At first glance, the Kinsey Sicks appear to offer a typical, run-of-the-mill drag show. All of the expected elements are in place: mascara, beautiful dresses, high heels, perfectly quaffed, aquanet hair, eyelashes for miles, and—above all—witty quips and banter. [Read more…] about Theater Review: Kinsey Sicks “Things You Shouldn’t Say” Showers Soho with Sass
THEATRE
Theater Review: “For Peter Pan on Her 70th birthday”
I don’t often recall Geoffrey the giraffe in the middle of a play. If you’re a child of the eighties, you might remember this congenial ungulate as the mascot for Toys R’ us toy stores. I can vividly picture his star turn in the commercials from Saturday morning cartoons. Various happy children would embrace their joy-giving gadgets and sing, “I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys R’ us kid. They gotta million toys at Toys R’ Us that I can play with.” As the commercial ended, Geoffrey sat silhouetted on a bench, staring at the sunset and granting a warm embrace to a child. The campaign was genius. It encouraged kids to put items on their wish list and supplied adults with a heaping dose of childlike wonder. [Read more…] about Theater Review: “For Peter Pan on Her 70th birthday”
“The Suitcase Under the Bed” Reveals Quite a Treasure
In my 3 plus years of experience covering productions at the Mint Theater Company, I have concluded that the barometer of their works range from good to great. I’m relieved to say that I’ve never walked away feeling as though my time had been wasted. If only I could give that same praise for every other production in this town, I’d be the happiest critic in Manhattan! [Read more…] about “The Suitcase Under the Bed” Reveals Quite a Treasure
“Curvy Widow” Proves That There is Life After Death
Who says dating in New York City is an impossible chore? For Bobby Goldman (Nancy Opel), Manhattan is a metropolis of endless, masculine opportunity. After her famous screenwriter husband passes away, Goldman seeks advice from her therapist (Alan Muraoka) who—in no uncertain terms—tells her that the best way to cope is by having sex…lots of it. Goldman follows orders and quickly creates multiple online profiles, all of which use the handle “Curvy Widow”. [Read more…] about “Curvy Widow” Proves That There is Life After Death
Historical Drama “Panic!” Sets High Stakes
Queen Elizabeth (Gina Stahlnecker) is not happy. Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (Kevin Mejia) has commissioned a new performance of Richard II by William Shakespeare (Ryan Tramont). The play had been performed before, but only with 150 lines cut from it—lines which drew close parallels to the Queen herself.
[Read more…] about Historical Drama “Panic!” Sets High Stakes
Shakespeare & Company’s 40th Season: Fit For a King
In 1977, Television’s Fonzie jumped over a shark on water skis. It was the fifth season of Happy Days and, to most critics, it suggested that the show had reached a level of incredulity. Roughly 366 years prior to this, William Shakespeare “jumped the shark” with his hodgepodge comedy Cymbeline. [Read more…] about Shakespeare & Company’s 40th Season: Fit For a King
Dreyfus: The Musical a Big Hit at Don’t Tell Mama!
Famed piano bar Don’t Tell Mama played host to quite the interesting show the other night, where a group of gifted & young performers took on Dreyfus: The Musical. The Dreyfus here in question is not Academy Award winning actor Richard Dreyfuss, but the one with one less “s” in their last name… Julia Louis-Dreyfus. [Read more…] about Dreyfus: The Musical a Big Hit at Don’t Tell Mama!
Last Weekend for Immersive Show “Seeing You”
I know what you’re thinking: “Not another immersive theater piece. Please don’t let the actors engage with me or make me a part of the show!” [Read more…] about Last Weekend for Immersive Show “Seeing You”
Lincoln Center Festival’s “Chronicle of an Assassination”
To lose a spouse is devastating. To lose a spouse to assassination is grief beyond words. Perhaps this is why Director/Writer Amos Gitai joined forces with co-writer Marie-Jose Sanselme to incorporate music into Leah Rabin’s story. Songs often reach the soul in ways that mere words cannot. The result of this collaboration is Yitzhak Rabin: Chronicle of an Assassination. The 90 minute play, featuring music by J.S. Bach, Jurg Frey, Louis Lewandowski, and Luigi Nono made its North American premiere last Wednesday night at Alice Tully Hall. It is part of the Lincoln Center Festival, currently running through July 30th. [Read more…] about Lincoln Center Festival’s “Chronicle of an Assassination”
The Met Opera’s Apolitical “Whipped Cream” Exposes the Anxiety of Joy
A marriage on the stage between contemporary “lowbrow” pop surrealist Mark Ryden and 19th to 20th Century German opera composer Richard Strauss is unexpected. Yet the Ryden-designed “Whipped Cream,” an adaptation of Strauss’s 1924 ballet by the same name in Austrian, “Schlagobers,” played at the Met Opera from May 23 to July 1, and the marriage made sense. It even carried a warning, in spite of both artists’ intent to eschew morals. [Read more…] about The Met Opera’s Apolitical “Whipped Cream” Exposes the Anxiety of Joy