Long before Mean Girls and our current National presidential primary, there was The School for Scandal, Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s scathing restoration take-down about liars and marred reputations among the bourgeois. Lady Sneerwell (Frances Barber), once the victim of malicious rumors has taken it upon herself to inflict venom on those around her. With the aid of Lady Candour (Dana Ivey), the pair dabble in the affairs of the Surface brothers, Joseph (Christian Conn) and Charles (Christian DeMarais), their uncle, Sir Oliver (Henry Stram), Lady Teazle (Helen Cespedes) and her mismatched groom Sir Peter (Mark Linn-Baker). Truly unscrupulous characters are thrown into the mix, including Backbite (Ryan Garbayo) and Crabtree (Derek Smith) who will stop at nothing to tear down friends and enemies alike. [Read more…] about Review: Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s “The School for Scandal”
THEATRE
Theater Review: When I Was a Girl I Used To Scream and Shout
Playwright Sharman MacDonald did not necessarily break new ground in her 1984 play, When I Was a Girl I Used to Scream and Shout, but Fallen Angel Theatre Company has proven that it still carries emotional weight in their current off Broadway revival. [Read more…] about Theater Review: When I Was a Girl I Used To Scream and Shout
The 2016 Tony Award Nominations Are In: Will Hamilton Sweep?
The 2016 Tony Awards nominations are in, and boy is it going to be a big night for Hamilton! With 16 nominations total, they have broken the record for most nominations in one year. Being this year’s “The Book of Mormon”, they are the odds on favorite to win a ton of awards, however there is a bunch of great contenders that are going to give them a run for their money. [Read more…] about The 2016 Tony Award Nominations Are In: Will Hamilton Sweep?
OBIE Award Winning Director David Cromer Talks About “The Effect”
“Love,” as the song goes, “is a many splendored thing.” It’s also a many splintered thing, as depicted in Lucy Prebble’s incredibly sound play The Effect. Prebble’s play depicts how and why we love through its two leading players: Tristan (Carter Hudson) and Connie (Susannah Flood) are two strangers who meet in a clinical setting where a study, led by Dr. James (Kati Brazda), will determine the use and effect of anti-depressants. James’ mentor, Dr. Toby (Steve Key) is an advocate in the pharmaceutical field and supervises the study. We also learn that he was once romantically involved with Dr. James. [Read more…] about OBIE Award Winning Director David Cromer Talks About “The Effect”
Theater Review: Ike Holters’ Exit Strategy
The liner notes for Primary Stages’ Exit Strategy state that the play was first produced in Chicago after the city proposed a potential closure of 129 public schools, 54 of which were in low income neighborhoods. The announcement occurred in 2013, but three years later, the issues and conversations remain. While Ike Holter’s gripping drama is set specifically in this mid-western city, it could well be set in Anywhere, USA. [Read more…] about Theater Review: Ike Holters’ Exit Strategy
Concert Review: Lynda Carter at Lincoln Center
“Lynda Carter sings?!!?”, was the common reaction to the declaration that I was seeing Wonder Woman in concert last weekend for her Jazz at Lincoln Center show. The answer: Absolutely! Among the powers bestowed on her television character by the Greek Gods, she’s also been granted the real life gift of lovely vocals and commanding stage presence—not to mention her maintenance of eternal youth. [Read more…] about Concert Review: Lynda Carter at Lincoln Center
Theater Review: Christopher Hampton’s “The Father”
Without heartbreak, it’s unlikely that a majority of our dramatic works would even exist. Then again, without some pain in the heart, own lives would not be fully realized. One current show on the boards reflect the anguish and pain that reality can bring, and yet it does it in such a superb manner that we feel a wave of catharsis and empathy long before the curtain falls. [Read more…] about Theater Review: Christopher Hampton’s “The Father”
Theater Review: Danai Gurira’s Powerful “Eclipsed”
Danai Gurira might be one of the strongest and most important voices in American Theatre today. The playwright’s production of Eclipsed gathered thunderous applause and approval from both critics and audiences when it premiered off Broadway at the Public Theater last year and subsequently, it moved to Broadway’s Golden Theatre, where it has received just as much positive buzz. This marks the second New York show in a year for Gurira, who also stars as Michonne in the AMC television series, The Walking Dead. Her other hit show, Familiar, received an extension at Off Broadway’s Playwright’s Horizons before closing on April 10th. [Read more…] about Theater Review: Danai Gurira’s Powerful “Eclipsed”
An Interview with DISASTER’S Jennifer Simard & Seth Rudetsky
There is a mutual admiration society meeting nightly at the Nederlander Theatre, home to the current hit, Disaster! The Musical. The show, which features a groovy blend of disco, is set on a floating discoteque casino where Broadway veterans parody all of the seventies disaster movies. Actor Seth Rudetsky gathered many of his long time stage friends including Roger Bart, Kerry Butler, Kevin Chamberlain, Adam Pascal, Faith Prince, and Rachel York to mount the much lauded Broadway laugh-fest. He also enlisted Jennifer Simard, a superb actor who is no stranger to the Broadway stage, but who is delivering a much talked about break-out performance as a nun with a gambling addiction. [Read more…] about An Interview with DISASTER’S Jennifer Simard & Seth Rudetsky
Top 10 Most Shocking Elimination in RuPaul’s Drag Race Herstory
Last night, RuPaul’s Drag Race fans were left absolutely stunned as one of the two favorites to win this season, Thorgy Thor, was sent packing after an amazing lip sync against Chi Chi Devayne. Whereas Chi Chi slayed the house down, we were all shocked as Thorgy has been consistently good throughout and no one saw this coming. That brings me to the point of this piece. [Read more…] about Top 10 Most Shocking Elimination in RuPaul’s Drag Race Herstory