for Brooklyn
By the end of Act 1 of the new Hartford Stage musical, The Flamingo Kid, I felt a sense of deja vu. Although I had never seen the 1984 movie on which it is based, the story and themes were precisely in sync with another recent stage show adapted from film: A Bronx Tale. [Read more…] about Hartford Stage’s ‘The Flamingo Kid’ is ‘A Bronx Tale’ for Brooklyn
Two Time Tony Nominee Vivian Reed Brings Brand New Show to Midtown
Vivian Reed is done with standards–at least for now. After two successful shows (Standards and More and Vivian Reed Sings Lena Horne) highlighting the American songbook, the two time Tony nominee is switching gears with a brand new show entitled Little Bit of Soul, Little Bit of Pop at Midtown’s Green Room 42 on Saturday, June 15th at 7 PM. “I’ve made my contribution to standards. Now, I want to change genres and be more eclectic,” she recently told Manhattan Digest over a cup of tea at an Upper West Side Cafe. [Read more…] about Two Time Tony Nominee Vivian Reed Brings Brand New Show to Midtown
Theater Review: ‘Hillary and Clinton’- Shunning Shadows for a Spotlight
What must it feel like to strive for something over the course of your entire life? To know with every fiber of your being that you were custom tailored to reach the highest level of political office in the United States of America-only to result in two devastating defeats? Its difficult to grasp the magnitude of such a loss, but Hillary Clinton knows the reality all too well. So does playwright Lucas Hnath, who has given us an alternative universe into the psyches of the first female presidental candidate and her former Presidental husband, Bill. Laurie Metcalf (Tony nominated for the role) and John Lithgow have been tasked with a Herculean challenge of embodying the power couple in Broadway’s Hillary and Clinton. Both of them succeed beyond the highest expectations. [Read more…] about Theater Review: ‘Hillary and Clinton’- Shunning Shadows for a Spotlight
‘BLKS’ at MCC Theater Pushes Boundaries and Opens Minds
Aziza Barnes has nothing against Lena Dunham, author of the hit HBO show Girls. Audiences and critics have likened Barnes’ play, BLKS – which premiered at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater–to Dunham’s series.Yet how many storylines of black, queer life have been depicted over the course of that 6 season television show? Answer: none. [Read more…] about ‘BLKS’ at MCC Theater Pushes Boundaries and Opens Minds
Oliver Butler: The Anti-Patriarch of Broadway’s ‘Constitution’
Game of Thrones fans might be disappointed when they meet Oliver Butler. Recently, he was asked about working on the HBO series but he had to confess that he was not, in fact, linked to the popular show. Instead, he shares the same name as one of its associate producers. [Read more…] about Oliver Butler: The Anti-Patriarch of Broadway’s ‘Constitution’
‘Speakeasy Magick’ Deals a Deck of Intelligent, Grown-Up Tricks
Drinks mix, fog billows, and strangers meet. They’ve all assembled at the Club Car in the McKittrick Hotel. At intimate tables of 10, pleasantries are exchanged and a sense of the unknown awaits. Soon, a charming, well-dressed man takes center stage. He is Todd Robbins, the host of Speakeasy Magick and he informs his skeptical audience of what to expect. “It’s a little like speed-dating,” he says.” A man will show up at your table for about 10-15 minutes and then he’ll leave and you’ll never see him again. Many ladies here can relate to the phenomenon,” he jokes.
[Read more…] about ‘Speakeasy Magick’ Deals a Deck of Intelligent, Grown-Up Tricks
Halley Feiffer’s ‘The Pain of My Belligerence’ is a Stunner
Dear Halley Feiffer,
On behalf of myself and my fellow men, I’d like to offer an apology. Not for who we are-as none of us had a choice in our gender when we were born-but for what we became. Your bold, thoughtful new play, The Pain of My Belligerence serves as a dire warning about the dangers of machismo. It also serves as an appeal to society: Let’s do better with our boys. We can mold them into strong, kind, and compassionate souls who respect others and aren’t afraid of emotional vulnerability. Or, we can continue to produce a virulent strain of hombres like Guy (Hamish Linklater), the ego-maniacal lothario who seduces your character, Cat, while married to Yuki (Vanessa Kai). [Read more…] about Halley Feiffer’s ‘The Pain of My Belligerence’ is a Stunner
Vineyard Theatre’s ‘Do You Feel Anger?’ is a Cautionary Toxic Tale
Sofia (Tiffany Villarin) “once taught a broker without tear ducts how to cry out of his mouth.” Certainly this earnest corporate coach can soften the hearts of the bad boys at Cash Flow Accounts, right? Not likely considering that Jordan (Ugo Chukwu), Howie (Justin Long) and their boss, Jon (Greg Keller) think that empathy is a type of bird. Eva (Megan Hill) can’t seem to define it either–perhaps it’s because the men around her have subjugated her to nothing more than an object.
[Read more…] about Vineyard Theatre’s ‘Do You Feel Anger?’ is a Cautionary Toxic Tale
Wet Pants and Walls: An Interview with Playwright Nassim Soleimanpour
Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour was once given the gift of a wet garment. Yet random presents are requested from audience members during his latest off-Broadway play, Nassim. This deeply personal and profound theater experience from the author of White Rabbit Red Rabbit is a 75 minute interaction between the playwright, the audience, and a new actor at every performance. To describe it in detail is to reveal too much. It is best experienced with an open mind and a tender heart. [Read more…] about Wet Pants and Walls: An Interview with Playwright Nassim Soleimanpour